Evening star., 1895-05-28

~ Z
| just thirty-three days, on the Understand
| ing that soon q man of more extend
ed acquaintance with financial administra-
| ton should be found to take charge of the
| treasury he should retire from that post,
which was not wholly to hts liking Mean
| while additional reasons were presented to
Mr.. McCulloch that he should accept the
post, and on the 2Sth of October. 1884, he
| was made Secretary of the Treasury and
| Mr.. Gresham was appointed circuit judge
| of the seventh judicial district to succeed
Judge Drummond. who had previously re-
| tired.
In the Conventiod1Sf 1883.
Judge Gresham's name had been consid-
| cred with some seriousness by the dele
| gates to the rational republican convention
of 1884, held in Chicago, but no votes were
| cast for him, though he was second choice
| of many. He had drifted somewhat from
the high tariff doctrine of his party, and
had thus alienated some of the eastern
men. In 1883 he was a strong candidate
| for the presidential nomination, and at the
Chicago convention Of that year he
| ceived 107 votes out of S31 on the first bal
| lot. Senator Sherman was the principal
| candidate, with 90. Gen. Harrison was
| then a dark horse. whose chances, how
| ever, were somewhat overshadowed by
| those of Alger. On the third ballot the
voting stood thus: Sherman. 249; Gresham.
123: Depew, 81; Alger, 122: Harrison, "a;
| Allison, SS: Blaine. So: Rusk. 16; Mckinley,
| 8: Phelps. 5. At the close Of this ballot w.
| W. Dudley made his famous combination
| with the California delegation, which ulti-
| mately resulted in Harrison's nomination.
| During the voting at this convention Rob
| ert G. Ingersoll made his remarkable eff
! fort to stampede the convention to
| Gresham by making one of the most thrill
l ALI Nha- hoo oPd
| political gathering. He kept back the name
| of Gresham until the very close of his re-
| marks. and 1t was hoped that this would
| cause a wave of enthusiasm for the popu-
| lar Indianian that would sweep the con-
| vention from its feet. 1t had the reverse
! effect, however. and from that moment
Gresham's chances were dead On the
| ated with 5A votes to 11S for Sherman, 100
! for Alger. SO for Gresham, for Blaine
and for Mckinley.
Favored Mr.. Cleveland.
| After this convention Judge Gresham's
| alienation from his party associates on the
| tariff question became more and more pro-
/ nounced, and after the passage of the Nc
| Kinley law in 1880, he and some others
openly announced their opposition to that
line of action. So marked was his antag-
| onism to this policy that in 1892 he was
| rendered the nomination of the populist
| party for President being waited upon at
| party, prior to the Denver convention.
| which nominated Gen. James B. Weaver.
Judge Gresham declined the honor. Dur
| ing the campaign of that year he publicly
| proclaimed himself as favoring the election
| of Mr.. Cleveland, his example being fol-
lowed by Wayne McVeagh and some other
prominent republicans. After Mr.. Cleve-
| lands election Judge Greskam's name
| Cured to him as one fitted for cabinet
| office by his experience and prominence,
and in February. 1888. he was summoned
NY
elect spending the winter. and the
| State Department portfolio was formally
| rendered him. He accepted the office,
and was nominated and confirmed immedi-
| ately after the inauguration, and after
| resigning his seat on the bench assumed
his duties in the cabinet, March I, 1898.
His Long Public Service.
Thus for twenty-six years Judge Gresham
has served continuously on the bench and
| in the cabinet. From the date Of his ap-
pointment by Gen. Grant in 1869 until his
death this morning there has not been
day of relief from the pressure of public
business. 1t has been freely stated by his
| intimate friends that his death now, in
| what should be the prime of his life, for
he was but sixty three years old in March
| last is largely the result of his unremit-
ting attention to duty, and it is even said
| that his fatal illness has been brought
about and aggravated by the tremendous
| responsibilities that have beSet him since
he became Secretary of State. Few men
| holding the state portfolio have ever been
confronted with so many difficult problems.
| Foreign complications began Immediately
| after his induction into office, when the
| Hawaiian controversy began to assume
| serious proportions. The trouble over the
Bering sea award followed, and South
American difficulties have piled one upon
another, until it was at one time said that
| the State Department was never SO beset
| with business During late months the
| trouble with Spain over the Allianca affair,
| the dispute with Italy over the lynching in
| Colorado of Italian subjects, the Venezuela
| boundary dispute and the Nicaragua
! British imbroglio, all made work for the
| American Secretary of State of the most
| eXacting and difficult description. In many
of these troubles the Secretary has stood as
| a strong center, and has unqueStionably re-
ceived more criticism than is usually given
to cabinet officers. In addition to the other
troubles, the State Department has acted
| as intermediary in the Chinese-Japanese
war and in the Mexican-Guatemala boun-
| Diary dispute.
His Home Life.
Secretary Greshams home life was an
exceptionally pleasant one. He was al
| ways devoted to his family, and has fire.
quently said that one of the chief trials of
his late official career was the necessity of
| being absent from his farm home in the
vicinity of Chicago. In 1853 he married
| Miss Matilda McGrain. Two children have
been born to them, son and a daughter,
| both of them residents of Chicago. The
| daughter is married. 1t is known that Mrs.
| Gresham has for some time been endeavor-
ing to persuade the Secretary to relinqush
| his office and return to Chicago, as she
feared that the strain that was upon him
| was too much for his strength. He dis
| liked, however, to retire from office in the
face of adverse comment, and insisted upon
| remaining until his constitution had been
thoroughly broken down.
|
An American Prisoner Released.
Information has reached the State De-