New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-10
SENA TOR STEWARTS LETTER.

Mr. Lamars formal resignation as Secretary
of the Interior and the Presidents acceptance
Of it will naturally be interpreted to mean that
they ale confident of the former confirmation
for the Supreme Court. This impression will
not be weakened by the simultaneous publca-
ton of an elaborate argument by Senator Stew
art in favor of confirmation, which is doubtless
put out in the hope of influencing other Re-
publican Senators. 1t remains to be seen
whether,the event will justify this confidence
Assuming, as perhaps we are bound to DO,
that Senator Stewart had no reasons for favor
ing confirmation beyond those recited in his
letter. it is sufficient to show that that presents
no answer to the most serious objections urged
against Mr.. Lamar. He ignores, and wisely,
the question of Mr.. Lamar's legal fitness. The
substance of the letter is that the eulogy of
Mr.. Sumner, MIR. Lamars depreciation of the
formation of parties on the color line, his vote
in favor of MIR. MOrgans Senate resolution de-
claring the War Amendments binding but ex-
pressly emitting to state that they were legally
ratified, and the Calhoun eulogy, show him to
be thoroughly reconstructed" man, and
therefore eligible to a place on the Supreme
bench. This is matter of opinion. If men
were to be judged by their words and not by
their deeds, this would be world of saints.
Most men, we believe, will prefer to judge MIR.
Lamar by his course in public life, and not by
his perorations. lie has made number of
pretty speeches; but we never heard that he
lifted finger against the colossal frauds that
made him and kept him Senator-frauds Tar
more outrageous than the Tweed Ring ever
dared to attempt. There are men in this COM
munity to-day, men of more ability than Mr.
Lamar, whose regulations are so utterly
blasted by association with the crimes of the
Tweed Ring that they could not be appointed
to any office whatever. But because MIR. Lamar
is able to appeal to the sentiment of universal
reconciliation as an ex-rebcl, all this is over
looked, and MIR. Stewart has not word to say
on the subject.
So. too, MIR. Lamar has never uttered word
against the murders, midnight whippings and
other bloody deeds of the bulldozing period
all of which he saw and part OF which he was.
There is something so incOngruous in the idea
of man being nominated to one of the highest
judicial places in the land who owes all his
prominence to crimes, expressions and fraud
which would have attracted the attention of
the civilized world if they had been committed
in Ireland or Russia, that the temptation to
rub ones eyes ON reading such arguments as
Senator Stewards is strong indeed. For he
not only ignores these things, but even goes so
far as to insist practically, that the new judge
of the Supreme Court must be an ex-rebcl,
A Southern man who stood by the Union will
not do. Justice HARLAN is not representa-
tive Southern man. because he "never par
ticipated in the views of the Constitution
entertained by the great majority of the South
ern people," If President Cleveland should
nominate a Southerner now Democrat who
had not been a rebel, we should expect to see
Senator Stewart vote to reject him on the
ground that no man should be put upon the
Supreme bench who had not been guilty of
treason at least once in his life, and that the
reign of good Twill could never begin so long
as men were appointed to office to whom there
was nothing to be forgiven. Senator Stewart
is fortunate in not having to explain his vote
to such Republican constituency as that OF
Newly ork Ohio, Illinois or Iowa.