The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1888-02-09
MOULTON's DEATH HURTS SHERMAN
n Chapter OF Secret Political History
How Garfield Won.

| a Chapter OF Secret Political History
| How Garfield Won.
(From tho Now York SUM
| The death Of Colonel Moulton, John
| Shcrmans brothcr-iu-law, makes fresh q
chapter of political incidents that has
never yet seon the light Of day, and re-
mains for tho future political historian
to put upon printed page. Said Re-
! publican politician yesterday: "Moulton
was man Of great decision and sagacity,
and John Sherman is sadly crippled in
tho outset Of his Presidential canvass by
his death. MOultOn was really tho un-
whiting cause Of Garliold's nomination
i'll 1880. llo was tho ono connecting
| link between the plot that had been
| going on in GArlicll's favor end the op-
portunity in tho Chicago Convention
which completely upset all combinations
and rCcryslaliZCd tho strength of the
.Nnti-Grant men around ono standard
bearer. Early i'll May of 1890 John
! Sherman, then secretary of the treasury
| III Hayes Cabinet, made little Saturday
visit to Philadelphia, ostcnsibly to look
over the customhouSC, but really to set
up his political boom. Ono of the
! features OF til" visit was ride down the
Schuy kill i'll company with number Of
|
| Wharton Barker and his gnrrulouH sire
Ola Barker happened to sit at Shcrman's s
left hand, and, hUI Sing his tongue in
the middle rs the boat pushed out from
the whalf, the benevolent old gentleman
kept 1T waggjng ut beth ends until she
| bumped the pier again on her return.
"'Mr. Sherman, | should like to see
you prCsidcnt,' said old Barber, 'but
my son Wharton thinks Jim Garfield is
the best man Wc can put up. SO does
Wayne NlacVcNgh.'
"At this time Gnrfird's nnmo had
/ not been mentioned by anybody in any
! quarter, publicly, in connection with the
| Presidency. He wNS the leader Of his
! party i'll the House, and had before him
the prospect Of becoming Speaker, if he
chose to accept the place. Perhaps if il
had not been for old Barkcr's remark he
would have been Speaker instead of
Nclicr in the Eurty-suvGlhh Congress.
! What Old man Barker said set John
| Sherman to thinking and he had several
consultations with bis hrothcr-in-lnw,
! Mouiton, about it. Fcclcrs were put
out around Garfield, but no could not
ho caught. He denied uniformly that
he had ever Thought Of becoming IL can,
dldatr, and the only thing he said that
could hn construed into betrayal of lii
ambition WAS II remark that he made OF
one occasion as lie dismissed the sub
]Cct, 'Oh, there's time enough for tina
by and by When Shcrmuu wanted t,
have Garfield himself make his nomina
: hon speech for himself GShermun) beYor
= saying word to Garfield he talked
u over with Nloulton.
. "'Oh yes; have Garfield by a
. mcans,'" swi3 Moulton. If he has an
y designs on his own account it will ii
, him up beautifully
$50 Sherman asked Garfield to max
the nominating speech. Garfield, il
turn, was wary about accepting. IL
had by this time become little set III
hy the suggestions OF Il number of mar
plots, and began to think hc might be ,
dark horse in thc convention. IIo tolt
his friends that Sherman had asked hin
to make the nominating speech, and he
had taken Little time to consider the
matter. It Is unnecessary to mention
with whom Garfield finally consulted
but the advice WAS: Go ahead and ac
ccpt. Make your speech, and we will
SEQ to tho risk. That was the first small
cloud on John Shcrman's horizon, then
40 bigger than mans hat, but destined
III short month to swell into Whirl-
"iH'N VI 't'lCi!l. Nilillill NCcCplCu II,
and i'll time no fact will be moro certain
in history than tll&t the famous opening
sentence Of his speech was entirely Il
nattcr Of Encouragement History may
be ramEackcd for II finer dOYrtail Of cum
ming with cunning than Garlicld'ssppech
and the work of his friends in the gnllc-
res OF the convention hall.
"'WhO shall bo your candidntr?' said
/ Garfield with his first breath as he stood
/ before tliat great mass Of men, and then
the galleries an8w"rcd, shouting back as
with The roar Of the sea: 'Garicld! Gar
licldn
'Eno sccnU can never be forgotten.
IT was as if II child had touched the
electric button that should hurl the
world into cImoH again. Al that Gar
field snid WAS that simple little sentence,
'Wh0 shall be your candidutc? and
thousands OF men took it up a. the sig
maj Of hiB consent AMI C0nniVauco in the
plot to make himself that cnnGdutr. If
1t had not been for Colonel MOulton's
unlucky advice to John Sherman, Car
L2.d cOutd not have touched the electric
button tLut cOmVulScd the convention
and threw into chaos the several fac
tlonS that stood opposed like strong
armies ON the battle field"