ng the
support of several Democrats and of all the Republicans except five.

[Footnote 1631: Conkling, _Life of Conkling_, p. 373.]

It was an important victory for Conkling, who must soon begin another
canvass for members of the Legislature. It sent a thrill of joy
through the ranks of his friends, renewed the courage of
office-holding lieutenants, and compelled the Administration's
supporters to admit that the President was "chiefly to blame."[1632]
Moreover, the cordial support given Conkling by Blaine created the
impression that it had led to their complete reconciliation, a belief
strengthened by a conversation that subsequently occurred between them
on the floor of the Senate Chamber in full view of crowded galleries.
David Davis had added to the tableau by putting an arm around each,
thus giving the meeting the appearance of an unusually friendly
one.[1633]

[Footnote 1632: _Harper's Weekly_, December 22, 1877.]

[Footnote 1633: New York _Tribune_, December 17, 1878.]

But the President, if he had previously omitted to say what he meant,
determined not to surrender, and on July 11 (1878), after the
adjournment of Congress, he suspended Arthur and Cornell and appointed
Edwin A. Merritt and Silas W. Burt. Arthur's suspension did not
involve his integrity. Nor was any distinct charge lodged against
Cornell. Their removal rested simply upon the plea that the interests
of the public service demanded it, and the death of Roosevelt very
naturally opened the way for Merritt.[1634]

[Footnote 1634: Theodore Roosevelt died on February 9.]

All his life Merritt had been serviceable and handy in politics. After
holding successively several local offices in St. Lawrence, the people
sent him to the Assembly in 1859 and in 1860. When the rebellion began
he entered the quartermaster's and commissary departments, and at its
close served as quartermaster-general of the State until appointed
naval officer in 1869, an office which he lost in 1870 when Conkling
got control of the patronage. Then he followed Fenton and Greeley into
the Liberal party, but returning with other leaders in 1874, he
accepted the nomination for State treasurer in 1875, the year when
administrative reform accelerated Tilden's run for the White House.
This made him eligible for surveyor, an office to which he had been
confirmed in December, 1877. His unsought promotion to the
collectorship, however, was a testimonial to his ability. Whatever
Merritt