Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-17
THE MAN WHO LOOKS LIKE LINCOLN
Senator Lawrence Sherman the Favore Illinois,
Become National Figure Within Two Years.
Story of His Career
By GEORGE w. DOUGLAS

County, and at McKendree College, a Meth
odist institution at Lebanon, Ill, about 25
miles southeast of st. Louis. The college
now has $50 students and a faculty of II
instructors. On graduating he went to
Macomb, the county seat of MacDonough
County, with load of apples to sell in order
TO raise money to study law. Macomb is a
place of 5000 population and the lawyers
there know how to play the game of politics.
Sherman in the course of time was made
City Attorney and later was elected County
Judge He refused reelection because he
wanted to practice law without any distrac-
tions.
In 1879 he decided that he wanted to go
to the Legislature, and was elected to mem
bership in the House of Representatives In
the innocence of his heart he voted for the
Chicago street railroad grab bill that Yerkes
bought through the Legislature in order 20
get a 60-year franchise, and he has had TO
explain why he did 1t ever since. But he
made such a reputation for himself in his
first term that he was elected Speaker of
the House at the next session and used all
his power to bring about the repeal of the
Yerkes franchise grab law that he had once
supported. and he fought all other crooked
legislation during the session. He served
@NN
second and third of them In the fourth
session he fought the gang from the floor.
Content With Second Place
His friends now thought he was strong
enough to be a candidate for the Governor
ship, and in 1904 he opposed the renomina-
tion of Governor Yates with three or four
other men, each Of whom sought the first
place on the ticket. Deneen got the nomina-
tion, however, and Sherman took second
place. AS Lieutenant Governor he estab-
lished new precedents. for instead of sim
ply presiding over the Senate he made stump
speeches from the platform denouncing the
bills that he opposed; and It is said that this
unparliamentary and unconstitutional ac-
tivity was sufficient in more than one case to
defeat Objectionable measures.
While he was still serving as Lieutenant
Governor, President Roosevelt, at the sugges-
ton OF Senator Cullom, appointed him to the
Spanish Treaty Claims Commission; but he
declined the place because he did not think
1t right to resign the office to which the
people had elected him. When his term
expired he was appointed head OF the state
Board Of Charities. and administered its af-
fairs until he was elected to the Senate
The influential politicians who are now
pushing him forward as the "favorite son"
OF the State for the presidential nomination
next year are convinced that he is of presi-
Dental size. This is yet to be demonstrated
to the country at large. He has not i'm
pressed himself upon the Senate as a greater
man than any one OF score or more sitting
there. What the future holds no one can
tell. but at the present time his candidacy
Is interesting merely as evidence that the
Illinois leaders are preparing TO consolidate
their strength behind a single candidate for
the purpose OF using It in the convention
where II win do the most good