National Republican., 1888-04-08
PRESIDENTIAL TIMBER.
SENATORIAL N>iTRNNrS WHOSE
CLAIMS ARE BEI>C DISCUSSED.
Statesmen Who.r Nunu"s Arc House
hold Words In tnmosL Every Amcri-
can uoue Trained in Public An.,;rs
by Long SerS ice in Congress.


hold Words In Almost Every Nmcri-
-an Houe Trained in Public An'i;rs
by Long ScrS ice in Congress.
II Il en old, aul q true saying, that no olc
ever knows whore the "prcsidentUl light
uirgi will strike. Political conventions
are 30 uncertain IN their outcome that the
most ustutc politicians are often set back
md dumbfuuudri.
III 1871 every one expected that Martin
Van Buron would be the nominee of the
Democratic convention, and yet James X.
Polk, an almost unknown man. Wa, So.
l,ctcd.
In 1852 either Vim. L. Marcy, Stephen \.
Douglas, James Buchanan, or Lewis Cas-
was supposed to have an inalienablc claim
upon the same partys nomination, still
Franklin Pierce, who had been in political
retirement for many years, carried of the
prize. In 1850 John G. Breckenridge re-
ceived the nomination for Vice President on
the ticket with Buchanan, when the same
was conceded before the convention met 10
Gen. John \. Quitman, of Mississippi, just
because the convention was carried away
by BTcckinndge's magnificent presence and
k
the convention as n candidate when placed
in nomination by fellow delegate from
Kentucky, who remarked, sotto vUCc. "it
will help John III life even TO be spoken of
for tic place" In 1860 few believed that
II could be other than VIM. H. Seward who
would be the Republican standard bearer
Abraham Lincoln won the day. through the
shillful manipulatiOnS of Horace Greeley
ard cthcr anti-Ncw York Seward men.
The conventions Of the Republican party
of 1876 and 1880 are s,ill too fresh In the
recollection Of all to need special reference
to. But the result of both these conven
tiOns was the placing in the field OF two
"darb hOrses'--tieu. Hayes and Gen. Gar
field.
This element of uncertainty which char
actcrizeS political conventions inspires
hope IN the breasts of the s'lndry senator's
who have their eyes iuten,ly fixed upon the
"white house." and causes them to smile
complacently when their names are spoken
Of in connection with the highest office in
the gift of the American people.
At the present time the Senate chamber
possesses several presidential ''pUssiIlitics,'
statesmen whose names are household words
In almost every American home, and whose
claims for the nomination are being dis
cusscd by hundreds of thousands of intelli-
gent people every day that we live. All of
these senatorial asprants for he presidcn-
tial nomination, with the exception of the
senior senator from New York. are trained
in public affairs by long service in Congress.
All Of them are admitted TO possess integ-
rity, ability. and industry, and either Of them
would give to the country u safe. conserva-
tive. and progressive administration. To
the readers Of this paper IL may not be unin-
teresting to glance at the political history,
the personal appearance, the individual
peculiarities, and the manner OF life Of these
senators who have the presidential "bcen
huzzing very merrily around them at this
particular iuncture.
There are eight Of them: John Sher-
man, Of Ohio: William b. Allison. Of Iowa;
George T. Edmunds, of Vermont: Joseph
Il. 1iawley. Of Connecticut; William Max
well Evalts and Frank lliscock, Of New York, /,
Shelby.M. Cullom, of Illinois; and James
Donald Cameron. of Pennsylvania.
named, and which has no reference what
ever to their political strength or their pros
poets of securing the nomination.
John Sherman, Of Ohio. What memories
Of days long forgotten--days when slavery
or antislavery was the ''gist' Of every pub
lie discusson-does this name recall How
few of those who stood by his side in those
X. Giddings, Owen Lovcjoy, Salmon =.
Chase. BENJAMIN F. Wade, Thomas Corwin,
John p. Hale, Charles Sumner. William H.
Seward, Thaddeus Stevens, William Pitt
fessenden, and Henry Wilson? Not one Of
them left, either in public or private life
John sherman stands almost alone, the con-
Meeting link between the slavery, the recon
struction, the hard money, and the tariff
issues.
One would think from this that Mr.. Shcr-
man is very old man. lie is not, however
On the 10th of next May he will be G5 years
old. II should be remembered that Mr.
Sherman entered public life early In 1855,
hat hut .,fn h., lad
the first Republican convention ever held in
Ohio, and in 1854 was elected to Congress,
Early in his congressional career he i'm
pressed his associates with his steadfastness
and ability. In the thirty-sixth Congress he
was the candidate of his party for Speaker.
The contest Is memorable in the history Of
the House, lasting two months. Day after
day was spent in balloting, various gentle
men being the candidates of the Democrats,
the Republicans, and the Americans, So
called. Finally the contest narrowed
down to Mr.. Sherman, Mr.. Thomas
=. Bocoek, Of Virginia, and Mr..
W. y. H. Smith, Of North Carolina. Each
election-in Mr.. Smiths case only one.
Finally Mr.. sherman Withdrew, and by q
coalition of Republicans, Wings, and
americans, Mr.. Vim. Pennington, Of New
Jersey, was elected Speaker, of whom ithas
neen SAID by competent Judge, THAT he
ssts"lle most thoroughly unaccomplshed
man in parliamentary law who ever welded
the gavel,n After the election of Mr.. PEN
nington, Mr.. Sherman was made the chair
man OF the committee of ways and means,
and even then manifested that thorough
knowledge OF economic questions which
has since given him so great q reputation as
financier Mr.. Sherman continued In tho
House of Representatives until 1861, when
he was elected to the Senate as the sue
.cssor of Mr. Chase, appointed by Mr.
Lincoln Secretary of the Treasury. II il
not generally known that he was avsrse al
that time to remaining in political life. lie
was anxious to take the field as his brother
William T. had done, and as Il preliminary
step thereto had raised Il brigade of 2 ,30i
volunteers In Mansfield, Ohio, and its i'm
mediate vicinity. lie was dissuaded from
this idea by Mr. Lincoln and Mr.. Chase
who thought he could he of infinite more
service to the government IN the Senate
than he would be as a military man. 1t Il
curious to conjecture what would
have been the result had Mr.. Sher
man pcrseyercd in his determination tc
wear the uniform of his country. That he
possesses courage no one who noted his
GOODNESS in mte-bclum days during The
heated debates in the House can doubt
That he is prudent the success which has at
tended him through life plainly demon
strates. But this very same prudence might
for he would probably have failed TO he az
Grcssive and have lei opportunities slip by
which man Of n bOlder and more sangilin,
temperament would have eagerly uyailcL
himself Of
Perhaps Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Chas,
judged Mr., Sherman wisely, and the hes
thing that he could have done for his coun
try, for his fame, and for his party, was tC
remain member of the Senate.
Mr.. Sherman entered the Senate in March
1861. OF those who were his colleague,
In the Senate in the thirty-seyenth Con
gress only one remains there at thi
time, David Turpie, who was elected