wo-thirds of the Senators were still republican. Even by republican
reckoning, the democratic presidential ticket in 1876 received a popular
majority of 157,000 and lacked but one electoral vote. In 1879 both
houses of Congress were democratic, by small majorities, for the first
time since 1856. The tide ebbed in 1880, the Democrats losing control of
the House, and suffering a decisive defeat in the presidential election;
but with 1884 the fortune of the Democracy reached high-water mark.

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. 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.

[Illustration: Portrait.]
Grover Cleveland.
From a photograph copyrighted by C. M. Bell, Washington, D. C.

Upon the accession of the new administration to power, the country
waited with deep interest to see its effect upon the civil service. Mr.
Cleveland had pledged himself to a rigid enforcement of the new law, and
encouraged all to believe that with him impartial civil service would
not be confined to the few offices thus protected. After the first few
months of Cleveland's administration, one fact