The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-12
,owA's PUBLIC MEN.
c,ork.on writes of Gov. shaw
Ie and others.

n
ton Itself great. Beginning with
pr Judges of the early court tna'
inc rnnavay slaves, long before
fre'U ,.oesachusetts had found rus con-
e' 'aoe " it had for every hour OF great
scienol ,o,,,ded strong, men for great oc-
need p 0' president lincoln, in the day
caSiOi-N' avn and the republics great
Oh i''- -,,r,moned to the Supreme Bench
~ Strongest member in Judge samuel
,uller of Iowa, whose career In
higb court finds its only equal
ina If John Marshall. He was far
Unknown to the country in that
more Gov Shaw is now. Yet Lin
day .a-v in him, as Roosevelt has seen
eoi nhar the useful man for a. d1fhcult
IL osion In Congress during the war
49, had men as strong and useful
~ those of any state, In lts Two sen
tors James w. Crimes VINO as chaiI-
a'O-' of +he Naval Committee, was the
ma aI Doyer that brought our navy to
REQ at5riency in that war, and James
I W IN other important committees
Ii.dered service as valuable in other
% while in the House it had such
wa" tT, NON as William B. Allison, on the
Az 1DaS and Means Committee; Hiram
10 on Appropriations, and James f.
wilson. chairman of the Judiciary
conmittee. as co-workers with Thad-
W. Stevens and the other great party
""ders Later Lincoln called Harlan
no his Cabinet, where he proved one
~ his wisest councillors. Ever since
.tot dav Iowa has had in Congress a
soIoqation equal to that of any other
tote one for thirty years headed with
tSe consummate ability of Senator AL
,son who next month is to receive
som his state a reelection without
onnosition to a sixth term in the Sem
IL an honor that no American safes
nan has yet received; an honor unique
hnt fully earned. Iowa has developed
lie strong men by keeping them long
in the service, and also by making
service in the lower House a training
for the Senate, as shown in its recent
nromotion of Dolliver, one of the first
of present-day orators, and most prom
;sIng of young American statesmen, to
a seat beside Allison, the veteran.
If the critics who think Iowa has
inst now too much of power and honor
at the national capital will but look
the men over they will see that it is
All right, and that all these Iowa men
an the seats of the mighty are not
only capable for the high tasks be-
fore them, but have already proved it.
II is true there is something a bit sur
prising in finding that three Iowa men
are now, or soon will be, holding
places that are in the line of success
sion to the presidency, namely, the
Speaker of the House, the Secretary
of the Treasury and the Secretary of
Agriculture. Any state, however great,
would feel honored in having so many
Of its sons in this line of highest honor.
-
the succession. oddly enough, how
ever two of them, Speaker Hender-
son and Secretary Wilson, are barred
by having been born in Scotland. In
the other strong and controlling places
in Washington, Iowa has a surprising
share of its men, but all chosen to
responsible posts because of their ad-
mitted and demonstrated fitness-as in
Allison, the virtual leader of the Sen
ate in both political and commercial
questions, and Hepburn at the head
Of the most important committee of the
House of present day legislation, and
indeed with almost every Iowa mem
Der in the lower House at the head
Of an important committee. Yet these
Iowa men are not at the very front
IRON accident or fortune, but because
they are worthy; and because they live
in state that was great enough to
discover their usefulness, and next
broad enough to keep them in Con-
gress practically for life in it's own
and the nations service.
The Iowa man last called UP higher
deserving of Roosevelt's bold but I'M
eFFlng selection of man from west of
me Mississippi for the head of the
treasury Department. He is of the
same caliber and proved strength as
Allson, Henderson, Hepburn, Wilson,
Dolllyer, Lacy and other Iowa men al
ready in power there. The President
personality knew the man and acted
with the decision of one knowing he
was making no mistake, but that in
calling Shaw from the West for the
treasury ne was but following the wis
uoin OF Lincoln in calling Chase from
the same section. Shaw in tempera-
ment' evolution, nature and purpose, is
much like Lincoln himself. Fresh from
tne people, guided by the peoples in
eIests, and newly risen to a great oc-
Vdslon' Although only foNr or five
years IN politics, he is still far better
Anown to the nation than Lincoln was
Mneh ne was nominated for President.
ne mad the same rise as Lincoln, from
p'erty through manual labor and per-
%nal effort up to an education and into
BUSINESS Graduating at a college on
VI the farm during vacation, finally
uscoming a banker, he was content
. sln the happy round of life in a small
w"h, all the while, however, pursuing
as studies in all material things, keep
Jug up his personal interest in politics
~ quiet way, making speeches in
s ne country districts of his own county
OI the Republican party, yet practi-
V unknown in state politics. In
seofuary, 1895, William j. Bryan hap
psneu TO come to Denison and make a
sIeech in favor of free silver and it's
hAhured heresy. This invasion of Shaw's
soine by Bryan led the local sound
money people there, who had been ed
uated by Shaw in belief in gold, in
M'ed that he should answer Bryan.
ne consented, made the speech, and in
.S.ahuy the state was in a blaze over
ue discovery of new statesman
~ o,uVhg Its leaders, as able as the best
" .neIh, and more courageous than any
" ~ tnem. The greatness and the power
.. " ms speech quickly touched the in
,elIgence and the conscience of Iowa,
ooA II from any chance Of going to
ice ice silver, and put it firmly in the
s sne IN which it has ever since stood,
"a Souhd money and the gold stand
-. II was this speech, too, that first
a. y. IN motion the influences that made
IVA and other Western states the sup
fters OF the East in making the st.
tuh platform a gold platform. His
lam, ,aine quickly spread. Eastern papers
ss''eu the speech of the new man,
u even the New York Evening Post,
strsiow to see merit in the West CT
sly IN a western man, printed ii
NV called it the ablest exposition of
Az question of finance in all recent