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| | So Congressman James Garfield was nominated by the Republican Party for president in 1880. To appease the Stalwarts and try to earn their support, Garfield picked a Stalwart, Chester Arthur, as his Vice President. | | So Congressman James Garfield was nominated by the Republican Party for president in 1880. To appease the Stalwarts and try to earn their support, Garfield picked a Stalwart, Chester Arthur, as his Vice President. |
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| − | Then a deranged Stalwart assassinated Garfield soon after he was elected, so that fellow Stalwart Chester Arthur could become president. This discredited the Stalwart movement and Arthur himself promoted a civil service system whereby the victors cannot fire and replace government workers with his supporters.
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| | But Garfield did not compromise after he was sworn into office. He appointed an anti-Stalwart and arch-rival of Senator Conkling to run the New York Customs House, which was a big position that Conkling had expected to fill based on patronage. Garfield insulted Conkling on purpose in order to establish that the president had control over these positions based on merit, rather than local senators based on patronage. Conkling contested the nomination and tried to block it in the U.S. Senate. Conkling even arranged for the Senate to confirm all of Garfield's uncontested nominations except this one; Garfield responded by withdrawing all those other nominations except the one that Conkling opposed! That forced the other senators to choose between Conkling and all the nominees, who were friends of other senators. Conkling, having been checkmated, resigned in protest in the expectation that he would be reappointed by the New York legislature to his position. Fed up, however, the New York legislature refused to reappoint him (in those days U.S. Senators were picked by the legislatures rather than elected by the people), and Conkling was gone from the Senate. The issue had thereby been resolved in Garfield's favor and against the Stalwarts.<ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jg20.html</ref> | | But Garfield did not compromise after he was sworn into office. He appointed an anti-Stalwart and arch-rival of Senator Conkling to run the New York Customs House, which was a big position that Conkling had expected to fill based on patronage. Garfield insulted Conkling on purpose in order to establish that the president had control over these positions based on merit, rather than local senators based on patronage. Conkling contested the nomination and tried to block it in the U.S. Senate. Conkling even arranged for the Senate to confirm all of Garfield's uncontested nominations except this one; Garfield responded by withdrawing all those other nominations except the one that Conkling opposed! That forced the other senators to choose between Conkling and all the nominees, who were friends of other senators. Conkling, having been checkmated, resigned in protest in the expectation that he would be reappointed by the New York legislature to his position. Fed up, however, the New York legislature refused to reappoint him (in those days U.S. Senators were picked by the legislatures rather than elected by the people), and Conkling was gone from the Senate. The issue had thereby been resolved in Garfield's favor and against the Stalwarts.<ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jg20.html</ref> |
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| | Garfield was removed to the "Jersey shore" (the ocean-front property along the coast of New Jersey) to recuperate. The helped at first, but ultimately an infection in the wound killed him on September 19, 1881, when he died from an internal hemorrhage. | | Garfield was removed to the "Jersey shore" (the ocean-front property along the coast of New Jersey) to recuperate. The helped at first, but ultimately an infection in the wound killed him on September 19, 1881, when he died from an internal hemorrhage. |
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| | + | The assassination shocked the country and discredited the Stalwarts. Vice President Chester Arthur, who was Garfield's running mate in order to appease the Stalwarts, had never been elected to any public office before then, and was never elected to one afterward either! He had been an abolitionist and a New York attorney. Historians view him as being ineffective as a president, which is not surprising given his lack of experience for the position. President Arthur did, however, abandon the Stalwarts and establish a civil service system whereby the victors cannot fire and replace government workers with his supporters. |
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| − | Chester Arthur "1881-84: Stalwart, abolitionist, NY atty, never elected before or after, ineffective"
| + | Specifically, President Arthur signed into law the Pendleton Act in 1883, which established an examination system for federal jobs. It also established the Civil Service Commission, which is a bipartisan committee to administer federal exams. Those who supported "reform" of the government employment system declared victory. |
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| − | Pendleton Act "1883: estab. examination system for federal jobs, passed due to Garfield's assassination, Dem wins in 1882 " | |
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| − | Civil Service Commission "bipartisan committee to administer federal exams, victory for ""reform"" of government employment system" | |
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| | == Big Business and Big Oil == | | == Big Business and Big Oil == |