Year: 1877




away from the Capital, were amazed
to see how little party leadership
amounted to among tho Republicans
when they came to vote Oh the COM
promise bill. Morton and Sherman
rallied but two or three respectable
recruits. All the rest of their fac
ton was made up of tho shabby
carpet bag crowd from the South.
In the House Garfield, Hale and
Frye, who led the assault upon tho
bill, had better following, but it
was because when the measure got
to that body it's success was assured,
and lot Of moral and political COW
ards thought it safer to vote against
it, SO that if the commission should
not count in Hayes they could say
to their constituents that they had
washed their hands clean of tho
doubtful business at the outset


Two causes operated in the Sen
ate to nullify the influence of Nor
ton. The first was the belief that
the solid people of the country were
in favor of the bill That would not
alone have worked it's passage, how
ever, for it was evident that the Re
publican politicians were everywhere
opposed to it, The party newspa-
pcrs were down on it. Every senator
got letters and dispatches by the
pocketful, from postmasters, revenue
collectors and oi1iceholders of all
othe. species, appealing to him to
hold the fort. But the viction
was forced upon all prudent minds
IN tn body that holding tho fort was
very hazardous business when Il
faction within the walls were seeking
to unbar the gates. The Republican
maj jority had disintegra,cd on the
question the question of the consti-
tntional way to count the vote. Not
even the lash ofparty necessity could
hold it together.


Conkling it was who put in the
entering wedge. Before the holiday
he was morose and reticent. No
body could get word from him on
the Presidential question except
that he was looking into prcccdeuts.
He studied them SO carefully that
he accumulated whole arsenal of
weapons for use against the theory
that the President of the Senate has
the right to make the count and sort
the good votes from the bad Early
in this month he dropped his silent
manner and spent day after day in
long argumentative private talks
with other senator's He was max
ing converts to his view that no
such right existed Ferry thought
to plac ito him md bring him around
to the then orthodox belief by put
ting him on the conference commit
tee instead Of logan, who resigned
to go to Illinois. This was fatal
mistake. 1t gave Conkling just the
leverage he needed. He was no
longer q single member of the Son
ate, suspected of disloyalty to hisp par
ty, but ono of the powerful Council
Of Fourteen. He at once allied him
self with Edmunds and between
them they converted Frelingh,1yson.
Thus they threw Morton into the ri.
dicnlous attitude of tho one juror who
said that he mover saw eleven such
stupid and obstinate men as his
associates were when they all refused
to give q verdict to his liking.


The scheme for pushing Hayes
into the Presidency in the face of
Democratic threats and protests had
it's throat cut by Conkl;ng. Some
sort of compromise became q party
necessity. 1t only needed six Re-
publicans to Join Conkling, Edmunds
and Frelinghuysen to ble.k the
majority in the Senate. More than
that many were ready for tho move
ment--not because they wanted IN
alliance with the Democrats, they
were as good Republicans as any
body, but thev could see more than
an inch before their noses. They
believed that it would ruin tho
future Of their party to put Hayes
in by force with only tho color of
authority conferred by a disputed
constitutional Interpretation as to
where the power lay to count the
Electoral votes They had their own
interest besides to look after. Most
of them must be candidates for re-
election two years hence. and if tho
Republican party in the country
went into bankruptcy it would be
O poor compensation to them to
bova Hauoe, IN %ba WJh;to IJn,,,o