The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-25
How Great Men Come. and Go

, fngs and made speeches in the Garfield
+ campaign. Ex-President Jackson. who
( left the White House in 1887, was con-
( sidered by his enemies in his own and
+ the opposition party to have dominated
+ Van Buren's administration of 1sS7-41
f and he certainly eXerted all his infiu-
/ ence in 1914, although Vainly in this
particular case, to get the nomination
for Van Buren, IN that year, despite
Van Ruren's heterodOxy on the vital
issue of that day, Texas annexation.
Both Madison and Monroe consulted
ex-President Jefferson on all the inn
portant measures of their administra-
tons It was nearly half a generation
after Jefferson left the White House
that, on Monroe,s request. he outlined
q programme on the holy alliance
question which the president of that
day followed in its general features,
and which has been known ever since
as the Monroe doctrine. In the case of
Cleveland and Harrison, however,
though not to the same extent with the
latter as with the former, for Harrison
made a few speeches in 1S96-retire-
ment from poll ical office has meant
the extinction of party interest and ac-
tivity. ss-s4
But the most striking instance of
-effaceme~t which has occurred
within the memory of the present gen
GRAFTON is that which has taken place
in eX-Speaker Reeds case. Along until
the meeting of the Republican national
convention at St Louis in 1896 Mr..
Reed was the most powerful parsonage
in public life The contest for the
presidency in that year was between
him and Mr.. Mckinley, and though the
latter won, the speaker retained his old
interest in the party and took the
stump for the ticket. He retained his
old power during part of the first half
of the present administration, though
he was opposed to the administration
on an important part of its policy, that
relating to the war which Spain and
the accesSiOns of territory which that
conflict brought. This diminished his
prestige to some degree though until
he left congress, less than two years
ago, he was still the most potent per-
sonaIity in the party ard the country,
next to President Mckinley himself
His retirement from public life. how
ever, seems to have ended not only all
his presidential aspirations Che will be
65 years of age when the next national
conventions meet), but to have extin-
guished all his partisan connections
and interests. One of Clay's earlier
biOgraphers said that Clay. as speaker,
welded more power than the president.
Thomas 3. Reed, however, made the
speakership much more powerful and
important post than ii was under any
person who held that office during
Clay's half century of public life
. 9 g
Among the prominent persons who
retired from congress around the time
at which Reed left public life, were
Senator Mills of Texas, German of
Maryland, Smith of New Jersey, Muir
ply of New York and Gray of Della
ware, and Representatives Walker of
sachusettS and Johnson of Indiana.
All of these have been effaced except
German, though Gray has become a
circuit judge in the United States
court, and, of course, is thus out Of
active politics. German is still an in
fiuental parsonage in his party, and
may go back to public life; but all the
others are probably off the stage for
good. Ex-senator Hill, who stepped
out a little earlier than the men last
mentioned, is still a parsonage of con-
siderable consequence in his party, and
possibly has a future, but in the pres
ent strife in all parties for nominal
ton for office and in the frequent shift
ing of party ground on one issue or an
other, when person leaves office he
sometimes finds himself outside of the
sphere Of his party's interests and ac-
tiVitieS.