Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-21

ieittfam f'poIG the deAth OF Johu
Sherman on board the Paris.
Washington. March 2l.-Mrr. shcr-
man has been Informed through the
state department OF the death Of Mf.
Sherman.
The passing OF John sherman re-
moves from the public stage about the
last OF those towering figures whose
public lives. beginning with the clvii
war and covering "a period Of the last
forty years. were interviewer with the
great events Of that epoch. "A his
illusttious brother. VIM. Tccumsoh.
shared with Grant and Sheridan the
highest place among the military he
rocs Of the generation. 80. too John
Sherman stood In civic life along with
Seward. sumner. Eyarts. Blaine. and
that cotcric OF intellectual giants of the
war ana reconstruction days, Always
a leader twice n member OF the cabinet.
FIRST ms head of the treasury and then
OF state Affairs. three times tandi-
date FOR the Republican nomination FOR
the presidency and for years one az the
great creative forces Ia Congfosi, his
name was Identified with the laws the
iaw-making and the political struggles
which engaged attention for almost
half century. Few mon had more
continuous public service In such d.
vcrnity OF fields. and In all OF thcm his
work was conspicuous.
John sherman was born In Ian.
caster. Ohio. May 10. isgl. three years
after the birth ~ hla brother, WIN.
Tccumach. They came OF sturdy an
ccatorr. tracing their lineage Back To
Roger Sherman. one of the HlgncrA ~
the Declaration 81 Independence. TO
the Hhcrmans who camo over shortly
after the landing OF the Pilgrims. The
father was a lawyer Of prominence In
ohio, who rose In later life to be- judge
OF the Supreme court When he died
IN 1879. tn. large family OF boys were
left with Scnnt support and were adopt
ed BY friends nna relatives. WIN. went
with Thomnn Swing. who shaped In his
career na a soldier. while
John went with an older
brother. Charles, at Mansfield. and
took up the study Of law. which In
turn took him Into the held OF politics
and public ilfc. Ills first public SER
vice was In iSss. when he was dele
gate 10 the whig convention at Phlla-
delphla which nominated zachariah
Taylor. Again In isi2 he was dele
Kate tn baltimore when Winfield Scott
was nominated for the President. In
those early days his characteristics OF
caution and conservation had marked
him us a SAFE man among the many
who were wrought 10 excitement and
emotion by the events leading Co the
war. This characteristics secured for
him his FIRST election TO Congress, lie
was elected Co the Thirty-fourth Con-
grcsH aud took his seat Dee. .. 1858. 4
momentouH period was Just then un-
folded and he came up on the scene
when Just such men OF ability and cnur-
age We're needed, The attempts 10 rupcal
the Missouri compromise, tho bred
Scott decision. the fugitive slave law,
the spread OF abolition sentiment and
the lowering Of the clouds OF an active
conflict, gave evidence that the very
existence OF the Republic was ~ stake.
Amid such impressive conditions shcr-
man at once came TO the front ~ ono
ot the leaders OF Legislative action,
Ills prominence In the House began
when the Speaker, Nathaniel banks.
appointed him ON the committee a. In
Neatigatc the riiiianirm In bleeding
Kansas" He was acting chairman
durins the inquiry aud tho report he
made was the basis FOR the presidential
canvass Of 1886. ~ the end OF his Sec
ond term IN Congress he WIS recog-
nlzed aa the forcmost man In the House
OF Representatives. He was candi-
dhte for speaker, coming within three
votes ~ the position. His defeat for the
fpenkcrHhlp led 10 his becoming chair.
man OF the committee ON ways and
means. Here FOR the FIRST time his PEE
culihr genius FOR finance showed Itself,
The finances Of the country We're sadly
crippled. members ~ congrcas We're not
receiving their pay. His first step was
~ securing the passage VI the bill au-
About this time salmon T.. Chase re-
signed his seat as senator from Ohio
ana MIR, Sherman was elected 10 his
place, entering the Senate for the nrst
time on March 4. 1861. His congrossion'
al fame had preceded him and he NJ
once took the same rank In the upper
branch that he had In the lower. Ills
hervicc was continuous until 1873 most
~ the time AZ chairman Of the finance
committee, In which position he wrote
many OF thore far-renchlng measures
~ finance with which he was Identified.
The suspension Of specie payment oo'
CURED IN 1862, necessitating the issue OF
United States notes. lie largely ear
He'd this measure through ana was also
inc defender of legal tender feature Of
these notes, which excited wide dit
terencea In and out OF Congress. fol-
lowing this, he devised the plan for re-
summing specie payment and practically
framed the bill by which resumption
was TO occur on January 1. 1879.
When Hayes became President, Sher-
man entered the treasury and there. az
executive officer. he had an opportun-
Wy to execute the plan OF specie pay.
ment which he had previously placed
on the statute books. His first move
was 20 begin the accumulation OF
great stock OF gold with which to pay
specie Tor paper when January I, 1873,
arrived. Six montha before that time
he had accumulated In the treasury
slioO0O,OO0 and when January l came
he had the satisfaction OF Eoeing the
paper money gradually rise TO the value
OF gold, until gold no longer brought n
pfcnlum. The execution OF this Inn
portnnt financial move. through Con
gross and In the treasury. aroused In
tense divisions and there was much
criticism na well as approval.
In 1850 he became a candidate for
The Presidency and hia name was pre-
scented TO the national convention By
James 4. Garfield In the contest be
tween the friends OF Grant and Blaine.
"A. - h.