The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-29
THE LATE CHIEF JUSTICE.
Inside History of His Confirmation
by the Senate.
From the Ne,0 York World.

From the NeU York World.
WASHINGTON, March 24.-The inside his
tory of the executive sessions of the Senate
which made the confirmation of Morrison
R. Waite possible by the rejection of the
two former nominees, Landaulet Williams
| and Caleb Gushing, has never been told. 1t
was given to me tonight by the Private
Secretary and confidential friend of one of
the Senators who took part i'll the coutirma-
ton. When Chief Justice Chase died Presi-
| dent Grant first rendered the nomination to
Roscoe Conkling, who was then forty
years of age Conkling declined to accept
| the position, and when asked why, replied
that he preferred some other way of being
buried than by taking a seat on the Su-
preme Bench" Grant ther sent in the
| nomination of his Attorney General. George
H. Williams, of Oregon, who had been
Chief Justice of Oregon Territory, and who
was noted as a lawyer, but who, from his
extravagant equpage, which he drove
| about W ashington at the expense of the gov
eminent, was dubbed "Landaulet Will
Jams"
Williams was rejected and the secret of
rejection lay in the extraordinary beauty
of his wife. Mrs Attorney General Will
liams was by all odds the greatest beauty
among the Washington ladies of that day.
Her only rival was Nine Catatazy, the wife
of the Russiar Minister, who is considered
one of the most beautiful women in the
world. Mrs. Williams was tall, we1l-formed
and graceful. She had beautiful, rosy
face, dark brown hair and blue eyes. She
was an accomplished conversationalist and
her social powers were such that she was
envied and hated by the wives of many of
the Senators. She had had somewhat the
same record as the wife of Andrew jackson,
IN that her husband was bI ute and in that
her divorce was secured by the aid of Will
Jams, who afterward married her. The
wives of the Senators could not bear to
think of the social reign of Mrs Williams
being perpetuated, as it would be if her
husband became Chief Justice of the United
States for life. They quietly talked the
matter over together, and it was their influ-
ence with their husbands that brought
about the adverse vote which secured Will
Jams rejection.
President Grant became very angry at
the action of the Senate, and he asked a
number of the Senators whom he knew had
voted against Williams as TO their reason.
They replied that Williams was not great
enough lawyer. Grant said nothing, but
he astonished the Republican members of
the Senate one day by sending in the name
of Caleb Cushing as Chief Justice Of the
United States. This was just after the pas
sage Of the constitutional amendments re-
ldUlnR negro anu Utle IOe-
publican members of the Senate considered
it very important that a Chief Justice
should be appointed who would be in accord
with the most pronounced views of the Re-
publican party as to these. They were op-
posed to the selection of any man whose party
fidelity was questionable and they were as
tonished at the presentation of tue name of
Caleb Gushing. Gushing had been a Wing
member of Congress in 1S4l, and he had, as
De-. caid of thiz finna
over to Tyler and been paid for doing SO by
being made Commissioner to China, and he
negotiated think, the first treaty between
that country and the United States he
had been in President Pierces Cabinet as
Attorney General when jefferson Davis
was Secretary of War, and he had intro
duced William l.. Yancey, of Alabama, at
a meeting at Boston, and had Endorsed
State rights speech which Yancey had
made there in 1860. On this ground many
of the Republicans deemed his nomination
and appointment inadvsa lie aud no one
supposed he would be confirmed Some of
the Senators demonstrated with Grant. He
replied that he had not known of Cushing's
record, that he had offered them a man
sound politically in Williams but that he
was not a good enough lawyer for them,
but now he had given them good lawyer
and they were not satisfied with him as a
politician.
Charles Sumner was not thought to be in
favor of Caleb Cushing, and the two had
been enemies, and no one thought Conkling
would support him. When the matter came
I'D in the caucus Of the Republican Senators
Sumner made an ardent speech in his favor,
and Ben Butler assured the Senators that
Cushing was now strong Republican, and
that he was in accord with the amend
ments. Parson Brownlow said he could not
vote for Cushing, and accused HIM Of being
a political prostitute. He had been APP
preached by private secretary of one of
the other Senator's and had been assured
that Cushing was stroug Republican. He
had replied that he had no doubt that he
would promise 20 be a Republican in the
future TO get the position, but as for him
(T3rownlow) he would thousand times
rather vote TO confirm as Chief Justice