The herald., 1895-05-28

y
AT - 10 he suffered another rigor. At
II 80 Secretary Herbert came to the hotel.
He had arrived in Washington about 80,
Fastening at once to join the little party
OF watchers. BY midnight the signs OF
dissolution were crowding thick and fast.
The members of the sec retary's family,
who had been excluded earlier in the
evening from fear that their presence
might rouse the apprehension of the
diving man. had been admitted, for 1T
was plain thai Secretary Gresham fully
realized his condition and desired 30
spend his last moments with his loved
ones lie had been conscious aid had
conversed calmly with those about him,
bur as the midnight hour drew near the
waning forces of life were no longer equal
TO the effort and he sank into silence.
Although almost puseless and without
signs OF life otherwise, his eyes still
showed the CLEAN Of intelligence and ap-
pre- .Sation of what was going on around
hi,D and the watchers waited in silent
ago.y of spirit for the going out OF life.
Walter Quintin Gresham was soldier.
a Judge and statesman prominent and
distinguished in those three great fields
of human eDdeavor.
He rose to the rank of ma jor general OF
volunteers during the rebellion. lie was
for fourteen years United States circuit
Judge for Illinois and held three cabinet
portfOlios--postmaste general and secre
tary of the treasury under Arthur and
secretary Of state under Mr.. Cleveland.
Mr.. Gresham came of English stock.
His ancestors moved to Virginia and later
to Harrison county. Indiana, where he
was born on st. Patrick's day, 1882. In
1888 Mr.. Gresham's father was elected
sheriff, and the next year was murdered
by noted desperate whom he had gone
to arrest. His mother was left widow
with five small children Walter q. was
then but two years old. sHe grew up with
but one or two winters schooling until
he was IL years OF age. By dint of hard
work and the assistance OF his brother he
succeeded in entering the seminary at
Corydon.
Two years there ana he went to
Bloomington unversilty and completed
his education so far as schooling was con-
cerned. He took up the law. In 1855 the
Republican party was formed and with it
the first shrek OF war was sounded Gov
ernor Morton appointed him lieutenant
of the Thirty eighth Indiana, but before
he saw active service he was appointed
colonel of the Fiftythird Indiana in
1861. Mr.. Gesham's regiment was or
dered to ioin General Grant at Fort DON
elson.
August H. 1868, he was appointed brig
adler general on the recommendation of
Grant and Sherman, and placed in COM
mand of the Natchez division. In the
following spring he was placed in COM
mand OF the division of the Seventeenth
corps of the Tennessee. which took part
in the campaign against Atlanta. AT Leg
gets hill before Atlanta ne was struck by
a sharpshooter' S bullet Just below the
knee To the day of his death he never
recovered the full use of his limb.
The war over, General Gresham returned
to his profession at New Albany. Ind.
In 1866 he was nominated for congress
against Nj. C. Kerr, but the district was
Democratic and he was defeated. When
General Grant became president he ap-
pointed Mr.. Gresham United States dis
trict Judge for Indiana. When Post
master General Howe died, in 1883, Mr..
Gresham was rendered the cabinet posi-
tion by telegraph and accepted. Near the
close of Artnur's term, on the death of
Secretary Folger. be was appointed secre-
tary of the treasury. position he held
the satisfaction of restoring him to the
bench at the close of his service by ap-
pointing him to succeed Judge Drum
mond.
In 1888 General Gresham was made a
prominent candidate for the Republican
nomination for the presid ency at the
Chicago convention. His liberal views
on the tariff created against him the an
tagonism OF the extreme protectionists at
Chicago. Judge Gresham openly dissented
from the Mckinley law and in 1899. after
the nomination OF Mr.. Cleveland by the
nounced his allegiance to the Republican
party and advocated Mr.. Cleveland s
election. After Mr.. Cleveland was elected,
in February, 1893, he sum moned Gresham
to Lakewood, n. j., where, after con-
sultation, he rendered him the position
OF premier of the cabinet he was form
ing. Judge Gresham accepted the trust
March 7. During his short term as post
master-general Judge Gresham accom-
plished much. Letter postage to Canada
was reduced and the postal contract with
Mexico was signed. Another important t
service he rendered to the country was
the re-establishment of fast mails.
As secretary of state in the present ad-
ministration Mr.. Gresham has had 10
deal with perhaps more vexatious. intr-
cate and delicate diplomatic affairs than
has fallen to the share of most secretaries
enoe he was disposed to view every ques-
Jion from the standpoint of exact and
equal Justice. and the first consideration
with him was always absolute fairness
ii his own country occupied false posi-
tion in the matter he thought it was his
duty to set 1T right. even at sacrifice OF
material interests as 1t might appear at
the.time. Such course was certain to sub
ject him to public criticism. and he fully
realized this in advance, out was in no
respect deferred from doing what he
thought was right
This brought him face to face with the
great question of the hour at that time
the annexation of Hawaii. He had de-
cided views on this matter. even before he
came into the.cabinet, and it was upon his
recommendation that President Cleveland
performed almost his first official action
by withdrawing from the senate in
which it was pending, the annexation
treaty negotiated by Secretary Foster
Then Mr.. Blount was sent to the islands
to make an original investigation, and
upon his report the secretary made his
lnow celebrated recommendation: That
the queen be restored, inasmuch as she
had been deposed by the sanction OF the
officers Of the United States