The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-19
Rutherford B. HAYES.

Ex~ PRESIDENT Rutherford b. Hayes,
whose death was chronicled in the MORN.
| ING NEws yesterday, will be remembered
chiefly in connection with the returning
board that made him the nineteenth Presi-
dent of the United States. The campaign of
1876 and the declaration OF the returning
board in February, 1877. that be had been
elected President, were the chief incidents
in Mr. Hayes life. Little mention since
1877 has ever been made Of Hayes the
lawyer, Hayes the soldier. Hayes the con-
gresham, or Hayes the governor, although
he wGs each in turn. As a soldier and COM
mander he won praise from Grant, particu-
larly for his services at Fishers Hill and
| Cedar Creek in the Virginia campaign. AS
a member Of congress he served his party
with credit, though with no remarkable
ability, and as the governor of Ohio his
constituents we're pleased with his admins
tration of affairs.
Had his career. ended before 1877 Mr.,
Hayes would always have been spoken of
with honor and the highest respect. AS il
10 he has since that time been, and will for
years TO come be spoken Of almost solely as
the fraudulent Prendsnt.
OF the merits Of the returning board mat
ter, this is not the place to speak, even il
all Of the mystery surrounding that remark
able commission and its doings could be
made clear.
Mr.. Hayes was born In Ohio in 1929 and
received a thorough education, which was
| finished with course of law at Harvard.
AS a young man he was the friend and
| 70 of al
| Thomas Ewing, Tom" Corwin, Stanley
! Matthews. Moncure d. Conway and other
| men OF note, or who subsequently, won dis
tiuction. Hayes was a thinker and %
debater, so that other thinking men found
his company co1genial. His first Office was
that OF city solicitor OF Cincinnati, which
| he held ono term, but was defeated for
! reelection. He went into the army of
the union as a captain, and gradually rose
to the rank of IA brigadier general, which
rank was conferred on him FOR his services
| at Cedar Creek.
In 1865 MIR. Hayes was elected 10 congress,
where he served two terms. In 1861 he was
nominate for governor of Ohio. Allen q.
Thurman was his opponent. Haye, vas
elected governor, but the legislature that
was elected with him sent his opponent TO
the United States Senate He served two
terms as governor and then ran for congress
again, bus wes defeated. 1t is worthy of
note that i'll that campaign in Ohio lin
| 1879, Hayes put forward civil service re-
form and sound money as the policy OF the
Republican party. There was very little, If
any. talk OF protection in those days. After
his defeat for congress President Grant of
fered MIR. Hayes the Office OF assistant
treasurer of the United States at Cincin-
matt. which he declined. In 1875 he
was again nominated and elected
governor OF Ohio, aud year
la,er nominated for President OF the
United States. His opponent in that strug-
gle, as everybody knows, was Samuel j.
Tilden, of New York, who was elected, but
never took his seat for obvious reasons Mr..
Hayes administration was characterized by
numerous minor difficulties encountered in
the way OF legislation, one OF which was
the adjourn neDt of congress on March 8,
1877, without passing an army appropri-
alton bill; thus, at the very beginning. the
administration was placed III an embarrass-
ing position. The President called an extra
session OF congress to pass an army bill. On
the whole. however, Mr.. Hayes admins
tration was, probably, satisfactory to the
people at large.
After retiring from the presidency Mr.
Hayes led very quiet life, devoting him
self chiefly TO his home and farm at Free
mont. and in part to the management Of
the Peabody educational fund. of which he
was trustee. lie was also deeply inter-
ested In prison reforms, and took an active
advisory part In the Improvement OF prisons
aud prison discipline.