The Daily Missoulian., 1912-11-02
Presidential Elections
XXI.-Greenback High Tide in 1880
BY Frederic J. Elaskin

The preliminaries of the presidential
contest If 1880 had many points sim
liar to those of the one now ending
General Grant was q candidate for a
third terni~not a third consecutive
term, but a third term after q four
years break. He had made TRIP
around the World and wherever lle
went had been received with that sans
acclaim and welcome that character
lied the European visit of Theodore
Roosevelt at the end of his African
hunt
The republican party VAS divided
sharply into the Grant and the anti
Grant factions. AT nne time there was
as much bitterness as there was last
summer just preceding the final fight
for the presidential nomination at the
republican national convention. The
bitterness Of the Grant sentiment
Is Illustrated by a tale that is told of
tile preacher who was aNhorting his
hearers To be prepared for tho fulfill
ment of Mother Shipton's praphee,
that The world 10 an end will come in
eighteen hundred and eighty one :,
While he was declaring that this
probably Would happen, a member of
his congregation exclaimed; "ThanN
sfoa!s The preacher wanted 10 know
the reason for his sudden burst of
thankiuiness and Ee replied. ANY
thing ta baat Grant, And that was
the attitude ef every stnti-Grant re-
publican in the country,
on the atior hand with Roscoe
Gonkling, the leader Of the Grant
forces, il WAS a case al using ths
lsme of Gran 10 defeat B1aIne, cnnll :
ton In 1876, and now WAS equally de-
fetnined To circHinyeHt IL IN 1880. One
eannot tell whether lie Was more
earnest in his hatred of Blaine or in
it is that he hated Bl5tine us much as
his affection for G,rahl, but certain
the human heart may hate, and loved
Gfant as much rs one great man may
love another.
Ills hatred OF Blaine arose When
they We're both members of the house
OF representatives. Their purposes
crossed upon several occasions and
the lnperious, oNerbearing attitude OF
Gonkling aggravated Blaine, who, in
Il speech III Which ile c;llaa Gonkling
st slnged cat and Il whining puppy"
declared that his contempt is so wilt
Ing, and his naughty disdaizl anu
oVerpoMerlng, turkey sobbler strut 50
crushing 10 myself and to all the
| II1Jl 1jII IItflrsI
MAS an act ef the greatest temerity
l'f me ta venture upon Il eontroVefs@
With hlla 1onlling WAS Il great
hater and never spoke to Blaine after
that, although they served together IN
congress for 1a years GonlSling s
hatred cost Blaine Two presidential
nominations and WAS the means of his
defeat when lie finally was nominated
hayes WAS not Il candidate for re-
election. He had incurred the enmit
oi both sides, Coming into the White
House with claudad title ia tba
| presidency. he WAS nandicapped from
| iee beginning. He broke With his own
party, To a large degree, because he
! recognized the democratic state pos,
efhments IN Florida, South Carolina and
Louisiana. His party associates de-
eiared that in doing so he recognized
the fairness Of the democratic conten-
ton that Tilden was defrauded out o.
the votes of these states. iiosr saws
'aal Hayes had only three or four sim
J cere supporters III the senate Ha
@nt" 1t was not Worth while to as
! pre- 10 a denomination, although his