St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-18
served rThrourh the war.

pIeSiucUls dllU lnSlIuCtlHR lHO ot"l0
delegation to support him. The ma
ti0nal Republican convention met at
Cincinnati on June IA, 1876. The princl-
pal candidates before il were James q.
Blaine, Oliver 2. Morton, Benjamin h.
Bristow, Roscoe COnklinE, Gov. Hayes
and John f. Hartranft. Hayes
had SiXty-One votes on the first
ballot, 37S being necessary to choice,
and his support slowly but steadily
grew until on the seventh ballot the op-
position TO Mr.. Blaine, who had been
the leading candidate, concentrated
upon Hayes and gave him the. nomIna-
tiOn, which, on motion of William L.
Frye, of Maine, was made unanimous.
In his letter of acceptance, dated July y,
1876. Mr.. Hayes laid especial stress upon
three points, civil service reform, the
currency and the pacification Of the
South.
The Democrats nominated for the
presidency Samuel j. Tilden, who, haV-
ing as governor Of New York, won the
reputation of a reform er, attracted the
support of many Republicans who were
dissatisfied with their party. The re-
suit OF the election became the subject
of
Acrimonious Dispute.
Both parties claimed to have carried
Louisiana, South Carolina and
Florida. Each charged fraud upon the
other, the Republicans affirming that
Republican voters, especially coiored
men. all over the South had been de-
pri ed of their rights by intimidation or
actual force. and that ballot boxes had
been fouIIy dealt with, and the Demo-
Gratis insisting that their candi-
dates in Louisiana, Florida and
South Carolina had received
majority of the votes actually cast, and
that the Republican canvaSsing boards
were preparing to falaify the result IN
making up the returns. The friends or
both the candidates for the presidency
sent prominent men into the states ID
dispute for the purpose OF watching the
proceedings of the canvasSlng boards.
The canYaSsing boards Of the states III
question declared the Republlcan
electors chosen, which gave Mr.. Hayes
majority of one vote in the electoral col
lege, and the certificates Of these re
suits were sent to Washington by the
governors of the states. But the Demo
Gratis persisted in charging fraud; and
| other sets of certificates, certifying the
Democratic electors to have been elect
ed, arrived at Washington. TO avoid
a deadlock, which might have hap
pened ii the canvass of the cleo
tOral votes had been left to the two
houses of congress (the senate having
Republican and the house of represent
atives a Democratic majority, an act,
! advocated by members OF both parties,
was passed to refer all contested cases
to a commission composed of live sena-
| tors, five representatives and five Judges
| of the supreme court; the decision OF
this commission to be final, unless set
| aside by concurrent vote of the two
| houses of congress.
The Commission,
refusing to go behind the certificates of
! the governors, decided in each con-
| tested case by vote of to in favor Of
! the Republican electors, beginning
with Florida on Feb. z, and Rutherford
| B. Hayes was at last, on March 2, de-
clared duly elected president of the
| United States. Thus ended the long
and painful suspense. The decision
was generally acquiesced in, and the
popular excitement Su5sided quickly.
During the first session of congress
after Mr.. Hayes election, the house of
| representatives, which had a Demo-
craCic majority, on motion of Clarkson
| n. Potter. of New York, resolved to
institute an inquiry into the allegations
of fraud said to have been committed
in Louisiana and Florida in making the
returns OF the votes CASTOR presidential
| electors at the election of 1876. The
Republicans charged that the in
vestigation was set on foot for
the purpose of ousting Mr..
Hayes from the presidency and
putting in Mr.. Tilden. The Democrats
disclaimed any such intention. The re-
suit of the investigation was an elabor-
ate report from the Democratic major
a ,,,,,if INN IFnOr "a
action of the returning boards III LouISI-
ana and Florida as fraudulent, and re-
port from the Republican minority dis
Senting from the conclusions of the
majority as unWarranted by the evil
dence, and alleging that the famous
"cipher dispatches" sent to the South
by friends OF MI. Tilden showed that
the charges of corruption were but the
ISLANDERS of fOiled SubornerS of coTrup-
uon." The investigation led to no fur
ther action, the people generally ac-
quiescing in the decision of the electoral
commission, and the counting of the
electoral vote by congress based there
on, as irreversible.
IN Retirement.
On the expiration of his term, ex-
President Hayes retired to his home at
Fremont, O. He was the recipient of
various distinctions. The degree of
LII ID. was conferred upon him by
Kenyon college, Harvard university,
Yale college and John Hopkins univer-
sity. He was made senior vice COM
mander of the military order of the
Loyal Legion, commander of the
Ohio commandery of the same
order. the first president OF the
Society of the Army Of West
Virginia. and president of the Twenty
third Regiment Ohio Volunteers asso-
been devoted to benevolent and useful
enterprises. He was president of the
trustees of the John +. Slater educa-
tional fund, one of the trustees of the
Peabody educational fund, president of
the National Prison Reform association,
all active member of the national con-
ference of correction and charities, a
trustee of the Western Reserve uni
versity at Cleveland, o.. of the Wes-
leyan university of Delaware, o., of
Mount Union college, at Alliance, o.,
and of several other charitable and
educational institutions. On the occa-
sion of a meeting of the National
Prison-Reform association, held at
Atlanta, Ca, in November. 1886,
he was received with much popu-
lar enthusiasm, and greeted by an
ex-governor of Georgia as one to whom,
more than to any other, the people we're
indebted for the era of peace and union
which they now enjoy, and by the pres
ent governor, John B. Gordon, as the
man who had ''made true and noble
effort to complete the restoration of the
Union by restoring fraternal feeling be-
! tween the eStranged sections"