The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-28
JOHN SHERMAN'S VIEWS.
a TALK WITH THE CHIEF FINANCIER
IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

$3.50
"Reminiscences OF Washington in war Time
Tho First Battle or hull Kun ms Seer
~ . Non.combataat-Southe Mr.
Sherman Thinks, Are Poor Financiers-
Importance of the Nicaragua t'anai-The
Farmers Condition-Too Much wheat II
Rsised-Ghsnges In Our Political Nh.
ehiaery-The story OF Re sumption Told By
the Man who Chiefly Brought Il About.
WASHINGTON. Feb 26.-AfYable and intcr-
sstinR is the Ohio Senator at home.
His conversation with men has the gen
tleness OF one who is speaking to women.
Like Grant and some others, Sherman 8
face requires age to make 1t handsome.
with the pencilings about the mouth. which
take the stiffness out OF that Connecticut
countenance transplanted to the West. Every
morning you sec him In his library debating
70 his clerk. Again In the evening he Is almost
Invariably mt home and his constituents re-
ceive the first hour or two: then. II you are
lucky. you may have another hour listening to
0 low modulated voice. which is mover harsh.
From two such chats during the past week
remember his answers to flying aueries:
"They tell me you are going to build a house
On this square. SenatorT'
"That is so. Next door to my house you SEQ
N Olu tWO-StOTys bHhIp-TOOleu COttbk9 WHICH
% about seventy years old. 1t does not bring
me three per cont. 30 / must do something
with tho lot. and as larger houses seem to be
In request in Washington. am going to tear
that house down. and upon its site and tho
next vacant lot put UP rlnin double house
for rent. Just below on this square COM
menced housekeeping in Washington during
the civil war. I was boarding with Will
lard. my neighbor at his hotel. but the rates
were going UP so high during the war that
finally offered him for two rooms-a sitting
room and bedroom for only myself and wife
my whole salary as Senator. He said he could
not take It, rs his rooms were worth more.
could not afford to pay any more than all
made. 80 I took house right on this square.
and here have lived for thirty years. 1t was
Q good thing for me; II opened my eyes to the
opportunities in Washington real estate When
I first came to Washington the population was
not 10000: It is now so close to a quarter Of
million that I cannot think twenty years will
pass before the city will grow to half million
people. It will be very large city not long
after we are dead"
"You mentioned Mr.. Stanton living on this
square; suppose you knew him3"
( "Oh. yes. knew Stanton when he lived at
6teubenville. Ohio. and when he was not a
Douglas Democrat. but a Breckenridge Demo-
crat, like Butler in Massachusetts,. His ear
nestness In the war. in spite Of his fierce and
sometimes unaccountable outbreaks. made
him an historic figure For little while I
possessed that house. which has since passed
into other hands"
"The loss OF Gen. Sherman. your brother.
vas felt sincerely by the country2'
Gen. Sherman ought to have lived longer.
After he retired his desire to be among the
people took him out to dinners and entertain
ments Of oil sorts. and probably was too much
OF tax upon his years. l think he would have
been living yet II he had kept in Mt nights.
When he came to Washington he stopped with
me. and We gave him a key to come and 60 as
he pleased. but we were In bed before he would
come In"
Ibid the General leave real estate here7'
, "No: he left q house to his family. and $780,
600 to 100000. perhaps At one time had
him put $5OOOin q fine piece Of property about
800 feet square on Columbia Heights. back Of
the former college there. He Rrumbled about
the taxes Finally he said he was going to
sell Said I: General. don't sell that property:
It Is valuable property but he thought he was
getting tremendous price for it: he sold it
for about $4,000. kept mine until about the
time he died: got for my half twice that
amount Of money. I sold 1t for the power
house OF the cable railroad. which Is replacing
the old street railway. and. at cost of
oUOuG 1osOoOsOOOs Will bOOu give uS pOSslUly Cn0
longest cable road In the country. Strangers
have long noted the slow cara here: the cable
will make the outermost part OF the town &C.
cessible at all hours"
When you were growing up. I suppose
Gen. Sherman was at West Point2"
He was three years and three months my
senior: when ] first came to Congress he was
In the West. in California or Kansas trying his
hand at civillfe but he could not keep money:
the soldiers came down on him for whatever
he had in his pockets. and what they did not
bet his wife got for the Catholic Church."
Your ways at the commencement Of the
civil war were for q little time PARALLEL"
IT became an aid -de-camp without pay at
the breaking out Of the war: as a member Of
Congress I was not permitted to draw nay. l
also raised a brigade in Ohio and went to Gen.
Scott to get two regular army officers for it: he
declined to give them. The old man had his
opinions on the regular army: he thought
volunteers should be kept by themselves and
that the regular army should be increased and
made the main reliance. insisted that we
should have those officers. and rather hot
words passed between US. finally went to
Mr.. Lincoln and got them. Scott was entirely
sincere In the position he took at the COM
mencement OF the war. Twas an elector for
Scott In Ohio when he was beaten: the Wings
ut that time were not ready to take an ad-
vanced position on tho slavery ques-
ton. like Seward and others who had
nominated Scott. When Gen. Patterson
was about to make his movement from
Williamsport into Virginia, which did not
amount to much. went to that little town on
the upper Potomac and had room at the
princiPsl inn: ,herseI saw on the floor Of my
Win assps sh Snts sdpt states
searching out the points to which the war
would be advanced. and especially remember
their crying out tho names OF Nashville and
and Chattanooga-t very places whore, they
I returned from Wiliamsport Il was through
as dangerous. because the, rebels held Har-
Iers Ferry; i went to Frederick by. tho
National road and thence by rail back to |
Washington, Ny brother, took the cars from
to Washington by rail-"
Where were you at the time OF the battle OF
about o'clock on the day Of that battle:
with Mr.. Rawlins OF Missouri. a member OF |
Congress went from Gen. SCOTS hendquar- |
ters on horseback. Scott told US before We |
left that the battle had been In progress for |
some time. and that Mcdowell had turned the |