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| | == The Election of 1880 == | | == The Election of 1880 == |
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| | The marvelous inventions of the 1870s led up to a very interesting presidential election in 1880. The race of 1876 had been a virtual tie, and the general election in 1880 was nearly as close, with only 10,000 separating the winner (the Republican) from the loser (the Democrat). | | The marvelous inventions of the 1870s led up to a very interesting presidential election in 1880. The race of 1876 had been a virtual tie, and the general election in 1880 was nearly as close, with only 10,000 separating the winner (the Republican) from the loser (the Democrat). |
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| − | The Republican Party had a difficult time choosing its nominee for president. There was an historic stalemate and deadlock during the National Convention when the delegates attempted to make a selection. Former President Ulysses S. Grant wanted to become president again, despite having served two terms. His main rival was the power Republican Senator from Maine, James Blaine. A third candidate, John Sherman of Ohio, also ran. None was able to obtain a majority of the delegates despite dozens of ballots (actual votes) by the delegates. James Garfield went to the convention without any desire to be considered for president, and sought to support one of the leading candidates. | + | The Republican Party had a difficult time choosing its nominee for president. There was an historic stalemate and deadlock during the Republican National Convention when the delegates attempted to make a selection. Former President Ulysses S. Grant wanted to become president again, despite having served two terms. His main rival was a powerful Republican Senator from Maine, James Blaine. A third candidate, John Sherman of Ohio, also ran. None was able to obtain a majority of the delegates despite dozens of ballots (mini-elections) cast by the delegates. James Garfield went to the convention without any desire to be considered for president, and sought to support his fellow Ohioan John Sherman. |
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| | + | The big issue in 1880 was the "spoils system," which was an important part of the political "machines" common at the time. The view of many politicians, from President Andrew Jackson to President Ulysses S. Grant, was that the victor in the election should be able to "clean house" and install his supporters in the new Administration. Under the "spoils system" or "patronage system," the winner of an election gets to hand out government jobs to his supporters. "To the victors go the spoils," is the famous saying for this. |
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| − | The big issue in 1880 was the "spoils system," which was an important part of these political machines and the view of many politicians, from President Andrew Jackson to President Ulysses S. Grant, that the victor in the election should be able to "clean house" and install his supporters in the new Administration. In 1880, the Republican Party Senator from New York, Roscoe Conkling, supported the "spoils system" and opposed Garfield and Blaine over it. Under the "spoils system" or "patronage system, the winner of an election gets to hand out government jobs to his supporters. "To the victors go the spoils," is the famous saying. The "Stalwarts" in the Republican Party favored this system, which insured that holdovers who disagreed with the winner would be fired and everyone in the new administration would agree with the new leader. Former Radical Republicans were "Stalwarts". Against the Stalwarts were moderates like Blaine and Garfield who wanted a civil service system where a government employee would keep his job even after a new leader is elected. They sought so-called "reform" of the spoils system to stop the corruption that a spoils system might lead to. | + | The "Stalwarts" in the Republican Party favored the spoils system, which insured that holdovers who disagreed with the winner would be fired and everyone in the new administration would agree with the new leader. These Stalwarts included former Radical Republicans. Opposed to the Stalwarts were moderates like Blaine and Garfield, who wanted a civil service system where a government employee would keep his job even after a new leader is elected. They sought so-called "reform" of the spoils system to stop the corruption that a spoils system might lead to. |
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| − | Finally, when Blaine realized he could not win, he and Sherman withdrew their candidacies and threw their support behind a "dark horse" candidate, James Garfield. Garfield was finally elected on the 36th ballot! In other words, the delegates met for days in a hot summer convention center, without air conditioning, and debated and voted 36 times before nominating James Garfield, who was a former Union general and a current Republican congressman.
| + | After many "ballots" (mini-elections) among the delegates at the Republican National Convention, Blaine realized he could not win. He and Sherman then withdrew their candidacies and threw their support behind a "dark horse" candidate, James Garfield. So Garfield was finally elected (nominated) on the 36th ballot! The delegates had met for days in a hot summer convention center in Chicago, without air conditioning, and debated and voted 36 times before nominating James Garfield, who was a former Union general and a current Republican congressman. |
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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.
| + | Stalwarts like a powerful Republican Party Senator from New York, Roscoe Conkling, supported the "spoils system" and opposed Garfield and Blaine over it. To appease the Stalwarts and try to earn their support, Garfield picked a Stalwart, Chester Arthur, as his running mate (Vice President). |
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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> |