The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-21
DYING AT SEA.


histrionic, melodramatic. superficial Banks
as in any degree soldier or a statesman.
would have preferred Chase to Grant.
although every that Chase
would have ruined the Republican party as
completely as he ruined himself. Sherman
felt that the election of Chase would have
been best for the country as well as for
Grant, and never wavered in the opinion
that Grant as a civil ruler was failure.
Such estimate might have been left to
Mr. Lowell and the other poetic critics but
the trouble lay in the failure of the Sherman
character to see beyond its vision.
1.-The speech which Sherman delivered in
the Senate in 1862, after the battle of Shiloh,
in answer to the criticisms of Senator Har-
Ian upon Grant was a cold defense, and
yet, when spoken, Sherman had his brother
to defend and spoke with a knowledge of
the genius of the battle which must have
come from his brother. The senator was
undoubtedly conscious of this, as, in writ
ing 10 his brother, he said: You will see
from Harlan's remarks that there is much
him, but with little success The defense
was an apology and a plea for time. Per-
haps we should not be too critical for in
TO become the warmest eulogist of Grant,
could see nothing In Shiloh but the valor
OF the private SOLDIERS. me only eNRr r:,-
Senator Sherman is known TO have in
dulged was when Grant interviewed between
the general and Secretary Stanton, pro-
tecting the general from the consequences
of the unfortunate treaty with Joseph c.
Johnston. The senator himself, as appears
in correspondence since published, was dis
avowed the Johnston convention. He would
wait and consider before he condemned
Grant. even his brother; but ,i It was the
brother. This, however, was because Grant
was Grant. Sherman did not fail i'm APP
probation. Grant is a Jewell The conduct
of Grant is deserving of the highest praise.
1 shall always feel gra tefu to him. If this
feeling had endured in 1880 Grant would
have been reelected to the presidency and
the face of history would have changed.
Pathetic were the Sherman dreams over
the presidency. Upon him, as so many rest
less spirits. fell the impulse of supreme
power. Well, a young man. his partys cam
didate for the speakership at thirty. may
expect anything. This came to Sherman,
not because of any brilliancy OF character,
any elan, any of the magnetic sympathetic
qualities of leadership which threw Blaine,
and Douglas, and Henry Clay to the front
in early life.
LACKED CERTAIN QUALITIES.
Sherman had none of the qualities which
marked these eminent statesmen. His ora
tory was conversation, clear cut, compact,
but without oratorical gifts. There are
abundant stories of his kindness in private
life, of humanity, consideration for friends,
devotion to their interests. but he never en-
joyed a reputation for these qualities. When
he went into national politics it was Moses
spectacles. Blaine could go into a country
fair. call every farmer by his first name,
comment on the cows, the crops, the har-
vests. Sherman would have been fortunate
if he could have recalled his own name, and
would have discOursed upon finance and
other abStruSe themes. In conversation, you
found him thinking about something else.
He was not insensible to preferment, nor
the methods of politics. He had no desire
to be secretary of the treasury in 1868, when
Grant was elected for the first time; would,
in all probability, have declined the ONCE.
But this did not prevent his limiting 10 MS
brother, the general, that he would like TO
have had the offer of the secretaryship
when it came to the imagination of poll
tics Sherman failed. He was an intellectual
force in politics, nothing more. We may say
the same OF Gladstone but Gladstone was a
man of genius-superlative, soaring, sweep
ing-and nothing but his genius could have
sustained him under the caprice of his char
acter. Sherman would have made a mathe-
NAUTICAL President. decorous old-maidishI
a Presidency like that of Buchanan, with
more nerve perhaps, because the Sherman
character rested upon Will
when it came TO details of convention
management Sherman never a factor.
Delegates talked about him, but never voted
for him. There was always a Sherman
movement in American politicswbeea1se ;,, he
ing of somebody else. His nearest approach
TO the prize was when Garfield NOM
mated. That a bitter disappointment,
but Sherman was too ingenious to divine
what all the world now knows-that Garfield
went TO the convention with his own nom
Sherman was an ingenious argument IN
favor of himself.
sherman never recovered from this dis
appointment; was too proud to speak OF II,
too intellectual to waste time over the fail
ure. He was ever busy man, successful in
affairs and with many affairs on hand he
is one of the few public men VINO nave
grown rich in public life and by processes
honorable above question. II is possible
that if he had taken half the pains TO ad-
IL. .Ts4f hat n a
his personal fortunes he would now be serV-
ing his second term. But with all his force,
lucidity, nerve and unsurpassed business
capacity with his answering Republican
ISM he never reached the heart or the
party never such a devotion as that of
COnkling to Grant, Whitney TO Cleveland,
Proctor to Harrison, and a myriad of polit-
zeal captains to Blaine. He might have
lived for an eternity without winning such
n following as the JOG gave 10 Grant IN the
Chicago convention.
SHERMAN'S SUPPORTERS.
Sherman could never appreciate this
was fooled TO the top of his bent. The Sher-
man following at a convention was a motley
crowd. There was the small cotorie of bank
ers who sit in bleak parlors, stunning to-
bacco smoke and the fumes of brandy. and
lamenting the decadence of politics. There
was the group of old soldiers who followed
Tecumseh through Georgia, who came to
vote for Sherman, but after one or two
judicious interviews with the proper persons
remained TO vote for Blaine. There was the
colored contingent from the South. who
came for Sherman, abundantly provided for
the journey, but their virtue too brittle for
the temptation of the town.
sherman was sanguine. however. The
least sanguine man in public life-clear-
headed 10 a degree-the presidency had
warped his Judgment. 1t was the tarantula
in Edgar Poe's story. Once under its in
fuence and you must dance. So in 1855
when there was no chance of nominating
Mr.. Sherman, he had persuaded himself that
the nomination was assured-that the con-
vention was ceremony and the adjourn
ment contamination. Therefore IL was
natural that some discreet friends should
remain with him while he read the tele-
graphed ballots and marked the sure advent
of the supreme destiny.
That first ballot. Well. you see. that
was simply the delegates expressing a per-
sonal preference Conventions always &c
through these formative. complimentary
overtures. Courtesies over and then you
will vote. The second ballot-perhaps the
third-and then-a noise was heard in he
Capitol corridor. The newsbOy was scream
ing an extra. Harrison nominated as he
rushed into the committee room Harrison
nominated. Yes. of truth. The senator
with a bitterness and sigh of despair which