Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-01
Written for The Evening Star.
DECLINED THE PRESIDENCY.
A Notable Letter That Gen. Sherman Wrote
Before the Convention Of 1854.

/ DGSAsANHD
| A Notable Letter That Gen. Sherman Wrote
| Before the Convention of 1854.
| HE HAD NEVER READ A PARTY PLATFORM AND
HAD NEVER VOTED FOR ANY ONE But Blu
| cHASAN-rHK SHALLOW FLArrERY" OF THE
WHITE HOUSE CROWD.
LONE OF THE GREAT MAGAZINES Is
~ engaged in the publication Of an interest
ing series Of letters between Gen. W. 7. Sher-
man and his brother, Senator John Sherman.
None Of them is of greater interest or Of more
historic importance than q letter which Gen.
Sherman wrote nearly nine years ago to Mrs.
John B. Henderson. the original of which came
into my hands a short time ago. 1t will be
published as one of many original letters in Mrs.
Ellen Hardin Walworth's American Monthly
Magazine" in its next issue, but 1 have the per-
mission Of Mrs. Henderson to use its chief
features here. The letter has an interesting
history. 1t was written at the time when
the republican national convention was
in session at Chicago in answer to
letter of Mrs. Henderson on the
subject Of the desire Of many of the leaders of
that convention to make Gen. Sherman the
republican nominee for the presidency. Mr..
| Henderson was the permanent chairman Of the
COustNlO1. anu uo WAS IN the movement TO nom
mate Gen. Sherman. not from any antagonism
to Mr.. Blaine but because he thought that Mr.
| Blaine could not be sure of election and he
thought that Gen. Sherman could. Before
going to Chicago Mr.. Henderson approached
Gen. Sherman on the subject of permitting the
use Of his name before the convention and
he gave qualified negative. Afterward when
the leaders OF the opposition determined
to nominate Gen. Sherman if possible they
asked MIR. Henderson to communicate with
NJ l.aI
eral and at the same time Mrs. Henderson, VINO
knew him very well and who had been present
| at the interview with him before the couven-
tion wrote to him urging him to permit the
| use of his name. Mr.. Henderson received a
reply py Telegraph decided negative-and
! Mrs. Henderson received little later a long
charac teristic letter.
EXTRACTS FROM THE LETTER.
1t is a delightful. rambling letter. as frank
and discursiye as Gen. Shernan's conversation
was. and no one who has talked with Gen.
Sherman will ever forget his conversational abi,-
| lty. Here are some extracts from the letter tit
is dated at st. Louis. June 5. 1880:
Chicago at the hour OF my writing is like
] the scene III Macbeth where the witches were
mixing their pos o: politics-it made little df-
ference whether the root of hemlock diSged i
the dark went IN before the s. o. not.
80 In few days. when the convention has ad-
journed. you will care little as to the details,
/ pi'Niu6d tiic POT DOll5 ana, rs canGlOate,
/ there Ia an average good man. Hendcrson's
! speech was good enough and it was ali-sufficient
| that my dispatch got there in time. Our Young
! friend Roosevelt can use the material of his In
| tended nomination speech for Sherman at the
next or the next national convention for some
other fellow, no matter whom
| Il have been behind the curtain at the White
House and have seen the skeletons in every
closet and every room-Harrison Taylor. Lin
coin and Garfield You and both know the
| 81
shallow fattery of the crowd which has gathered
there. and will gather there for years, no mat
ter who the occupant may be. don't want
! the place. Mrs. Sherman would be simply
| wretched there. and every time she went to
church or any time priest entered the walls it
would be heralded to the four corners of the
world. Lizzie don't want TO go there and
Rachael hestates. My only remaining son
would be poisoned and ruined BY the place,
as SO many boys have hitherto been. With
these facts branded in my memory, WHY
should l covet the honor? Henderson
said well, the country labors under the 'em-
| barras de richesses;' i. e., of too many men
qualified and willing. There is no war, 10
consumption. no compulsory process l am
| as fairly out as any freedman should be- Where
| comes in the patriotism! am not the only
savlor-run Jacob Townsend with specific for
| all diseases-on the contrary l believe the
| country is healthy and better not to be doc.ored
at all look upon all political parties as pretty
|
and might unconsciously adopt some democratic
measure and be admonshed by the newspapers
having the administration in charge that it was
not in the platform. Why, Inever read political
| platform in my life, and don't believe will
| road the one now which has been conpounded
| in the witches pot in Chicago 1 never voted
but once in my life. then voted wrong-dis-
| franchlsed mvself-and if pardoned will never
vote again. This was in California; had to
choose between Fremont and Buchanan. 1
knew Fremont was not qualified and went
1t blindfor Buchanan-on the mathematical doc
trine Of probabilities that he might be. If called
| on today to define my position l would saw:
The Star Spangled Banner and the Lords
Prayer
I'm pretty subject for a political candi-
date. No, will none of it. Tell Henderson
the only candidate ever had for President was
our old friend Spotted Tail. chief of the Ogal-
lala Sioux. handsome. dignitied AMI undoubt-
eddy native American He was killed in row
up at the agency, and I am now widow and
don't much care who is to be our next Presi-
dent-Baine. Arthur, John Sherman. Lincoln,
Gresham. Edmunds. Harrison or Joe Hawlev-
and if this great people cannot chose out Of
them and must look to the democratic party,
| there is Tilden, JEFF Davis and the deyiI-oY
which three 1 would prefer the latter certain
that we now sand SO firmly a basis Of
strength (thanks to the brave men who fought
in 1S61-5) that our fabric of government can
| not be shaken
| WHERE 1T WAS WRITTEN
| This letter was written undoubtedly in the
little room to the left of the entrance to Gen.
Sherman's home on Garrison avenue in St
| Louis 1t was his study-half library, half
othce-with a fat-topped desk standing in the
middle Of the floor. The house was a double
| brick on one of the fashionable streets of the
city, now left far behind in the growth of st.
| Louis, away from the river front toward the
west The house was the gift of the citizens
OF st. Louis to Gen. Sherman. 1t was not
| very large or costly. 1t stood Just opposite the
brick palace of dealer in hams named Whit
taker, and clerical wit known beyond the
narrow limits Of his city, Dr. John SNYDER
OF the Unitarian Church, is credited
with comparing the two structures for the
benefit OF visitor to the city as typifying the
superiority of the pen over the sword. In this
home Gen. Sherman spent number of years
and he would probably have died there but for
some controversies which he had with the CITY
over water license and some other little dis
cords, which SO Jared on his nerves that he de-
| termlned to move to New York. While he lived
In st. Louis Gen. Sherman devoted himself al
most entirely to social pleasures He delighted
| In game of whist and he reveled in story tell
Ing One OF my first experiences in active
journalism was when l called at his house to
interview him on some question connected with
| the government Of the state militia found
him in his little Office and he welcomed me yery
pleasantly and talked very freely. I
| think that never spent . pleasanter half hour
| on any business mission. Gen. Sherman filed
the time with pleasant anecdote and entertain