The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-23
John Sherman.

of public service and exper-
l. ience the illustrious career
closed yesterday will rank
among the great careers of mod
ern times. 1t was the career of an in
cessantly busy man who applied to
public affairs the same assiduous study,
attention to details and personal fidel-
ity to fiduciary relations that make
successful bankers, merchants or other
business men. 1t offers to young men
the lesson that where wonderful genius
is lacking as a personal endowment a
good substitute can be had in the abil-
ity to work hard and take infinite pains
John Sherman had no silver spoon in
his upbringing. From his twelfth year
he was self-supporting. He hever had
u college education; his school was ma
ture and men. Up to the time of his
entrance into the legal profession at
Mansfield, o., in 1874, after period
Of close study of law-books in his
brothers office, his career WAS not DIFF
ferent from those Of most of the young
men of his time. But when, at 81 years
OF age, he found himself admitted to
the bar with clients few, he turned to
politics, got himself elected a national
delegate to the Whig convention that
nominated Zachary Taylor for presi-
dent; went in the same capacity four
years later to the Baltimore conven-
tion which nominated Winfield Scott
and in 1855, when 50 years old, was
elected to represent the Mansfield dis
trict in congress. He had what many
young men in those days lacked-he
had push.
Yet it is a singular fact in reviewing
this mans long and fruitful service in
congress, which from that day was in
terrupted but twice, and then by calls
to other forms of public work, that not
even in his younger days was he en-
thusiastic. He went into the Fremont
movement, not only because he did not
want slavery extended, but also because
he did not want it abolished. His re-
port as acting chairman of the COM
mittee which inquired into the border
rufiian troubles in Kansas gave a mass
1t helped greatly in the formation of
public sentiment but it was notably
dispassionate. Then and afterward
John Sherman seemed to make 1t
rule when considering matters of
public character always to eliminate
from the operations of his mind any
trace of the personal feelings of John
Sherman. His animation was INTEL
lectual rather than passional. The one
notable exception to this rule was
when, during Cleveland's second term,
he got fired up over the Spanish out
RACES in Cuba; but no sooner was he
made secretary of state in the spring OF
the following year than he immedi-
ately cooled off and he remained cool
to the end.
We shall not try I'm this brief article
to consider in detail John Sherman's
public services; his peculiar personality
has for us the large interest. His SER
vices are Of record where all who wish
may study and ponder. Undoubtedly
the greatest single act of his life was
his part in effecting specie redemption;
this made his fame international and
has caused contemporaries to rate him
as financier alongside Gallatin and
Hamilton. Whether this rating Is ex-
travagant or not, time will tell. me
thing. though, is certain. AS congress-
man. senator and cabinet official John
Sherman eXemplifie1 to an unusual de-
gree the virtues Of industry, candor,
public and private integrity and a mind
and new facts. He was partisan bat
not bigot; he wasted no time on i'm
possible reforms and took the world