The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-10-31
be received of his extremely critical



The twenty seventh vice president OF
the United States and the only one re-
nominated, was christened James
Schoolcraft Sherman, But, in nearly
quarter of a century OF public life,
Jim" Sherman he was to his lntimates,
and probably half the nation referred
to him as sunny jim "A sobriquet he
earned as one well might imagine by
never-failing, all-year~round sunny
disposition. -
sherman belonged to the school OF
rcpubiicanism nowadays popularity call
ed regular" and he fought his politi-
cal battles shoulder TO shoulder. with
men OF his faith without compromise
or finching. Like every public man,
he had critics, some bitter; but he also
had friends who we're a match for his
enemies The events he helped to shape
arc so comparatively recent that his-
tory cannot assign him to his proper
place until It also records the work OF
his contemporaries.
To the house Of representatives OF
the fiftieth congress, he came In the
winter Of 1887, just passed his twenty
seventh birthday with the energy ana
optimism of youth, college bred from
the halls of Hamilton which has given
to public life many other statesmen
and public figures, none without some
mark of distinction. He had been
elected mayor of Utica two years be-
fore. Like all others who came to lead
in the national legiSlatoure, he brought
with him an education In law. lie was
Richard T.. Sherman, was an editor and
public figure in New York state.
Two sessions of congress found Shcr-
man defeated and out of office, but not
for long. Henry w. Bentley, OF Madi-
son county, beat him by less than
thousand votes in the race for the
ffty-second congress. I'm the interim,
/ Sherman went back to Utica, built up
| his law practice, and returned to the
| hfty-third congress with A signal Vic-
! tory. He remained in the house with
out defeat to the sixtieth congress,
! when he, was dominated. and elected
| vice e-president on the ticket with Mr.
| Taft .,'-t...., .a
His first years in the house brought
| him into close association with leaders.
Joseph w. Bailey, later senator;
| Breckenridge, Bryan, Bourke Cochran.
Crisp. Dalzell, Dingley Dolliver, Hend-
erson. Payne, Payntcr, Raynor. Reed,
Wadsworth, Fighting Joe Wheeler
and score of others whose names be-
came household words in discussion OF
! the tariff and other national policies
were his fellowmen. The senate held
such men as AIdrich, Allison. Cockrell,
| Daniel Frye, German, Hoar, Hill, Tell
er, Vest and Wolcott All were not re-
| publicans, but all were Jim" Sherman
| friends and in such all environment he
worked to a high place in the councils
| and finally was numbered one of the
| big five in the house.
| Cannon. Daizei. Payne, Sherman and
Tawney were the great quintette dur
! ing the comparatively recent years in
| which congress was republican. Each
of them invariably wore red carna-
/ tion for a boutonniere, and when Sher-
! man went to preside over the senate
| and occupy the coveted marble room
| in the other wing of the capitol he
| took the custom with him and the now
| er always appeared at every session
of the upper house.
l. Any review OF Sherman's life would
not be complete without reference to
| his work in the house. Briefly, there is
4 F.a4 1nd M frran NEyh n q T0n
/ leries to applause by a debate from the
| floor, or changed any votes by elo-
| quence. But the statutes bear marks
! of his work in committee and caucus,
| and the results of his labors on the
| rules committee, the interstate COM
merce committee, and other branches OF
| the machinery of the house where the
| real legislating is done, while speeches
prevail upon the hoor.
/ II IS not to be said he was no cam
| paigner. In New York state politics
| he was leading figure. He was known
| In other states. His appearances In
| infrequent. He was at one time chair
man of the republican congressional
| committee. He always was active in
| the New York state republican con-
| ventions and figure at all national
! gatherings of the party.
l. Sherman went to preside over the
| senate Just about at time when what
| popularity is known as senatorial Dig
| nifty was beginning to feel it's first
| break. In the chair, Sherman WAS
dignity itself, fair in his rulings, his
colleagues said, quiet, firm, sure and
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