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====Conkling machine, declining vice presidential nomination====

====Conkling machine, declining vice presidential nomination====

[[File:Levi morton.jpg|thumb|right]]

[[File:Levi morton.jpg|thumb|left|185px]]

During the [[United States presidential election, 1880|1880 presidential election]], Morton served as a lieutenant to Sen. Conkling and his machine, which supported a third non-consecutive term for former Radical Republican president [[Ulysses S. Grant]] over the nomination of [[Half-Breed]] Sen. [[James G. Blaine]].<ref name=ussenatebio/> The Half-Breeds ultimately successfully pushed for the dark-house candidate James Garfield for the party nomination.

During the [[United States presidential election, 1880|1880 presidential election]], Morton served as a lieutenant to Sen. Conkling and his machine, which supported a third non-consecutive term for former Radical Republican president [[Ulysses S. Grant]] over the nomination of [[Half-Breed]] Sen. [[James G. Blaine]].<ref name=ussenatebio/> The Half-Breeds ultimately successfully pushed for the dark-house candidate James Garfield for the party nomination.

President Harrison, a staunch supporter of [[civil rights]], adamantly backed measures to protect black voting rights in [[the South]], where [[Democrat election fraud]] and [[voter suppression]] tactics were prevalent. Conservative Republican senator [[Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr.]] of [[Massachusetts]] subsequently introduced the Lodge Bill (also known as the Force Bill) aimed at safeguarding constitutional rights of blacks.<ref name=ussenatebio/>

President Harrison, a staunch supporter of [[civil rights]], adamantly backed measures to protect black voting rights in [[the South]], where [[Democrat election fraud]] and [[voter suppression]] tactics were prevalent. Conservative Republican senator [[Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr.]] of [[Massachusetts]] subsequently introduced the Lodge Bill (also known as the Force Bill) aimed at safeguarding constitutional rights of blacks.<ref name=ussenatebio/>

[[File:Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr. nationalportrait.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait of Sen. Lodge, who spearheaded the bill.]]

[[File:Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr. nationalportrait.jpg|thumb|right|Portrait of Sen. Lodge, who spearheaded the bill.]]

The Lodge Bill narrowly passed the House and faced opposition in the Senate from [[Jim Crow]] Democrats who started a filibuster. Although Vice President Morton, who presided over the Senate, ensured it reached the floor by providing the crucial tie-breaking vote, it faced another blockade.<ref name=ussenatebio/> Morton then did nothing to push for its Senate passage as liberal, opportunist, pro-inflation Western [[Silver Republican Party|Silver Republicans]] sought Southern support for their [[populist]] causes by opposing the Lodge Bill.<ref name=ussenatebio/>

The Lodge Bill narrowly passed the House and faced opposition in the Senate from [[Jim Crow]] Democrats who started a filibuster. Although Vice President Morton, who presided over the Senate, ensured it reached the floor by providing the crucial tie-breaking vote, it faced another blockade.<ref name=ussenatebio/> Morton then did nothing to push for its Senate passage as liberal, opportunist, pro-inflation Western [[Silver Republican Party|Silver Republicans]] sought Southern support for their [[populist]] causes by opposing the Lodge Bill.<ref name=ussenatebio/>