The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-23
LIFE WORK OF f;.s
LATE JOHN SHERMAN.
stood in civic Life with the GREAT
est Statesmen Americas Had
Produced,

of that epoch. As his illustrfons broth
er, William Tecufnseh, shared with Grant
and Sheridan the highest place among
the military heroes OF the generation. 50.
too, John Sherman stood in civic life
along with Seward, Sumner, Evarts,
anss ' Il he war war ana recostraetion days
Always a leader. twice member OF the
cabinet. first as the head of the treas
ury and then of state AFFAIRS. three times
q candidate for the Republican nominal
ton for the presidency and for years one
Of the great creative forces in congress.
his name was Identified with the laws.
the lawmaking ana the political ssruE-
half century Few men had more con-
tinuous public service, In short diversi-
ty OF fields and In all OF them his work
was conspicuous.
Of sturdy Ancestors.
Nav sne5n ss tre born y.ars es h
Birth o. his brother, william fecurnseh.
They came Of sturdy ancestors, tracing
their lineage back to Roger Sherman. one
dependence. to the shermans who came
piigrims fhs father re was aos" lawyer q
promineace In Ohio, who rose in later
When he died in 1929. the large family
OF boys were left with scant support and
were adopted by friends and relatives.
william went with Thomas Ewing. who
shaped In his career as 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
public services vas id Isas when ne was d
delegate to the Whig convention at Phil
adelphia which nominated Zaehariah
Taylor. Again In 1852 he was 9 delegate
to Baltimore when Winfield Scott was
nominated for the presidency.
In those early days his characteristics
OF caution and conservatism marked him
were wrought TO excitement and emotion
by the events leading to the war.
Elected to Congress.
This characteristic secured for him his
first election TO congress. He was elect
ed to the Thirty-fourth congress and took
period was just then unfolding, and he
came upon the scene when just such
men OF ability and courage were needed.
The attempts to repeal the Missouri COM
gitive slave law, the spread Of the aboi-
ition sentiment and the lowering OF the
clouds of an active confiict. gave evidence
that the very existence Of the republic
Amid such impressive conditions. sher-
man at once came to the front 40 one
cf the leaders of legislative action. His
= ns h Bsas ee sppo mnsn m
on the committee to Investigate the ruff
fanisni in bleeding Kansas" He was
acting chairman during the inquiry and
the report he made was tho basis for
the presidential canEass OF 1856
At the end Of his second term In con-
gress he. was recognized as the foremost
man In The house Of representatives. lie
IN three votes OF the position His de-
feat for the speskershtp led 10 his becon1-
ing chairman OF the COMMITTEES on ways
and means. Here for the first time his
peculiar genius for finance showed itself.
The finances of the country were sadly
crippled; members OF congress were not
receiving n, their pay HIS tirs, step vas in
ing the treasury notes OF 1850.
sent to tho senate.
About this time Salmon r. Chase res
signed his seat AZ senator from Ohio and
Mr.. sherman was elected 10 hts place.
entering the senate for the frat time on
March l. 1851. His congressional fame
had preceded him and he at once took the
same rank in the upper branch as he had
in the lower. His service was continuous
until fs7s, most of the time as chairman
Of thu finance committee. In which posi-
ton he wrote many of those far-resching
measures Of finance with which he was
ss ese rse ~ @ 2. pay
issue Of United States notes. He largely
carried this measure through, and was
also the defender ~ the legal tender fea-
ture ~ these notes, which excited wide
differences In and out OF congress. Fol-
lowing this he devised the plan for resum-
ing specie payments. and practically
framed the bill by which resumption was
Secretary of Treasury.
When Hayes became president Sherman
entered the treasury and there. as exectf-
tive officer, he had an opportunity 10 ex-
ecute the plan of specie payments which
he had previously placed on the statute
books HIS frst move was TO begin the
accumulation Of a great stock ~ gold with
which 70 pay specie for paper when Jan
nary l. 1879, arrived. SIX months before
that time he had accumulated IN the trea-
sufy $3.50 90 90. and when January l came
ne had the Subtraction Of seeing the
paper money gradually rise 10 the value
OF gold. until gold no longer brought q
premium The execution % this import
ant financial move, through congress and
I'm the treasury. aroused Intense divisions
and there was much criticism as well -
In ISse ne became candidate Tor the
presidency and his name was presented
TO the national convention BY James 4,
Garfield. In the contest between tSe
friends ~ Grant and blaine. csaraeid whs
nominated Assin IN the national eon-
ventlnn ~ issi Ne was placed IN nonina-
ga si divided ard sherman secnrea oniy
4 few votes In isss he was candidate
Tor the third time, leading Throughout
with Sc votes On tho second ballot and
rtsen was nominated by Withdrawal 81
other candidates.
sherfnsn was returned TO the senate IN
fSSi srrvfnF spontaneously urfif 1871 when
Re RESIGNED % enter me cabinet ~ Pred
dfrs Mckinley. as secretary ~ state. Ills
re~iEnat fan frafn that body occurred srdn
sftsY the declaration 81 war with suasu.
ara Ne returned - private life after forty.
Ave eeHrt ~ almost continuous plfftc
Service since thtn hs has done some ~.
erarv work. carving forward Ma memoirs
from the rkrina ~ MA former book
Movements Of Transports.
-. 1870.