The times., 1899-03-22
GENERAL WASHINGTON
NEWS AND GOSSIP.


any accepted report of John Sherman
death yesterday, made sensation. He is
great historical character. For more than
forty years he has been a conspicuous, II
not potential figure. in the politics of this
country. Possessing an indomitable Will
and powerful intellect, he seemed to lack
the faculty of making himself popular with
the masses. 1t has often been SAID that II
John Sherman had been favored with a
small portion of Blaine's magnetism he
would easily have reached the highest Of
flee in the gift of the American people. he
literally pursued the Presidency with
persistency and grim determination that
were in keeping with his character. While
Mr.. Sherman was never destined by fate or
otherwise to reach the Presidential chair
and realize the summit of his ambition ne
has held high positions, very close TO the
top for good many years, and his lnnu-
ence has been felt in the shaping of legis-
lation upon! numerous occasions.
Few men in public life have probably
ever been more roundly abused than John
Sherman. He has been charged with the
responsibility for the demonetization OF
silver in 1873. an incident which is de-
scribed by Senator William NJ. Stewart oil
Nevada as 1.-THE great crime of 1873: and
many other sins of omission and commits
sion. One of the soubriquets by wnicn ne
has been known was that of Honest JShn
Sherman" However Mr.. Sherman showed
himself good financier by accumuiating
large fortune on the meager income OF
member of Congress.
Mr.. Sherman first entered the Presiden-
tial arena in 1876, but he did not become
n serious candidate for that office until
| 1880. He was represented in the Repuh-
lican National Convention of 1880 by
James A. Garfield who eventually became
the nominee of the convention. The Sher-
man boom was not very pronounced IN
1884 when Blaine became the Republican
nominee for President. but in 1883 Mr..
Sherman confidently believed that his time
had arrived; that he was at last about TO
grasp the great prize Of nomination for
| President He knew or felt that it was his
| last chance; that il he failed then that he
| could not look forward to making sue
| cessful contest for the nomination at
later date Harrison was finally selected
| and Sherman practically abandoned the
struggle for the Chief Magistracy OF the
| nation. His disappointment was keen,
however. but. his resentment was chiefly
directed against Russell A. AIger. He
openly charged the latter with buying up
large majority of the Sherman delegates
| from the South. This charge was put in
! concrete and responsible form in the book
/ Of personal memoirs which Mr.. Sherman
published subsequently,. Mr.. Alger ignored
the matter until he became an aspirant
| for a position in the Mckinley Cabinet.
Then he went to Sherman and besought
him to withdraw the accusation. Great
social and political pressure was brought
to bear on Mr.. Sherman to induce him to
give Mr.. Alger clean bill of health and
certificate of character, but without sue
/ cess. Mr.. Sherman did go SO far as 10
say, however, that perhaps Mr. Alger did
not know personally to what use the
money was put that he supplied TO his
| agents at Chicago in 1888. This was about
the only ''vindication' that Mr.. Alger was
| ever able to obtain from Mr.. Sherman,
but it had sufficient weight with Mckin-
ley to cause him to invite Alger into his
Cabinet.
The inside history of Mr.. Sherman's
resignation from the Senate to become the
nominal Premier of the present Adminis-
tration would make very interesting read
ing but it is not likely to get out for
some time The motive for Sherman's ap-
pointment as Secretary of State was OBJ
viously to make a vacancy for Mark A.
Hanna in the Senate. 1t is known that
Mr.. Sherman left the Senate reluctantly.
and that he would have much preferred
to remain where he was, but he yielded
to the pressure that was brought to bear
upon him and chimed in with the wishes
of the Administration. With the breaking
out OF the war between the United States
and Spain, however, Mr.. Sherman's posi-
tion in the Cabinet became untenable. He
was not fitted physically or otherwise to
perform the duties of the Office of Seere-
tary Of State in time of war. He was
induced" to tender his resignation and
Judge Day was appointed in his place
Some of Sherman's friends called it game
of freeZe-out, but the friends of the Pres
| ident stoutly asserted that such was not
the case. The war produced conditions
that were unexpected and not anticipated.
! Had the war not occurred there would
have been no occasion for relieving Mr.
| Sherman of the nominal charge of the
State Department.
Mr.. Sherman is credited with having in
vented the expression of political fences"
short time before the meeting of the
Republican National Convention OF 1880
Mr. Sherman. as he was about to take a
| train for his home at Mansfield. Ohio. let
fall an observation to the effect that he
was going out to repair some fencing" 1t
! is said that he had in mind the fences on
his farm, but the newspapers and poll
ticians Immediately announced that "Sher-
man had gone to Ohio to look after his
| political fences" Since that time the at
tending TO political fences has become
quite an industry among enterprising pol
iticians.
Mr. Sherman's death would not be likely
| to produce any particular change in the po-
| litical situation. He has dropped so COM
pletely out Of active politics that his pass
ing away will possess only historical in
terest to the average politician.
Mr.. Bryan and MIR. BeImOnt.-The
correspondence between Mr. Bryan and Mr..
Belmont. growing out Of an invitation ex-
| tended to the late candidate of the Dam
| ocratic marty for President TO attend