Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-12-15

souri,. one of the most gifted
ARG versatile statesmen ever
9sent to the national house of repre-
asentatives by any constituency, as well
ms one of the most honorable and af-
1fectionately companionable of men, is
writing a series of stories for promi-
1aent Sunday newspapers, under the
-1c&ption: Cloak Room Tales" All
~Of these stories are interesting, and
your correspondent is thereby incite1
NO tell few stories before the brill
-2iant and versatile Clark gets here,
=and does the scoop" act, by printing
them ahead of the writer.
The passing away of the great fnan-
1eial authority, the greatest of Ohio
sstatesZnen, John Sherman: the man
who loved his fellowmen, but whose
umanne1 was 40 lacking in personal
magnets that people said he was
. sold and unapproachable; the man
Nsvho gave away many thousands of
dollars in charity to union soldiers, as
TEhe writer personally knows; the pass
ing ewNy Ct John Sherman reminds
zxne of a story which shows his true
greatness better than anything that
mas ever been printed about him. 1t
Swas told by the late Senator Harlan,
~of Iowa. Senator Harlan was one of
she greatest men Iowa ever produced
I'm national affairs: and. in early
youth, your correspondent was led
Ny him into the educational pathway
with gentle, loving kindness. Senator
Harlan said. many yeas ago, and
made notes of it at the time:
L0hn Sherman amazed me when he
gave up the great Office OF speaker of
sS1he house of representatives. BE did
1t rvNluntarily in the interest of ,hi3
party. But il was not merely his Civ
* 4ng,up the great Office that amazed me.
at was the fact that he gave il up 20
- one far his inferior in every way.
Ayhsz Sam RaLGaIl was defeated he
gave way 10 as great a man Us him,
sell Carlisle, of Kentucky. was we'll
worthy to take Randalrs place. Ran.
= dali could have had no such feelings
: as permeated the breast of John Sher-
urap, ~hen he gave way to one who
was whozsy untitled for the high off,
~Hial position Some of the disappoint-
meats - Hfe are extremely hard to
bears nFsA one of the most supreme
,-trsrs.3 - ss,s@atness is to give way to
shose who are inferior, but who have
what is commonly called luck Be-
!Sore telling you what Sherman suf-
Iered, let me say that Grants great
.e-est trial in life must have been, when,
with full knowledge of his own
genius, he surrendered his command
10 the incompetent Halleck. after the
battle of Pittsburgh Landing; after
he had won at Fort Henry. and after
his brilliant achievements at Belmont
and Fort Donelson.
2sut, let me tell you about John
aSherman's self-abnegation. At the
special session OF the congress, in
1851, John Sherman was the caucus
nominee OF his party for the speak
>aership. There were many ballots
without a choice. Finally, as a mat
7ter of patriotism, John Sherman, en-
Stitled to the office. withdrew and
thereby made possible the election of
Pennington, of New Jersey. 1t must
have been hard for John Sherman to
edo this. because Pennington was an
sold man. almost in his dotage. He
was good man. and had been q
strong man in his prime; but he was
utterly unfit to preside over the
house of representatives, while John
sherman was easily the ablest man in
1the house.
Speaker Pennington would have
Soeen helpless in the presiding officers
lschair if it had not been for a young man
'aOr rather a youth, named Thad Morris
4H2 FAC been page boy for five or 81,