Year: 1874

The place, left vacant 10y the death OF
Chief Justice Chase, seems hard to fill, SC
as to please President Grant, the Senate,
and the country generally. After long
delay, and no doubt any amount Of consul
tation and candidates-for this high and
once sacred Office appears to be run for now
like others-on the meeting of Congress,
the President, to settle the matter, sent in
the name Of his faithful Attorney General,
Williams, to the Senate for its considera-
tion. But neither the Senate, nor the law
yers, nor the leading newspapers, nor their
millions Of readers approved the nomina-
ton. A battery was opened on the unfor-
tunate Williams, which was welded with
such destructive effect that, after standing it
long enough to show proper courage
under fire, Williams, who. unlike Grant
and Taylor, being 10 soldier, did know
when he was whipped, begged the Presi-
dent to withdraw him from the Imminent
deadly BREACH" and he did. Then the
President sent forward we'll known great
lawyer of worldwide reputation, a man
who knows great deal about everything,
from alpha to omega, from something to
nothing and the press generally concluded
the matter settled, having no doubts of his
confirmation. Indeed there was an almost
universal expression of satisfaction through
out the country on the nomination. Cush-
ing was the man. Cushing would do. But
after all it was discovered that Cushing
would not do. He might do for diplomacy,
and might be useful to give advice to the
President and get him out Of scrapes that
less wise and prudent men might get him
into, but Cushing would not do to sit on the
bench and preside over the judges of the
Supreme Court, and expound the true mean
ingof the Constitution. Cushing had been
once great expounder of State rights, q
great friend of one JEFF Davis, who figured
ut one time quite conspieuously in an ''un-
pleasant difficulty, which occurred between
the Northern and Southern States, and Ger
tain friendly letters, which had passed be-
tween the said Cushing and the said Davis,
recommending certain worthy individuals
for Office under the Confederacy, were
found, probably by some friend of Senator
Conkling, and certain expressions were noted
therein, strongly favoring the doctrine of
the right of secession, doctrine before
that time generally admitted by the Democ-
raey to be true from Jefferson and Madison
down to Cushing and Ben Butler Whew
Here was a new discovery of some
thing almost forgotten by everybody,
though once known to everybody.
Here was the devil and State rights and
the Confederacy to play all together.
When the matter was laid before Grant, he
lit another cigar and said he thought there
were great many good Republicans now
whose correspondence, before the firing at
Fort Sumter, would not do to publish, but
who afterwards did good service to the
Union cause. He might have been think
ing of Butler and Logan, and perhaps his
old father and father-in-law, and possibly
of himself, for he had been raised Demo
crat and had married 2 good Southern
wife. What should he dog Consult with
Cushing2 Very likely. Cushing writes a
beautiful letter, advocating all the amend
ments Of the Constitution and showing how
entirely sound he now is on the nigger and
national authority, and concludes by desir-
ing his name Withdrawn. This the Presi-
dent sends along with q communication,
leaving the matter to be determined by the
present great men of the Senate, including
Conkling and Howe and Carpenter. Cush-
linz has probably gone up or rather
win Ego over to Spain, as originally in
tended, and there is yet another chance fol
sornebodv or a nobody