The Washington herald., 1915-02-23
HISTORY BUILDERS.
The Right Thing at the Right Mo-
ment.
written Expressly for The Washington Herald.
BY DIR. T.. j. EDWARDS.

| ment.
written Expressly for The Washington HERALD
BY DIR. L. J. EDWARDS.
Mark Hanna-after his successful VEN
| ture into politics. eliminating as mis- poll
| tics did in the nomination by the Repub-
! licans of William Mckinley for Presi-
| dent and also in the extraordinary cam
paign under Hannas leadership. of which
| the climax was the election of Mckinley
was often spoken of as good demon
| stratIon of the fact that it is possible for
| man of great business achievement
also to succeed as pilitician. Mr..
Hanna, when a tribute of this kind was
paid to him personally, was accustomed
to say that many of the qualities which
make il possible for man to succeed
greatly in business are also tn" qualities
which make it possible for hin. to sue
coed in politics. He mentioned two quail
ities-one the capacity to concentrate the
mind intently and exclusively upon Il
subject and the other the capacity to
judge when the right moment had come
to do the right thing. Mr.. Hanna said
that politicians sometimes failed because
they attempted to do the right thing at
the wrong time.
Earlier than the political career of
Mark Hanna was that of Edward San
derson, to whom. many attributed the
nomination of James A. Garfield to the
Presidency in 1870. United States Sena-
tor George +. Hoar. who was chairman
of the Republican national convention of
1880. paid tribu'e of this kind to Mr..
Sanderson when. after his return from
Chicago. he was narrating to some OF his
friends certain interesting but unpub-
lished incidents of the convention. Some
Of those who We're present at the con-
vention. either as invited guests or as
delegates, were inclined to think that
Garfield's nomination was made possible
by the celebrity with which the mind of
Senator Ioar moved at critical mo-
ment. But of that incident the Senator
did not speak to his friends.
Mr.. Sanderson revealed remarkable
business qualities when he was still a
young man settled in the growing city
of Milwaukee. He seemed to understand
intuitively the fundamental principle
upon which the fiour-manufacturing in
dustry should be directed. He gained a
high reputation as. a business man and
felt justified in venturing into the field
of practical politics. Mr.. Sanderson
found fascination in attending the Re-
publican national conventions, and he
was a delegate to four or five of them.
At the convention of 1880. when Gen.
Grant and James G.. Blaine were the
leading candidates for the nomination for
President, Mr.. Sanderson was one of
those who early perceived that the NOM
nation for either of these candidates
was impossible. He began to occupy
himself with the consideration of the
question, Who is really the most avail
able man for this convention to nomi-
nate? He was greatly impressed by Gen.
Garfield's speech which placed John
Sherman in nomination. He asked many
questions of those who knew Garfield
we'll.
Mr.. Sanderson realized that the Wis
consin delegation had especial advantage
in the fact that Wisconsin was the last
State on the roll He therefore went
among the delegates in the State. coun-
selling them that they should withhold
their strength until the opportune mo-
ment came, and then as a unit support
the nomination of Gen. Garfield, who
was not at first prominently before the
convention as a candidate.
After the balloting had been extended
for nearly a week, Mr.. Ssnderson said to
the Wisconsin delegates, Now is our
time" Wisconsin. when the State was
called. announced that she cast her I'M
divided vote for James a. Garfield. Tho
entire convention perceived then that the |
end was at hand. The roll call was be- |
gun with Alabama. and State after State |
swung from Blaine or Sherman to Gar |
field. and he was nominated. Mr.. San
derson had done the right thing at the !
right moment.
copyright. 1916 by f. ]. Edwards. All rights re- |
served.D