ned 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
themselves as those who had made a proud record of constancy.

The Democratic national convention nominated General Hancock, which
was, in effect, an appeal to the memories and sentiments of the past,
as their candidate's public distinction rested upon his war record. The
canvass was marked by listlessness and indifference on the part of the
general public, and by a fury of calumny on the part of the politicians
directed against their opponents. Forgery was resorted to with marked
effect on the Pacific coast, where a letter--the famous Morey letter--in
which Garfield's handwriting was counterfeited, was circulated
expressing unpopular views an the subject of Chinese immigration. The
forgery was issued in the closing days of the canvass, when there
was not time to expose it. Arrangements had been made for a wide
distribution of facsimiles which exerted a strong influence. Hancock won
five out of the six electoral votes of California and came near getting
the three votes of Oregon also. In the popular vote of the whole
country, Garfield had a plurality of less than ten thousand in a total
vote of over nine million.

The peculiarities of the party system which has been developed
in American politics, forces upon the President the occupation of
employment agent as one of his principal engagements. The contention
over official patronage, always strong and ardent upon the accession of
every new President, was aggravated in Garfield's case by the factional
war of which his own nomination was a phase. The factions of the
Republican party in New York at this period were known as the
"Stalwarts" and the "Half-Breeds," the former adhering to the leadership
of Senator Conkling, the latter to the leadership of Mr. Blaine, whom
President Garfield had appointed to be his Secretary of State. Soon
after the inauguration of Garfield it became manifest that he would
favor the "Half-Breeds"; but under the Constitution appointments are
made by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and both the
Senators from New York were "Stalwarts." Although the Constitution
contemplates the action of the entire Senate as the advisory body in
matters of appointment, a practice had been established by which the
Senators from each St