The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-16
SECRETARY SHERMAN.

Secretary of State Sherman is in
poor health, and his ailment is of that
character which is placing the admin
istration in very awkward position
He is. apparently all right physically,
but his mental faculties are disturbed;
at least. it would seem that he says
things at times which he should not
say, and would not say. if his mind
were all right.
A gentleman in this city met the
secretary not long since, and when pre-
scented to him he remarked to Mr..
Sherman that he had met him in 1876.
YES. remember" said Mr.. Sherman.
THAT was when I was secretary of
state" a mutual friend who was
present remarked that the secretary
was mistaken as to the time. and the
position he held in 1876, but Mr. Sher-
man insisted that he was right, and
the matter was allowed to pass with
out further comment.
J Mr.. Mckinley is in a. very bad fix in
regard to the head of the state depart
ment. It is we'll known that Senator
Sherman had no desire to become sec
rotary of state, but Mr.. Mckinley was
very anxious to have Mr. Hanna in
the senate. and so it was arranged that
Mr.. Sherman should be made secre-
tary of state and that Mr.. Hanna
should be appointed senator. Hanna
! could have had a cabinet position had
he desired it. but all things considered,
it was thought he could exert a greater
influence in the senate for the admin
istration than he could in the cabinet
and that has proved to be true
! 1t is said that Mr. Mckinley knew
| that Mr. Sherman was not suitable
man for this responsible place before
he was appointed The New York
Times discusses the matter as follows:
Undoubtedly the condition of Seere-
tary sherman's health presents to Mr..
Mckinley an extremely delicate prob
lem. but it is one that viii be more diff
ficult rather than less with the passage
Of time. and one that involves grave
responsibility in several directions. This
responsibility is the more direct and
! personal, because Mr. Sherman is
known to have entered the cabinet re-
| luctantly, and because it is believed
that he was induced to do so only that
a seat in the senate by appointment
might be given to Mr.. McKinley's most
! intimate friend and adviser In these
conditions Mr.. Mckinley, having used
the portfolio of the state department
for purposes not solely public is the
ST. iy.tIx
harm comes therefrom to the public
interests
The need for some decisive action
exists quite apart from any considera-
ton of Mr.. Shermans general fitness
for the place, and it arises largely from
the development of facts that were rea-
sonably definitely known before the APP
pointment was made. 1t is in full APP
probation of the pathetic nature of the
present situation. SO far as concerns
| the veteran leader, that we recognize
the urgent necessity for dealing
promptly and effectualy with that sit
uation. 1t may be truly said that, for
! the actual condition of things, the sec
rotary himself is not at all RESPONSE
bic. But surely the president cannot
/ ignore the gravity of the fact that the
secretary is not responsible for the en-
barrassnents of the moment because.
in sad truth, he is generally irrespon-
sibIe. A man in private life who is free
to do what he will, and yet who does
not really know what he is doing, is an
object of pity TO his friends and OF
solicitude to his family a man at the
head of the department of state, the
immediate director of the foreign policy
of the government at a time when
our relations in several quarters are,
to say the least, extremely delicate,
| who is in such a condition is obviously
g source of good deal of danger