The Red Cloud chief., 1900-05-18
HEROES IN POLITICS
SHERMAN THE ONLY WARRIOR
TO RESIST.
Taylor Atso Protcrrc cd rri,ats Lhfe to
the White House, itut Welded -
some Conspicuous succcsSc. aud Fall
ures.

WHO WOulu not accept tue uutllldNl'h
tor the presidency, was Gen. William
Tecumsch sherman. Repeatedly he
was urged to be a candidate and ear
nestly ~bcsought ito save our party" by
becoming n standard bearer. but no
arguments TINT were presented, no in
duccments that could he made. infu-
enccd his decision. His rcply to all
such proposals was that he was not u
politician: that he could not become
one; did not want the place, and. final
ly, when his patience was exhausted
with the opportunities of those who
assured him that he would be elected
Ii he would run, he roared out his last
emphatic. mo, let me hear no more OF
It. | will not accept the Office
Every other American over whose
head has been suspended this tcmpta-
ton has succumbol and welcomed the
opportunity to be the recipient of this
greatest Of civic honors. II there be an
exception Gen. Taylor would represent,
In a measure. that exception. He OBJ
icctcd and then protested that he did
not want the office, but finally permit
ted himself to become n candidate II
was elected to III the Office. His can
iidacy was not furthcrcd by himself in
any way. When urged by a delegation
Of visiting statesmen to visit the north
Tor el%ectionooring purposes his reply
vas:
81 would not go across yon ferry to
Influence the public choice or to secure
my election. | have never aspircd To
the presidency; If the people elect me
of their own free choice my humble
services are at their disposal. II
they elect some other candidate shall
not be in the slightest degree morti-
hed.",
Taylor dcplored the necessity that
compelled him to resign his commits
sion in the army, and his election did
not compensate him for the severance
of ties that bound him to his comrades
In arms. and the life he loved. Mrs.
Taylor had shared with her husband
his frontier life, and had for a quarter
Of a century practically lived In a tent,
his happy comrade and caretaker. She
used all her influence to prevent a con-
sideration of the proposition made 10
her husband, and when he had reached
the conclusion that he should accept
the call Of his countrymen, she sadly
pointed out to him that his acquired
habits as an army officer would not
permit him to live under the restraints
Of life in Washington. and she repeat
eddy expressed the fear that II elected
his life would be shortened by reason
Of the new responsibilities put upon
him. When Taylor's untimely death
occurred n year and four months after
his election, there were sincere MOURN
ers among those who had known Of
Mrs. Tayor's opposition "to the plot"
as she had termed 1t, to take her hus-
band from the army and nominate him
for the place which had. in n sense,
cost him his life.
Jackson was the first military man
after Washlngton's time, who became
president by reason of his services In
the field. He was a volunteer soldier,
whose great success In arms had made
him a hero In the west and southwest,
and whose nomination was due To this
fact. 1t was a political issue that per-
suaded him to go into politics.
Gen. William Henry Harrison was
the next military hero who reached the
presidency by way Of the battlefield
His untitness for the Office was such
that one month of worry and respon'
sibility in 1t killed him.
Gan Crnpt'c military rnnutntiop par
: ried him into the white house, and NJ
more eloquent judgment has beer
passed upon his fitness for the place o
/ chief magistrate, or his success In per
forming its duties, than the place as
signed him in history. There he |
ranked as one Of the greatest general
Of modern times, and the statemen
made regarding his presidency |
usually the simple announcement tina
|, he was twice elected to I'll the Office
1 His fame rests on his achievements a
a soldier. No distinctly military ma
can hope to add laurels to his crow
by becoming president of the Unite
States. The truth that they do not
attested by the history of every soldie
t who has held the position.
= Military lei who have been cand.
s dates, and been defeated as such, hav
t injured their military prestige withou
d gaining anything in the popular est
y nation. Among these defeated pres
= Dental candidates have been Gen. VIII
}. field Scott, Gen. George B. McCle.
d Ian, Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock. A
these men bitterly regretted havin
run for the office, an Office for whic
not one of them had the training G
O the temperament to I'll with distinC
ton.
The naval branch OF the natlonf
military service was not represented
o the list of presidential candidates III
a til Admiral Dewey offered himself q
- such.