The Project Gutenberg ebook of History of the United States, Volume 4, by

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1883] POLITICAL HISTORY 227

The deepest and most significant politi­cal movement of the last twenty years has been the gradual recovery of power by the Democracy. For some years after the Rebellion, this party's war record was a millstone around its neck. The financial distress in 1873 and the corruption preva­lent in political circles weakened the party in power, while the Democracy, putting slavery and reconstruction behind its back, turned to new issues, and raised the cry of "economy" and "reform."

In this year James G. Blaine, of Maine, and John A. Logan, of Illinois, received the republican nomination for President and Vice-President. A number of Independent Republicans, including the most earnest advocates of civil service reform, were strongly opposed to Mr. Blaine, alleging him to be personally corrupt and the rep­resentative of corrupt political methods. They met in conference, denounced the nominations, and later indorsed the demo­cratic nominees--Grover Cleveland, gov­ernor of New York, and Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana.

230 THE CEMENTED UNION [1884
George W. Cur­tis, Carl Schurz, and other prominent Republicans took part in the movement. Several influential Independent Republican papers, including the New York Times, Boston Herald, and Springfield Republican, joined the bolt.

The campaign was bitterly personal, at­tacks upon the characters of the candidates taking the place of a discussion of princi­ples. Mr. Cleveland was elected, receiving 219 electoral votes against 182 for Mr. Blaine. He carried every southern State, besides New York, Connecticut, Indiana, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. The total popular vote was over 10,000,000--the largest ever cast. Cleveland had 4,911,000, a plurality of 62,000 over Blaine. The Democrats regained control of the House in 1883, and held it by a consider­able majority to the end of Mr. Cleveland's first term. In the Senate, until the election of 1892, the Republicans continued to have a small majority.

Grover Cleveland.

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There were then about 120,000 govern­ment employees. Of these, not far from 14,000 were covered by the Pendleton law. All the other minor places were held at the pleasure of superior officers. These latter officers numbered about 58,000. In Au­gust, 1887, from 45,000 to 48,000 of them had been changed, implying change in the offices dependent upon them.

234 THE CEMENTED UNION [1886
There were some 55,000 postmasters, 2,400 of whom were appointed by the President for a term of four years, the rest by the postmaster­-general at pleasure. At the date named, from 37,000 to 47,000 changes had been made in this department. These changes, of course, were not all removals, as many vacancies occur by expiration of terms, death of incumbents, and other causes.

An important statute regarding the presi­dential succession, introduced by Senator Hoar, passed Congress in January, 1886. By previous statutes, in case of the re­moval, death, resignation, or disability of the President and Vice-President, the presidency passed in order to the tempo­rary President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. The latter two might be of the opposite party from the President's, so that by the succession of either the will of the people as expressed in the presidential election would mani­festly be defeated. Moreover, in case of a President's death and the accession of the Vice-President, the latter, too, might die, and thus both the presidency and the vice-presidency become vacant in the interim between two Congresses, when there is neither President of the Senate nor Speaker of the House.

1886] POLITICAL HISTORY 235
Thus Presi­dent Garfield died September 19, 1881, and the XLVlllth Congress did not con­vene to choose a Speaker until the next December. The Senate had adjourned without electing a presiding officer. Had President Arthur died at any moment during the intervening period--and it is said that he was for a time in imminent danger of death--the distracting contin­gency just spoken of would have been upon the country.

According to the new law, in case of a vacancy in both presidency and vice-presidency, the presidency devolves upon the members of the cabinet in the historical order of the establishment of their depart­ments, beginning with the Secretary of State. Should he die, be impeached, or disabled, the Secretary of the Treasury would become President, to be followed in like crisis by the Secretary of War, he by the Attorney-General, he by the Post­master-General, he by the Secretary of the Navy, he by the Secretary of the Interior, and he by the Secretary of Agriculture.