Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-04-28
The Passing ofSecretary Sher-
man.
ICourier-Journal.l

lCourier-Journai-I
No more pathetic incident has
transpired i'm connection with the
present outbreak Of war than the en-
forced retirement of John Sherman
from participation in public affairs.
He is one of the last of the statesmen
that the civil war brought forth, and
the greatest surviving. One of the
ablest of all the Secretaries of the
Treasury since Hamilton, it was GER
tainly his fortune to do the most inn
portant work. The resumption of
specie payments and the funding Of
the war debt are achievements suf-
f1cient to entitle him to a place
among the chosen few who have the
genius of constructive statesman
ship. That he made mistakes, and
very serious ones at times, is not to
be doubted, One can not help think
ing that il he had always followed his
convictions on the silver question in
stead of consulting party policy our
monetary system would never have
been subjected to the intense strains
from which it has had to suffer. A
believer in the gold standard, he has,
however, clung to the use of green
backs, and he has always thought
the national banking system a perfect
one, though condemned by more
scientific financiers. Still, these are
minor faults, and his other errors
may have been forced upon him by
the exigencies of party politics. Per-
haps it seemed best to him to COM
promise and put off the evil day as in
the Silver Purchase act. We realize
now that this was a mistake, but he
may have judged the temper of the
times best, and the bill may have
saved us from a free coinage law.
For the good he did he at any rate
deserves credit, and that was a great
deal more than falls to the average
service even of eminent men.
The position which Mr.. Sherman
took with regard to silver legislation,
so much i'm contrast with his bold
ness when he declared that the only
way to resume specie payments was
to resume, is key to all his public
acts. An intense partisan and an
adroit and powerful politician, he
sometimes realized and sometimes
reversed Goldsmith's characteriza-
tion of Burke:
"Who, born for the universe narrow
ed his mind,
And to party gave up what was
meant for mankind"
This might be said Of him with
truth, but not:
"And too fond of the right to pursue
the expedient."
More's the pity that it was so. He
never hesitated to gain a party ad-
vantage, and he never spared a foe.
In State whose politicians are the
most active and malignant in the
Union he was easily a leader for for
ty years. He was ever ready to fight, |
and probably because of his pugnaci- |
ty, while he always sat on the right
hand, he was never at the head of the |
table. The cOlOrless Hayes and the
brilliant but weak Garfield passed
him on the way to the presidency,
stronger man though he was. He
might have made a great Chief Mag
istrate, but he did not lose the nom-
inatiOn altogether because Of the
bribery alleged by him against his
rivals.
That such long, vigorous and al
together useful life should be brought |
virtually to a close by mental decay |
at period when lesser statesmen
suffer no loss of mental power is in
expressibly pathetic. II the art of
government be the greatest to which |
man can devote himself, John Sher-
man has served his generation well.