The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-17
sEAyrLa. sArUKDAr. rEB. II.
THE REJECTION OF rEcKBAm.

The rejection OF Mr.. peckham By the
United States senate for associate
justice Of the supreme court was
To be expected. Mr. peckham 10 an
able lawyer and an upright man, but
he 10 not man of judicial temper; be 10
irritable. quarreisome and hypercritical.
When the senate committee on the judici-
AIRY reported adversely on the nomination
OF Mr.. Hornblower for associate justice OF
the supreme court. Mr.. Peckham said. on
January o:
.Petty revenge il the only cause am
able 10 discover for the action OF the ma
iority of the senate committee. That Is
the most significant comment can make.
am confident that the COMMITTEES was
aesusted by a spirit Of petty spite.
1t could hardly be expected that the
men accused OF petty spite IN Horn
blowers case by Mr.. Peckham would vote
for the confirmation OF Mr.. Peckham him
self There are other reasons. however.
which fairly prevailed with the senate.
and chief among these was the fact that
President Cleveland had. by nominating
Peckham after the rejection of Horn
blower. committed an act Of personal
spite. While wo believe IL would
have been wisdom In the senate
TO have confirmed Hornbiower, never
theless their right to reject him was
~ sacred rs Mr.. Cleveland's right
20 nominate him, and IL was IN act of
folly for Mr.. Cleveland to show bad tenn
per by nominating in place OF Hornblower
= man who had publicly imputed to the
senate an act of petty spite in refusing to
confirm Hornblower. Mr.. Cleveland knew
that Peekham had on every occasion.
public and private, denounced United
States Senator Hill: he knew that he was
the bitterest personal and political enemy
that Hill had In the Empire state; he
knew that Peckham had publicly i'm
poached ths integrity Of the motives of
the senate in rejecting Hornblower. and
yet he nominated Peckham when Horn
blower was rejected.
To make nomination that he knew was
personally offensive not simply to both
the Democratic senators from New York
state. but 10 respectable senators of both
parties who had voted against Horn
blower on sound public grounds, was un-
worthy of the dignity of the president OF
the United States; 1t was giving Senator
Hill chance to say that the president
was disposed to carry his personal quarrel
with him into the senate aud 20 treat the
senate with contempt by asking 1, to con-
firm man who had publicly spoken of IL
with contempt.
President Cleveland lacks the power OF
seiigestraint manifested by President
chusetts. was rejected by q Republican
senate for associate Justice of the supreme
court. Judge Hosr was an exceedingly
able lawyer, he las . man of absolute in.
tegrity aud purity. an unflinehing Repub-
lican. who had served with distinction in
attorney general of the United States. aud
yet he had certain iInperiousness and
aggressiyeness of temper that made him
personally unpopular; he was altogether
too arbitrary and domineering To succeed
In politics. and SO he was rejected. psesl.
dent Grant held Judge noar in high e..
TEEN, and yet be did not lose his temper
because of bis rejection; Gen. Grant was
soldier. but he was just man, and he
did not treat the senate with contempt be-
cause they rejected no less than three of
his nominations for the supreme bench.
Hoar. Williams and Cushing.
President Cleveland invited defsa. for
Peekham, and he has his reward.