The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-10-19
Reveals Many Old Political
Intrigues and Secrets.
SORE AT GARFIELD.
Intimates That He Was Not
Sincere With Him.
Mr.. Sherman Tells of His Youth
full Bad Habits.

thrusts of the last half-eentury of
American statecraft are revealed in
the fierce light of stern criticism in
John Sherman's Recollections of
Forty Years in the House, Senate and
Cabinet" just published in this city.
The fear that the venera Die senator
would reveal secrets, long kept from
the public, in his for booming work
has been to an extent realized. Grant,
Garfield, Blaine, Arthur, Harrison and
other Repu blican leaders are spoken
OF with unstinsed praise for their high,
personal, worthy craftsmanship, but
each is in guarded and covert language
shown in the less commenda bic light
of scheming politicians. The criti-
cism is almost invariably implied
rather than direct, but it stands ou5
clearly in the work as a whole
Owing to the close association OF Mr..
Sherman and James A. Garfield, the
criticism of the nomination of the
latter for president of the United
States is perhaps one of the most
striking features of the book The an
thor, while carefully avoiding a direct
charge of treachery on the part of tie
cx-president, very significantly makes
it plain that Mr. Garfield was nomi-
mated at a convention to which he had
| gone as the trusted leader of the Sher-
man forces. After showing by the
publication of private letters, covering
a period of years of close political and
personal association, that Mr.. Garfield
was, in reality. his political protege,
Mr.. Sherman gives in detail the his
| tory of the national convention of
1880. Following the account of his
own struggle for the nomination, lie
says:
I'm time, became thoroughly al
vised of what occurred at the Chicago
convention, and had become entirely
/ rec 0nciled to the result, though fire.
queutly afterwards heard incidents
! and details which OccaSiOned me great
! pain. and which seemed to establish
/ the want of sincerity on the part of
| some of the Delegates, and tended TO
/ show that for some time before the
! NEE ing ofGthe con yention the nolni-
| matte of General Garfield had been
/ ag- eed upon.
TIE sting felt by Garfield detection
/ in 1850 is inadvertently shown by a
! sentiment expressed during the dis-us-
sion OF The national convention Of
| 1852, where the senator remarks:
/ From later Developments l became
! satisfied that Harrison could not be
J elected, that Platt and a powerful
New York influence would defeat him
/ if nominated. l therefore preferred
/ the nomination Ct new man such IS
! VIII am Mckinley, but he had con-
/ Initted himself to Harrison and, &C.
cording to nv code of honor, could not
/ 4ceept L nom nation even if rendered
hin.
When it was remem bered that Blain,
was also candidate for the presideu
cv before the convention that nomir-
ated Garfield, the significance of the
following explanation on the part Of
Senator Sherman of why he was not
reappointed by President Garfield as
secretary of the treasury is readily u1-
derstoo1: In the latter part of No
| vembrr, 1850, General Garfield came to
| Washington and called upon Mr.
| Blaine, who, it was understood, was
| to be secretary of state. Garfield
came to my house directly from
| Biaine's and informed me he had ten
dcred that office to Blaine and that it
was accepted. He said blaine thought
it would not be polite TO continue me
as secre tary of the treasury, as it
would be regarded as an unfriendly
discrimination by other members of
HAYES cabinet. l promptly replied
that l agreed with the opinion of
Blaine, and was a candidate for the
Scna, e.
Again the author reverts to the
Chicago convention in discussing the
character of President Garfield OF
his personality and eloquence he
speaks IN the highest terms. His will
power. he says, was not up to his per
soaal magnetism. He adds that his
opinion changed easily. In this
connection he said: ''When l proposed
to him to be delegate-at-large to the
Chicago convention. he no doubt
meant in good faith to support my
nomination.
Some of the political scheming that
again resulted in the defeat of the
OHIO statesman in the national con
vention of 1855 and brought about the
nomination of ex-President Harrison
can easily be read between the lines
IN that part of the work devoted &c
this struggle In discu 5sing the re
sult Mr.. Sherman says he became sat
i,fed one delegate from New Yorl
controlled the entire dele CATION from
that state, and between Saturday
night when the nomination seemed
certain to 60 to Sherman, and Monday
morning when the t de turned il
favor of Harrison, d corrupt bargain
was made in the interests of the
| Latter, which secured him the support
of New York and gave him the nom
ination. Continuing the author states
in fairness to the xPresident: But
it is to the credit of General Harrison
to say that if the reputed bargain
was made it was without his consen
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 Harri
son a strong candidate. To his cole
and abrupt manner. he attributes hi
unpopularity at that time
Space is de voted by the author to al
account OF the important events 0
each administration. In this connec
ton Mr.. Sherman lays bare many o
the jealousies, political pickering