The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17
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suggesting him as a candidate for the
Presidency Here at least we have the
inception of the Sherman boom, although
it is we'll known to many army officers
and veterans of the war that General w.
L. Sherman had been talking of John"
for President long before 1873. Every
time that suggestion was made for the
general to enter politics he spoke OF his
brother John as available.
Senator John was very coy when the
Presidential wooing came. He wrote to
the Ohio man: THE contingency that
you refer to with which my name is con-
nected is still too remote to talk about. l
never supposed that a person occupying
my office, open to attack and compelled
to say no to so many persons, could be
sufficiently popular to justify any party
in running him for the Presidency, and
therefore have always dismissed such sug-
gestlOns as the kindly compliments of the
hour. The tendency of public
opinion is evidently toward General Grant,
whose absence and good conduct are in his
favor, while the involuntary feeling of Re-
publicans would be in favor of nominating
him as remonstrance against the violence
in the South and notice that it must end"
The allusion to Grants good conduct in
the foregoing letter will be understood as
meaning that the general turned down"
his wine-glasses at the dinner-tabl signi-
flying to the walters that he wanted none.
He so turned his glasses at the celebrated
Palace Hotel banquet in San Francisco.
The book tells how the phrase "mend
ing fences" became a political byword.
Sherman said in speech at Mansfield,
Ohio: Il found when | arrived at my old
home that the papers said that L came
West seeking the nomination for Gov
ernor. l came purely on private busi
ness-to repair my fences and look after
neglected property" The reporters seized
upon the reference to fences and construed
it as having political significance.
Reference to William NJ. Evarts' keen
wit is thus made in the book:
Among the early meetings of the Cabinet
President Hayes announced three or four
personal appointments that he intended to
make, mainly in the foreign service, in the de-
partment of which Mr.. Evarts was the head
Evarts seemed to be surprised at these appoint
ments, and after some pause he said: 'Mr.
President have never had the good fortune
to see the great Western reserve of Ohio, of
which we have heard so much" For mo-
ment Hayes did not perceive the quiet sarcasm
of Mr.. Evarts, which was a polite expression OF
mis- feeling that he should have been consulted
about these nominations before they were an
nounced. We all caught the idea and the
President Joined heartily in the laughter.
Mr.. Evarts is not only man of keen wit, but
is n great lawyer and able advocate. learned,
from my intimate association with him in the
Cabinet, and subsequently in the Senate as q
member OF the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions, to respect and love him.
In January, 1880, Shermans boom for
the Presidency was fairly launched. The
other leading candidates were General
Grant and James G. Blaine. Of the conven-
ton which met in Chicago June 2, 1880,
the book says:
Four days were occupied in perfecting the
permanent organization and the nomination
OF candidates for President. During this time
a minority OF nine OF the delegation of Ohio
announced their determination to vote for
Blaine. This was fatal move for Blaine, and
undoubtedly led to his defeat. Nearly four
ffths of the delegation were in favor of my
nomination., in pursuance OF the express
wishes of the Ohio convention, but they were
all friendly to Blaine, and whenever it should
have become apparent that my nomination
was impractical, the whole delegation could
easily have been carried for him without
division, and thus have secured his nomna-
ton. The action OF these nine delegates, who
refused to carry out the wishes of the State
convention, prevented the possibility of the
vote of Ohio being cast for Mr.. Blaine.
Long before the convention ! had declared
in published interview that "Blaine is a
splendid man. able and eminently fit for
President. If nominated he will find no one
giving him hearter support than myself"
We were connected by early ties of association
and kinship and had been and we're then
warm friends. Blaine, when confident of the
nomination, said TO me: "To no living man
does the American people owe deeper debt of
gratitude than TO John Sherman for giving
them resumption with all its blessings. AS
Secretary OF the Treasury he has been the sue
cess OF the age"
The Chicago convention nominated Gar
field, and this reference is made in the
book to the convention:
In time became thoroughly advised of what
occurred at the Chicago convention and had be-
come entirely reconciled to the result, though