CHAPTER XXII

The Campaign of 1880-Attitude of Republican Party Toward Hayes James A. Garfield Elected State Senator-The Republican State Convention-The Democrats Hold Two State Conventions in 1880-The National Democratic ConventionNomination of Gen. Hancock for President-The Republican National Convention-Nomination of James A. Garfield-Result of the Election-John Sherman Elected United States Senator-The Democratic State Convention of 1881-Nomination of John W. Bookwalter for Governor-Effect Upon the State Election-Reelection of Governor Foster-State Election of 1882 Favorable to Democrats.

The year 1880 found the Democratic Party without a national leader. Tilden had practically retired from politics, disgusted if not broken hearted over the result of the Presidential election of 1876, and no other man in the party had assumed national prominence. The Republican Party was not without astute political leaders, but the party was in a dilemma. Although they had jammed him into the Presidential chair by corrupt methods, the Republicans were wise enough to know that they dare not present him to the country for renomination. Besides this Hayes had reversed the policy of Grant in regard to giving military support to the state governments of Louisiana and South Carolina with the result that the Republicans in those states were deposed from the offices to which they had been elected and their places given to Democrats. The majority of the Republicans of the North condemned the President for his course in this matter and the party became divided. This led the Democrats to hope for success at the national election of 1880, but they made a move in Congress which lessened their chances of electing a President. From 1878 to 1880 the Democrats had a majority in both the House and the Senate and they revived the controversy over the election of 1876 by the formation of the Potter Investigating Committee. This was a threatened attack

upon the Republicans and those opposed to Hayes and his administration immediately climbed back over the breastworks and a united party looked toward the election of another candidate than Hayes.

On January 6, 1880, the Republican members of the General Assembly of Ohio met in caucus to nominate a candidate for United States Senator and decided upon James A. Garfield. On January 7th, the Democratic members unanimously nominated Allen G. Thurman to succeed himself. On January 13th both houses voted separately for United States Senator, the result being that James A. Garfield was elected. The vote stood: in the Senate, Garfield 20, Thurman 13; in the House, Garfield 66, Thurman 44. The following day, on joint ballot, Garfield received 86 and Thurman 58 votes, the extra vote for Thurman being cast by a Democratic Senator who was absent on the previous day.

The Republican State Convention was held early in the year 1880. It met in Columbus on April 28th. John R. Malloy of Franklin County was temporary secretary and William McKinley of Canton temporary chairman. In the course of the temporary chairman's speech the names of John Sherman and James G. Blaine indicated that both of these men would be candidates for the presidency that year. Benjamin Butterworth of Hamilton County was made permanent chairman and David J. Edwards of Trumbull, secretary. The following state ticket was nominated: For Secretary of State, Charles Townsend of Athens County; for Judge of Supreme Court, George W. McIlvaine of Tuscarawas; Clerk of Supreme Court, Dwight Crowell of Ashtabula; Commissioner of Common Schools, Daniel F. De Wolf of Summit; Member of Board of Public Works, Stephen R. Hosmer of Muskingum.

The Democrats of Ohio held two state conventions in 1880. They first met at Comstock's Opera House, at Columbus, on May 6th. Frank H. Hurd of Lucas County was temporary chairman and George L. Converse of Franklin County permanent chairman. Durbin Ward, J. H. Wade, Americus V. Rice and James B. Steedman were chosen as delegates-at-large to the national convention with alternates of Thomas E. Powell, Charles Hilt, George Spencer and Aaron R. Van Cleaf. The convention instructed the delegates to vote for Allen

G. Thurman for President, and also to vote as a unit on all questions and to favor the time honored two-thirds rule.

The second convention met at Cleveland, July 21st, with Leroy D. Thoman as presiding officer. The committee on resolutions included several of the most prominent Democrats in the State, among them being George Hoadly of Hamilton, John A. McMahon of Montgomery, Rufus P. Spaulding of Cuyahoga, Gen. A. J. Warner of Washington and William E. Fink of Perry. The platform adopted was very brief. It simply accepted the national Democratic platform as the platform for the state and pledged the Democrats of Ohio to support Hancock and English, the nominees of the national convention. The following state ticket was selected: Secretary of State, William Lang of Seneca County; Judge of Supreme Court, Martin D. Follett of Washington; Clerk of Supreme Court, Richard J. Fanning of Franklin; Commissioner of Common Schools, James J. Burns of Belmont; Member of Board of Public Works, William J. Jackson of Miami.

