e damaging evidence he produced against
such Justice had been secreted and covered up by the Judiciary
Committee of the House, whom he had accordingly sued, the petition
continued as follows: "Whereupon said Senator replied, I have a cause
to argue as counsel before this court this morning, and I would,
therefore, prefer not to move your admission. Said Senator then and
there arose and took his seat in front of the bench of said court;
and your petitioner remained in said U.S. Supreme Court until one
application for admission was made and granted on motion of one S.P.
Nash, of Tweed-Sweeney Ring settlement fame [thereby demonstrating
poetic injustice], and until the Chief Justice of the United
States--shadow not shade of Selden--called the first case on the
docket for that day, and a moment or two after the argument of said
cause commenced, your petitioner arose and left the court-room of said
United States Supreme Court, (to which the genius of a Marshall and
a Story has bid a long farewell,) and as your petitioner journeyed
towards his hotel, your petitioner soliloquized thus: 'Senator
W---- is evidently afraid of Justice ----, with whom I have had a
difficulty, and he possesses neither the manly independence of a
freeman, nor moral nor physical courage, and he is, therefore, an
improper person (possibly infamous) for such a high and responsible
position, and my rights as a citizen are not safe in the keeping
of such a poltroon and conniving attorney, and he is probably
disqualified to hold the high and responsible office of Senator of the
United States--that he improperly accepts fees from clients, possibly
in part for the influence which his exalted position as Senator gives
him as counsel for parties having cases before the U.S. Supreme Court,
and which practice is wholly inconsistent with the faithful, impartial
performance of his sworn duty as such Senator; and by thus accepting
fees he has placed himself in a position where his personal interests
conflict with the obligations of his oath of office; while the
Justices of the Supreme Court are, I conceive, derelict in the
performance of their sworn duty, for permitting such practices to be
inaugurated and continued.'

"Cowardice taints the character with moral turpitude; and I believe
the facts related above show that said Senator is a coward; at all
events he lacks moral courage, and is afraid of the Justices of the
United States Supreme Court, whose judge the S