he House and as a government director of the Union Pacific
Railroad, recommended his expulsion, but on February 27, 1873, the
House, by a vote of 174 to 32 (34 not voting) changed the sentence to
one of censure. Brooks died on April 30 following.]

Meanwhile the financial crash which began on September 18 by the
failure of Jay Cooke & Co., spread an intense gloom over the State as
well as the country, and although by the middle of October the panic,
properly defined, had ended, a commercial crisis continued. By
November 1 several railroads had defaulted in the payment of interest
on their bonds, cotton and iron mills had closed, and many labourers
were thrown out of employment. Criticism of the Administration's
financial policy naturally followed, and men whose purchasing power
had ceased turned against the Republicans, giving the State to the
Democrats by 10,000 majority. With the aid of the Liberals, Hopkins
and Platt received about 4,000 majority. On the question of electing
or appointing judges, the people by an overwhelming vote pronounced in
favour of election.

As in other "off years" the result of this contest indicated a general
drift of political opinion. Ever since the Republican party came into
power ebbs and flows had occurred at alternating biennial periods. A
Democratic revival in 1862 followed Lincoln's election in 1860; his
re-election in 1864 saw a similar revival in 1865; and Grant's
decisive vote in 1868 brought a conservative reaction in 1870. It was
perhaps natural to expect that after the President's re-election in
1872 something of the kind would happen in 1873. Nevertheless, Samuel
J. Tilden saw in the result something more than the usual reaction. He
believed the failure of the Republicans to associate themselves
intimately with reformers and to manifest a loathing for all corrupt
alliances, had added greatly to their burden, and early in the summer
of 1874 he determined to run for governor.

On his return from Europe in the early fall of 1873 Tilden had found
thoughtful men of both parties talking of him as a successor to Dix.
To them the trials of Tweed and his confederates made it plain that
substantial reform must begin at Albany, and they wanted a man whose
experience and success in dealing with one Ring rendered it certain
that he would assault and carry the works of the other. But Tilden was
cunning. He betrayed no evidence of his desire until others confessed
their unwillingness to t