Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-06-01
THE DEAD SECRETARY.


 THE DEAD SECRETARY.
 In the death of Walter c. Gresham the country loses a valuable citizen. ( talented iurist and a good soldier, g statesman of no mean ability and who now, although gone, has left the impress Of his work upon the history of his age. These things even his enemies in the presence of death will not be slow to acknowledge. Politically we may in life differ, but such barriers disappear in the presence of the great leveller of hu. man destines. But notwithstanding this we are constrained to believe that by one mistaken step of duty the whole tenor of his life was changed and he failed to reach the presidency, the high. est ambition of every great and good American citizen. The following brief sketch of his life is furnished by the As sociated Prese:
 Walter Quintin Gresham was @ col dier, judge and statesman, prominent and distinguished ss each. He rose to the rank of major general of volunteers during the rebellion. Of Euglish stock, his ancestors moved to Virginia and later to Harrison county, Indiana, where he WAS born on St. Patrick's day, 1882. In 1884 his father, while sheriff, was murdered by @ noted desperado, whom he had gone to arrest. He grew up with but two or three winters school. ing until he was 16. By dint of hard work and the assistance of his brother, he succeeded m entering the seminary at Corydon. Two years there and one at Bloomington university completed his schooling. He then took up the law.
 Governor Morton appointed him lieut. enant colonel of the 38th Indiana, but befor he saw active service he was ap- pointed colonel of the 53rd Indiana. To 1861 Gresham's regiment was ordered to join General Grant. In 1863 he was ap- pointed brigsdier general on recommen- dation of Grant and Sherman and placed in command of the Nstchez division. The following spring he was placed ID command of a division of the 17th corps of the army of the Tennessee, which took part iD the campaign against At lsnts. At Leggitt's Hill before Atlanta, he was struck by shsrpshooter's bull let just below the knee. He never re- covered the full use of the limb.
 The war over, Gresham returned to bis profession at New Albany, Ind. In 1866 be was defeated for congress, as the district was democratic. When Grant became president he appointed Gresham United States district judge for Indiana, which he held fourteen years. When Postmaster General Howe died in April, 1883, Gresham was ten- dered cabinet position by telegraph and he accepted. Near the close of Ar thurs term, on the death of Secretary Folger, be was appointed secretary of the treasury, position held until Oc- tober, 1884. President Arthur, who had taken him from the bench, had the sat. isfsction of restoring him to the bench at the close of bis service, by appoint. ing him to succeed Judge Drummond.
 In lSSo Gresham was . prominent candidate for the republican nomina- tion for the presidency. His liberal views on the tariff created against hlm the antsgonism of the extreme pro- tectionists. At Chicago Gresham open ly dissented from the Mckinley law and in 1892, after the nomination of Cleveland by the democrats, he, once republican, renounced allegiance to the republican party and advocated Clevelend's election. After Cleveland was elected he accepted the position of premier of the cabinet.
 During his short term as postmaster general, Gresham accomplished much. Letter postage to Canada was reduced and postal contract with Mexico was signed. Another important service rendered the country was the re es- tabishment of fast msils.
 As secretary of state of the present administration he has had to deal with no7e vexatious, intricate and delicate diplomatic affairs than has fallen to the share of most secretaries of state. From his long judicial experience, be was dis posed to view the money question from a standpoint of exact ard equal just,cs and the first consideration with him was always absolute fairness. 1t was upon his recommendation that Cleveland per. formed almost his first official action by withdrawing from the senate, where it was pending, the Hawaiian annexation treaty negotiated by Secretary Foster. Then Blount was sent to the islands to make an original investigation and upon his report the secretary made his now celebrated recommendation that the queen be restored, inasmuch as she had been deposed by the action of officers of the United States.
 When congress finally made known its views the secretary accepted them for his government. but it cannot be discovered that be ever changed his views as originally announced as to the justice of the action he had proposed. The Behring sea seal fisheries arbitra- tion was another matter with which he was not in harmony.
 The German discrimination against American meats and the Samoan mat ters. the interests of the United States in the Chinese war, the Bluefelds in- cident, the Alliance affair, were all i'm port8nt questions for the safe disposal of which he was responsible.
 To 1858 he married Miss Matilda Mo- Grain, daughter of Thomas McGrain, man of Scotch Irish descent. A son and daughter was born to them, who live in Chicago.
 A Leaf Fluttered by the Wind T