The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-17


who was not his subordinate was his
enemy, and he was keenly sensitive to
ridioule
Sherman's character is Of a diamet-
r1calIy opposite type. He has very posi-
tive opinions about public questions,
but if the senate adopts another view Of
than he doesn't take his doll rags and
go home. Mr.. Sherman has, however. a
plain, direct way of speaking his
mind / think his frankness has been
the cause of most of his quarrels If he
is as direct in the business of the state
department as he has been on the floor
Of the senate, we may look for q new
era in diplomacy.
Mr.. Sherman said to me in conversa-
ton once that he was mot afraid of
any man" He had the moral courage
to refuse to fight a duel with Wade
Hampton in 1880. Sherman in a cam
paign speech spoke of the solid south
headed by Wade Hampton and the
Kuklux Khan. When Hampton wrote
to ask if he was correctly quoted, he
sent long explanation, but no apollo
gy, and Hampton replied, giving him
the lie and saying, my address will be
Columbia, S. G. -
Mr.. Sherman did not send a chal-
1enge. He made public the correspond
ence and only challenged General
Hampton to prove the incorrectness of
what he had said. There the whole
matter rests to this day. But when
Sherman returned to the senate Hamp-
ton refused to speak to him. Mr.. Sher-
man has always regretted this, for he is
not slow to make up after a quarrel.
His readiness to accept the olive branch
in the case of General Alger is the best
evidence of that. 1t is not every one
who would forgive the man who had
cut him out of the presidency. No doubt
Mr.. Sherman and Mr.. P1att will ar
range their differences when Mr.. Platt
comes to Washington next month.
Conkling was not SO ready to forgive
a real or fancied injury. He was hard
hater. A gentleman who is still in ac-
tive public life tells me of an attempt
which was made to settle the feud be-
tween Blaine and Conkling. This gen
tleman was travelling from New York
to Washington on the Congressional
limited, and he learned that Mr.. Conk-
ling was to be on the train. IN the sta
ton he met Mr.. Blaine, who was going
to Washington. He knew both Mr..
Blaine and Mr.. Conkling well, and it
occurred to him that here was sp1en-
did opportunity to reconcile them. He
asked Mr. Blaine if he would meet Mr..
Conkling half way, and, getting his
consent, arranged with the conductor to
reserve the two seats just beyond Conk-
ling's.
In the first of these Mr. Blaine sat;
in the second, the mediator. When Mr..
Conkling came in, he greeted this gen.
tleman warmly. A minute later he
turned to speak to him and discovered
that Mr.. Blaine was sitting between
them. He swung around and looked out
of the window for a minute. Then. he
picked up his bag and coat and left the
car.
Conk1ing's Pride.
Ex-senator Kellogg of Louisiana was
a great friend of Conkling, and he be-
heved at one time that the Blaine Conk-
ling feud was to be broken up. It was
at the time of Hayes successful attempt
to remove Arthur. Conkling was in a
fever over the vote in the senate He
had staked his future on keeping Arthur
in Office. He knew the vote would be
close. Pitt, - he said to Governor KEEL
1ogg, pointing his thumb in the direc-
ton of Mr. Blaine, chow is that man
going to voter" Mr.. kellogg said he
thought Blaine would vote against Ar
thurs removal. Conkling evidently
could not believe it. Just before the
vote was taken Blaine made a. Is min
ute speech against Arthur's removal
Then he voted with Conkling. It was
evident while Blaine was speaking that
Conkling was much moved. But his
indomitable pride would not yield.
Quarreling is not profitable in poll
tics, and feuds are an obstacle to sue
cess. Look at William Mckinley. He
has no feud with any one. His hand is
the gladdest, his smile the most seduc-
tive, in the whole political world He
couldn't charm the knob off door, but
he once did something almost as diff
cult When his seat in the house was
contested some years ago, he persuaded
Frank Hurd of Ohio and Roger Q. Mills
of Texas to vote to give him the seat in
the face of a report from a Democratic
committee saying he had not been elect
ed Think of 1.-THE champion of pro-
lection Turing two most eminent free
traders to vote against their party SO as
to keep him in the housed
And by that incident hangs tale. It
was in the next congress, 1 think, that
Frank Hurd contested a seat, and he
made an appeal to the house which was
almost tragic in its intensity. Some
one who remembered that Hurd had
voted for Mckinley asked Mckinley if
he would vote for Hurd "Oh, no."
said Mckinley quickly. ''But Hurd
voted for you" said his questioner. 81
know" answered Mckinley, "but I
had a good case. -
Where Might Is Right.
It is not unusual for parties to split
in voting on an election contest in the
house. The lines are drawn much more
firmly in the senate, but even there,
you may remember, the late Senator
Payne of Ohio was confirmed in his seat
by Republican votes. Party lines are
closely followed in the house only when
there is a party necessity. If a mem