TAMMANY AND THE INDEPENDENT REPUBLICANS.

There were threatening divisions in both parties at the New York election of 1879. The Tammany society of New York City, which had long led the democracy of the city, except for a few years after the exposure of Tweed's peculations, opposed Mr. Robinson, the democratic nominee for governor, and thus defeated him. A large number of republicans were opposed to Senator Conkling's control of the party in that state, and refused to support the nominee for governor whom he favored, Mr. Cornell, and very nearly defeated him in spite of the help of Tammany. These were independent republicans, called, by the regulars, "scratchers."

Congress met December 1, 1879, the democrats having a Forty-sixth Congress, majority in both branches. The PresiFirst Session. dent favored the retirement of the legal tenders, and advised against additional legislation in reference to coinage.

ARMY AT THE POLLS.

The passage of the bill to prevent the use of the army at the polls was the most important political action during this session. It was a democratic measure, but after the addition of the Garfield proviso the bill was free from material partisan objections and secured the support of the republicans. The proviso stipulated that the law should not be construed to prevent the constitutional use of the army to suppress domestic violence in a state.

To the deficiency and appropriation bills the "political riders" were again added, but they were met, as on former occasions, by the objections of the President, and failed, without modification, to become laws.

The Supreme Court, having decided that the general elec

tion law was constitutional, the democratic opposition to it was somewhat modified. Congress adjourned June 16, 1880.

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.

On the 2d of June, 1880, the republican national convention met at Chicago. The prominent candidates before the convention were Grant, Blaine, Sherman, Edmunds, Washburne, Windom, and Garfield. Excitement ran high, owing to the candidacy of General Grant, for what was popularly called a "third term," though not regarded by his supporters as improper, because it was not a third consecutive term. The General was supported by Conkling, of New York; Cameron, of Pennsylvania; and Logan, of Illinois, who had secured for him, in the face of bitter protests, the instructions of their respective state conventions; but in the delegations of these states there was a large minority opposed to the nomination of the General, and these could not be controlled, save by the enforcement of the unit rule. For this the General's three principal senatorial friends contended with all their influence. The president of the convention, however, decided against its enforcement, and the delegates were free to represent the opinions of their districts, irrespective of the instructions of state conventions. On the thirty-sixth ballot, General James A. Garfield, of Ohio, was nominated, as the result of a sudden union of the forces of Blaine and Sherman. The object was to defeat the nomination of Grant. General Chester A. Arthur, of New York, was selected for Vice-President, with the view of carrying New York, since that state was regarded as holding the key to the presidential position. The convention is regarded as overthrowing the attempts at changing the traditional policy of the country, which prohibits one man from serving as President more than two terms.

THE NATIONAL (GREENBACK) LABOR CONVENTION. The national convention of the national party met at Chicago, June 9, 1880, and selected as candidates for the two highest executive offices, James B. Weaver, of Iowa, and Benjamin Chambers, of Texas. This ticket was acquiesced in by most of the element that constituted the labor reform party.

PROHIBITION NATIONAL CONVENTION.

The prohibitionists held their national convention at Cleveland, Ohio, June 17, and nominated by acclammation Neal Dow, of Maine, for the position of President, and A. H. Thomson, of Ohio, for that of Vice-President.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.

On the 22d of June the national convention of the democratic party met at Cincinnati, Ohio. Prominent among the candidates were Hancock, Bayard, Payne, Thurman, Field, Morrison, Hendricks, Tilden, Ewing, Seymour, Randall, Loveland, McDonald, and McClellan. John Kelley, the Tammany leader of New York, was at the convention to oppose Tilden, but the latter sent a letter declining the nomination, and Mr. Kelley acquiesced in the choice of his party. On the first ballot votes were cast for nineteen candidates, but on the second the competitors were reduced to four, Hancock, Tilden, Bayard, and Hendricks. Of the 738 votes for these, Hancock received 705, and was declared the nominee for President. William H. English, of Indiana, was nominated for Vice-President.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1880.

The canvass following the nominations of 1880 brought before the people the leading men of all the parties. The democrats were aided by Randall, Bayard, Voorhees, Wallace,

Hill, Hampton, Lamar, and hosts of their best public speakers. Among the republican orators were Blaine, Logan, Conkling, Grant, Boutwell, and the Camerons. Since Maine, in September, went democratic by a small majority, strenuous efforts were made to counteract its influence in the October states of Ohio and Indiana. During the first weeks of the canvass much was done towards defaming the candidates; but after a time this partially subsided, and the republicans of the west, for the first time in their history, accepted the tariff issue, and made the plank in the democratic platform-"a tariff for revenue only"—the chief point of attack in their political warfare. The republican success in Ohio and Indiana did not discourage the democrats; on the contrary, their victory in West Virginia, and the popularity of their leading candidate, influenced them to persist to the end with high hopes of suc

cess.

In November, California, Nevada, New Jersey, and all the southern states went democratic, while the remaining states were republican. The republican popular vote was 4,442,950; the democratic, 4,442,635; national, 306,867; scattering, 12,576. The elections for Congress, in the same canvass, gave the republicans 147 members; the democrats, 136; nationals, 9; independents, 1. Governors of fifteen states were clected; seven were republican, and eight democratic.

Congress met December 6, 1880, the Senate and House Forty-sixth Congress, being democratic. Among the bills Second Session. Í considered this term and not disposed of were the funding bill; the electoral count joint rule; the Chinese indemnity bill; the Irish relief bill; bills to restrict Chinese immigration, to regulate the pay and number of supervisors of elections and special deputy-marshals, to amend the constitution as to the election of President, to abrogate the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, to prohibit military interference at elections, to define the terms of office of the

chief supervisors of elections, to appoint a tariff commission, the political assessment bill, the Fitz-John Porter bill, and the Kellogg-Spofford case..

In the Senate, a committee of five was appointed, of which Mr. Voorhees was chairman, to investigate the causes of the negro exodus from the south. It ascertained that in some cases the causes were political, and in others pecuniary.

A three per cent. funding bill was vetoed by the President on the 3d of March, 1881, on the ground" that it was unjust to the national banks in compelling them to accept and employ this security for their circulation in lieu of the old bonds. The republicans opposed the measure, but advocated a 31⁄2 per cent. funding bill. After the veto the democrats consented to the 3 per cent., and a bill funding at that rate was passed. The republican view was a mistake, as was afterwards shown by the ease with which the loan was floated.

The electoral votes were counted by the Vice-President in the presence of both Houses, on the 9th of February, 1881, and were found to be 214 for Garfield and Arthur, and 155 for Hancock and English. Garfield and Arthur were, accordingly, declared elected President and Vice-President of the United States. The count occasioned no agitation that could be called a political trouble. Congress adjourned March 4, and on the same day Garfield and Arthur took the oath of office.

The conservatism of Hayes's administration was an advantage to the country. During his term there was a growing of independent sentiment among the republicans that gained strength each year. The administration had the effect of softening party asperities, and did much to restore a better political feeling between the north and the south.