The Cleveland Era, A Chronicle of the New Order in Politics | Page 7

convention of 1880 was the scene of a factional struggle which left
deep marks upon public life and caused divisions lasting until the party
leaders of that period were removed from the scene. In September 1879,
General Grant landed in San Francisco, after a tour around the world
occupying over two years, and as he passed through the country he was
received with a warmth which showed that popular devotion was
abounding. A movement in favor of renominating him to the
Presidency was started under the direction of Senator Roscoe Conkling
of New York. Grant's renown as the greatest military leader of the Civil
War was not his only asset in the eyes of his supporters. In his career as
President he had shown, on occasion, independence and steadfastness
of character. He stayed the greenback movement by his veto after
eminent party leaders had yielded to it. He had endeavored to introduce
civil service reform and, although his measures had been frustrated by
the refusal of Congress to vote the necessary appropriations, his
tenacity of purpose was such that it could scarcely be doubted that with
renewed opportunity he would resume his efforts. The scandals which
blemished the conduct of public affairs during his administration could
not be attributed to any lack of personal honesty on his part. Grant went
out of the presidential office poorer than when he entered it. Since then,
his views had been broadened by travel and by observation, and it was
a reasonable supposition that he was now better qualified than ever
before for the duties of the presidential office. He was only fifty-eight,
an age much below that at which an active career should be expected to
close, and certainly an age at which European statesmen are commonly
thought to possess unabated powers. In opposition to him was a
tradition peculiar to American politics, though unsupported by any
provision of the Constitution according to which no one should be
elected President for more than two terms. It may be questioned
whether this tradition does not owe its strength more to the ambition of
politicians than to sincere conviction on the part of the people.*
* The reasoning of "The Federalist," in favor of continued reeligibility,

is cogent in itself and is supported by the experience of other countries,
for it shows that custody of power may remain in the same hands for
long periods without detriment and without occasioning any difficulty
in terminating that custody when public confidence is withdrawn.
American sensitiveness on this point would seem to impute to the
Constitution a frailty that gives it a low rating among forms of
government. As better means are provided for enforcing administrative
responsibility, the popular dislike of third terms will doubtless
disappear.
So strong was the movement in favor of General Grant as President that
the united strength of the other candidates had difficulty in staying the
boom, which, indeed, might have been successful but for the arrogant
methods and tactical blunders of Senator Conkling. When three of the
delegates voted against a resolution binding all to support the nominee
whoever that nominee might be, he offered a resolution that those who
had voted in the negative "do not deserve and have forfeited their vote
in this convention." The feeling excited by this condemnatory motion
was so strong that Conkling was obliged to withdraw it. He also made a
contest in behalf of the unit rule but was defeated, as the convention
decided that every delegate should have the right to have his vote
counted as he individually desired. Notwithstanding these defeats of the
chief manager of the movement in his favor, Grant was the leading
candidate with 304 votes on the first ballot, James G. Blaine standing
second with 284. This was the highest point in the balloting reached by
Blaine, while the Grant vote made slight gains. Besides Grant and
Blaine, four other candidates were in the field, and the convention
drifted into a deadlock which under ordinary circumstances would have
probably been dissolved by shifts of support to Grant. But in the
preliminary disputes a very favorable impression had been made upon
the convention by General Garfield, who was not himself a candidate
but was supporting the candidacy of John Sherman, who stood third in
the poll. On the twenty-eighth ballot, two votes were cast for Garfield;
although he protested that he was not a candidate and was pledged to
Sherman. But it became apparent that no concentration could be
effected on any other candidate to prevent the nomination of Grant, and
votes now turned to Garfield so rapidly that on the thirty-sixth ballot he
received 399, a clear majority of the whole. The adherents of Grant

stuck to him to the end, polling 306 votes on the last ballot and
subsequently deporting