The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1908-09-26
Mr.. TAFT'S BIG
RUNNING MATE
James School raft Sherman, the
Original Sunny Jim"
4 Wise, Versatile, Experience
Statesman Who Has Shaped
Ia National Legislation.

When Vice Presidential nominee,
James Schoolcraft Sherman, returnet
home to Utica New York, after having
been nominted by the Republican Con.
vention at Chicago, it is said that in
the vast throng of his home people who
turned out to meet him was an old
woman, bent with the burden Of eighty
years. She approached Mr. Sherman.
whom she has known almost since his
birth, and declared to him that he had
been selected by Providence to his new
office of honor, in order to teach tha
American people the gospel Of good
cheer and sunshine of kindness for all
Americans.
is in the confidence of Providence, and
SO speaks by the card, but Sherman's
career up to date has shown his capa-
bilities in that line. He is the original
sunny jim" and wears ''ths smile
that won't come off"
The Original "Sunny Jim.''
This is not superficial attempt to
look pleasant. 1t does not sequester
itself In the wrinkles of his mouth or
the lines around his eyes. This gem
ial, expansive, irradiating smile speaks
OF good digestion, a sunny tempera-
ment and complacent mind, possessed
by man who is pretty well satisfied
with the past, and reasonably sure OF
the future. A man of cheerful yester-
has been laughing good humor for a
little more than half century. Now
the world laughs with him. His sun
shine and good cheer, as bread cast
upon the waters, returned to him
pound-cake, as Josh Billings would
say, and out of this and other assets
he has been enabled to rise, and be
nominated to the second highest posi-
tion within the gift of his countrymen.
Sherman, Seymour, Conkling, Born
mt Utica.
Sunny Jim" Sherman first appeared
on earth at the village of New Hart
ford, New York, a suburb OF Utica, on
the night of October "a, 1856, two
years before Mr.. Taft saw the light In
Cincinnati. Utica was already at that
time pointing with pride to one of her
illustrious sons in the person of Hor-
alto Seymour, and was soon to point
with increasing pride to another still
more illustrious son In the person OF
Roscoe Conkling Mr. Sherman's faith
er was lawyer of prominence in
Central New York ana determined
strict the powers of his son, and so he
sent him at the proper time to White :
town Seminary and Hamilton College
He came out a husky youth-he weigh
ed 100 pounds at sixteen years of age
with oratorical talent and reputation
as good student.
Belongs to Old American Family.
His family runs back to Roger Sher-
man who was one of the signers of the
Declaration of independence, and back
of him for more than one hundred
years to 1860, when the first Sherman
came over from England to this coun-
try, with strain of stolid Dutch i'm his
veins. John Sherman, the Ohio Sena-
tor, and William Tecumseh Sherman,
the great Civil War general. were from
the same original stock Edward
Everett Hale is also a distant connec-
ton Schoolcraft, the historian of the
American Indians was Sunny JIM
Sherman's great-grandfather
Gets Into Politics EARLY.
One of the first things the Vice
Presidential nominee did when he re-
turned from college was to accept the
nomination for State Senator on the
Republican ticket, and was beaten by
only one vote. He was elected mayor
Of Utica at the age Of 90. He was the
youngest municipal head the city had
ever had. From that date politics has
wooed him away from his profession
Of law. He was elected to Congress
and has served his constituency with
but one excepted term ever since He
is now In his tenth congressional term
There is "blg FIVE" in the lower
house of Congress, who do things and
largely shape the legislation Of the
country.
An Adept Parliamentarian.
Mr.. Sherman was particular friend
Of Thomas Bracket Reed, formerly
Speaker of the House, who considered
him the best parliamentarian on the
floor. He often turned over the gavel
to Sunny Jim," who occupied the
chair during some of our most import.
ant legislation in recent years. He
presided frequently during the famous
debate on the Dingley Tariff Bill and
on the Cuban War Revenue Bill, each
of which occupied many weeks. Mr.
Reed appointed him chairman OF the
Committee on Indian Affairs In the