been an election of Senator, has been proposed in
many quarters. He has promptly, both in letter and in public
interviews, rejected the suggestion, finally with impatience
that he was put to the trouble of repeating himself in the
matter so often.

I think that in any other State than Massachusetts, and even
there, without the great kindness and moderation of these
gentlemen, my tenure of office, which will have continued
for thirty-eight years, if my life be spared, would have been
much shorter.

Mr. Sumner was in general accord with the Republicans of Massachusetts
on important questions in issue in his time. But he bitterly
and savagely attacked President Grant at the height of his
popularity, and did his best to defeat him for reelection.
He allowed his name to be used as candidate for Governor,
against Governor Washburn. The defeat of Grant would, of
course, have caused that of Henry Wilson, candidate for the
Vice-Presidency. Still I have no doubt that if Mr. Sumner
had lived, he would have been reelected to the Senate without
any very formidable opposition.

CHAPTER II
PRESIDENT HAYES

President Hayes's Administration began under circumstances
of peculiar difficulty. In the first Congress of his term
the Democrats had a majority in the House. They had refused
to pass the Army Appropriation Bill the winter before and
would not consent to such a bill in the following winter without
a condition that no military force should be used to maintain
order at elections, or to keep in power state governments
obnoxious to them. But his worst foes were of his own household.
There were two factions among the Republicans, one led by
Mr. Blaine and the other by Conkling and Cameron. Blaine
and Conkling had been disappointed aspirants for the Presidency.
Mr. Hayes and his advisers were in favor of what was called
reform in the civil service and utterly rejected the claim
of Senators and Representatives to dictate nominations to
executive and judicial offices. With the exception of Stanley
Matthews of Ohio and my colleague, Mr. Dawes, I was, I believe,
the only cordial supporter of the President in the Senate.

Mr. Blaine was disposed, I think, in the beginning, to give
the President his support. But he was rendered exceedingly
indignant by the refusal of President Hayes to appoint Mr.
Frye to a seat in the Cabinet, which Mr. Blaine desired, as
it would smooth the way of Mr. Eugene Hale, his most intimate
f