On

The National Democratic Convention met at Cincinnati, June 22, 1880, and was called to order by William H. Barnum of Connecticut, chairman of the national committee. George Hoadly of Cincinnati was temporary chairman and delivered a short address. the following day John W. Stevenson of Kentucky was elected permanent chairman and made a lengthy address. A notable incident of the convention was the exclusion of the Tammany braves, headed by boss John Kelly, because of their declaration that if Samuel J. Tilden were nominated for the Presidency Tammany Hall would not support him.

When the business of nominating the Presidential candidate was reached the first ballot resulted as follows: Hancock 171, Bayard 153 1-2, Henry B. Payne of Ohio, 81, Allen G. Thurman, 68 1-2, Stephen J. Field of California, 65, William R. Morrison of Illinois, 65, Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana, 50 1-2, Samuel J. Tilden, 38, Thomas Ewing, 10, Horatius Seymour of New York, 8, Samuel J. Randall of Pennsylvania, 6, W. A. Loveland of California, 5, Joseph E. McClelland, 3, William H. English of Indiana, 1, with some scattering votes for men who were not placed in nomination. Only one ballot was taken that day and on Thursday, the 24th, the

New York delegates announced that a letter had been received from Samuel J. Tilden declining to be considered a candidate. The letter being called for was read in open convention.

The second ballot was then ordered and resulted as follows: Hancock 320, Randall 128 1-2, Bayard 113, Field 65 1-2, Thurman 50, Hendricks 31, English 19. This ballot also gave Tilden 6, Parker 2, and Jewett 1. On request a recall of the states was taken and the vote stood: Hancock 705, Hendricks 30, Bayard 2, Tilden 1. The nomination of Hancock was then made unanimous and William H. English of Indiana was nominated for Vice-President.

The convention adopted a platform in which it took a strong stand for Civil Service and against special privileges and put itself on record regarding the Fraud of 1876 in the following words:

"The great fraud of 1876-77, by which, upon a false count of the electoral vote of two States, the candidate defeated at the polls was declared to be President, and for the first time in American history the will of the people was set aside under the threat of military violence, struck a deadly blow at our system of representative government. The Democratic Party, to preserve the country from the terrors of a civil war, submitted for the time in firm and patriotic faith that the people would punish this crime in 1880; this issue precedes and dwarfs every other. It imposes a more sacred duty upon the people than ever before addressed the consciences of a nation of freemen."

The Republican National Convention met at Chicago, June 2, 1880, and continued in session until the 8th. Presidential nominations were numerous. Many warm admirers of General Grant wished to nominate him for a third term and in thus abandoning the righteous custom established by Washington, defended themselves with the argument that a Presidential term having elapsed, there could be no violation of the unwritten law of the Constitution. James G. Blaine was the choice of the West and had many supporters in every State in the Union. John Sherman was the choice of Ohio and of conservative business men all over the country. Senator George F. Edmonds of Vermont had many warm friends as also had E. B. Washburn of Illinois and William Windham of Minnesota. There was much discussion of the third term idea all over the country and James G.

Blaine instructed his followers to work for the defeat of the third term first, saying that success in defeating it was vital, while his nomination was of minor importance. It is interesting to compare the public utterances of leading men and the press with those of the present year when Theodore Roosevelt has taken the same attitude toward the third term as Grant did in 1880.

Many Presidential candidates were voted for and twenty-eight ballots were taken on the first day of voting which was the sixth of the convention. Grant and Blaine led throughout that day. On the twenty-ninth ballot Wisconsin cast 17 votes for Garfield, thus bringing him distinctly into the contest and on the thirty-fifth ballot he received 50 votes. On that ballot Grant had 313, Blaine 257, Sherman 99, with other candidates still receiving a few votes. When the thirty-fifth ballot was reached Ohio gave Garfield 45 votes, putting Sherman out of the running. Other states then broke to him and the result of the ballot stood: Garfield 399, Grant 306, Blaine 42, Washburn 5, Sherman 3; and the chair at once declared Garfield the nominee of the convention. Chester A. Arthur of New York was nominated for Vice-President.

The national campaign of 1880 was noted for serious charges made by the Democrats against Garfield which were not substantiated and for ridicule heaped upon General Hancock for giving utterance to a great political truth. Garfield was accused of being concerned with the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the number "329" was freely used in the campaign as a slur upon him. That number represented the number of dollars that he was alleged to have received as a dividend from the promoters of the Credit Mobilier. He was also accused of having written a letter on the Chinese question which, if authentic, would hurt him on the Pacific slope.

In speaking on the tariff question Hancock made the assertion that "the tariff is a local issue" which drew upon him much ridicule; a truth now recognized and one which had been amplified by historians long before Hancock uttered it, although they have expressed it by drawing attention to the fact that in all the history of the world no nation that extended any great distance north and south ever held together long, because of the opposing interests of the people.