The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-08-16
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Two Chambers Who Perfectly
Supplemented Each Other.
zacharah of Michigan by His Per-
sonal Force and William e. Of
New Hampshire by Adroitness
Made Hayes President.
Bv e. j. EDWARDS.

One evening in the midsummer OF
1881, after day in which the wounded
President Garfield had been so free
from suffering that his physicians were
strongly of the hope that the crisis
had been reached and passed and that
the president was on the road to re-
covery, the secretary Of state, James
G.. Blaine, chatted with two or three
of his fellow members of the cabinet
as they stood upon the porch of the
White House refreshing themselves
in the cool of the evening.
1t had been noticed earlier in Gar
fields Illness that whenever the news
from the sickroom was favorable
Blaine responded to these reports, he
being more quickly affected either
with dependency or hope than any
other member of the cabinet That
was a characteristic or fundamental
feature of Blaine's temperament at
that time, as always. And sometimes
when he was hopeful he became reml-
niscent, and that was the case upon
the evening of which | now write.
Il have always thought" began Mr..
Blaine, without first explaining what
had awakened his train of thought
another Blaine characteristics have
always thought that no other two men
of the United States that have known
of personally or through history could
have organized SO swiftly and 80 tri-
umphantly for their party great cleo
ton contest as did the two Chambers
of the Republican national committee
campaign OF 1876.
"Zachariah Chandler, chairman of
the committee was a man of great
physical and mental force From the
time he became prominent In national
politics as senator from Michigan, in
1857, until his sudden death in Chi
cage in 1879, he did things In politics
In sledgehammer fashion. | remem-
Der well the radical manner In which
he opposed the extension of slavery;
of his strenuous advocacy of vigor
Gus prosecution of the Civil war by
the Union; and all of you must surely
recall the yirulent attack he made on
Jefferson Davis just short time be-
fore his death. He was man who
never tired. His physical strength was
equal to his mental vigor. His dis
position was to overwheim by some
thing like brute force.
"That was the head of the commit
tee. On the other hand, William Il.
Chandler, also native of New Hamp-
shire, and. | have been given to under
stand, distant relative of Zachariah,
has been n master of finesse ever
since / knew anything about him. He
is one of the most adrolt manpulators,
one of the most skilful artisans upon
political wires, whom | have ever
known. lie is slight OF physique. His
mental power is acute, shrewd, subtle
He Is. in short, the direct antithesis of
what Zachariah Chandler was, and be-
cause he was. and because each man
understood the other and respected
the others peculiar powers and both
were in full accord, there was perfect
equipment mental and physical, for
the direction of the Republican ma
tional committee in 1876.
That was made plain on the night
of the election. 1t was after midnight,
when the election of Tilden was being
generally conceded, that the managing
editor of the New York Times told
William Il. Chandler that IL the three
doubtful states of Florida. Louisiana
and South Carolina had gone Repub-
lican then Hayes was elected by one
vote, Chandler instantly grasped the
proposition and its possibilities with
intuitive yigor and shrewdness, he as
instantly worked out the details of the
plans to insure those three doubtful
states to the Republicans; while Zach
ariah Chandler, the chairman, with his
massive, overwhelming personal force
put those plans into instant execution
And the Republican returning boards
OF those three southern states, reeog-
nizing the strength of the support that
they would have in the national com.
mittee, at once claimed everything for
their party.
Il do not know of any other two
men who could or would have acted
so promptly and worked together so
perfectly in so momentous matter;
l do not know of any other two per
sons who would have so supplemented
each others peculiar ability for such
work. And so l think it can safely be
said that but for the two Chambers.
chairman and secretary of the Repub.
lican national committee, Tilden, in all
probability. would have been declared
elected and that declaration would
have been accepted without the slight
est cayil."
Copyright. 1911 by Il. J. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved