The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-19

that again resulted in the defeat of
the Ohio statesman in the national
convention of 1888 and brought about
the nomination of ex-President HarTl-
son can be easily read between the lines
in that part of the work devoted to
this struggle. In discussing the result
Mr.. Sherman says he became satisfied
one delegate from New York controlled
the entire delegation from that state
and between Saturday night, when the
nomination seemed certain to go TO
Sherman, and Monday morning, when
the tide turned in favor of Harrison. a
corrupt bargain was made in the In
terests of the latter which secured himA
the support of New York and gave
him the nomination.
Faint Praise.
Continuing the author states in fair
ness to the ex-president:
But it is to the credit of General
Harrison to say that if the reputed
bargain was made it was without his
consent at the time"
On the eve of another national cam
paign in which eX-President Harrison
is expected to figure prominently, Mr.
Sherman does not hesitate to state
that in 1892 he did not consider Mr.
Harrison a strong candidate. To his
cold and abrupt manner he attributes
his unpopularity at that time.
Mr.. Sherman says Grants admins
tration was a period of scandal and
SANDER Perhaps the severest criti-
cism of General Grants craftsmanship
is found in the following extract from
Mr.. Shermans work;
During the entire period of Grants
administration 1 was chairman of the
committee on finance of the Senate and
had to act upon all questions Of taxa
ton, debt, banking or finance, and
had occasion to talk with the president
upon such measures, but he rarely ex-
pressed an opinion or took any interest
In them"
The Arthur Case.
At the age of seventy-two years.
Senator Sherman recalls the affair over
the attempt to remove Chester A.
Arthur from the collectorship of the
port of New York with much feeling.
The correspondence bearing on the
controversy never before published is
given in full and Mr.. Shermans part
as secretary of the treasury is stated
in detail. Arthur is shown up in an
unenviable light and the attitude of
Roscoe Conkltng toward the president
is caustically commented upon. The
formers nomination as vice president
Mr.. Sherman says, was the whim of
Conkling to annoy President Hayes.
Throughout that part of the work re
lating to President Hayes. Mr.. Sher-
man speaks in the highest praise Of
the chief executive.
There is less of personal narrative In
the book than might be expected. Mr..
Sherman speaks modestly of his boy
hood days. of his family and of his
first appearance in public life. Many
of his important public addresses dur
ing the slavery agitation and during
the political campaigns in which he
took part are embodied in the book.
His account of the civil war and of
his association with Abraham Lincoln
is full of interest as narrative and
as a historical record of the stirring
events of that period.
Very Candid.
In writing about himself Mr. Sher-
man is candid to the point of self
criticism. For instance, he states that
at the age Of nineteen years he got
into bad company and was on several
occasions conscious of being intoXi-
Gated. To his mothers kindness he
attributes his resolution to never re-
peat the condition.
The Views of Mr.. Sherman on the
financial question are so well known
that it is not necessary to repeat them.
1t is sufficient to say he is consistent
All of the legislation on this subject
during the last half century is care
fully recited and analysed, the details
concerning the passage of the act of
1874 are recorded. In 1876 Mr.. Sherman
prepared and delivered a speech on the
repeal of the resumption act of 1875
which he says is the best presentation
he has ever been able to offer in sup
port of the financial policy of the gov
eminent, and especially in support Of
the resumption of specie payments.
The Cry of Money.
These extracts from the address are
quoted as indicating Mr.. Sherman's
theory of money:
"All intelligent men agree that every
great commercial nation must have
both a metallic currency and a paper
currency; the one as the standard of
value by which all things are meas
ured, which daily measures your bonds
and notes as it measures wheat, cotton
and land: and also, d paper of credit,
currency. which, from its convenience
of handling or transfer must be the
medium of exchanges in the great body
of business of life.
81 am one Of those who believe a
United States note, issued directly by
the government, is convertible on de-
mand into gold coin, or a government
bond equal in value to gold, is the best
currency we can adopt that it is to
be the currency of the future,
not only in the United States
but in Great Britain as we'll, and that
such a currency might properly con-
tinue to be a legal tender, except when
coin is specifically stipulated for"
Another extract from the utterances
of the author, defines in a word his po-
sition on the silver question. After re-
lating his axioms of sound finance, he
concludes:
80 that for all practical purposes we
may regard gold as the only true
standard. the true money of the world
by which the value of all property, Of
all productions, of all credits and Of
every medium of exchange, and espec-
tally of all paper money is tested"
Rich in ripe conclusions, full of in
terest as personal narrative, instruc-
tive as a political record and complete
as a financial history of the country.
the work adds to recent books Of
American history one of general inter-
est and of value to students of politics
and finance.