g letters
addressed to Arthur while collector and written by the President's
private secretary, by a member of the Cabinet, and other reformers.
One letter sought a position for the son of Justice Bradley, who had
figured conspicuously on the Electoral Commission. Such a scene had
never before been witnessed in the Senate. Exclamations of mock
surprise followed by fun-making questions and loud laughter added to
the grotesque exhibition. It was so ludicrous as to become pitiful and
painful. Although no particular harm was done to anybody, the
Government for the moment was made ridiculous.

At times Conkling was blessed with the gift of offence, and on this
occasion he seems to have exercised it to its full capacity. Before he
began speaking the Senate exhibited a readiness to recommit the
nominations, but as he proceeded he lost ground, and when he finished
several Republican senators, unwilling to afford another opportunity
for such a scene, demanded that the matter be disposed of at once and
forever. Each succeeding name, as the roll-call proceeded on the
motion to recommit, showed more and more the change that had taken
place in senators' feelings. Failure to recommit turned defeat into
confusion, and confusion into disaster. When the three roll-calls were
over it was found that Merritt had been confirmed by 33 to 24 and Burt
by 31 to 19. An analysis of the "pairs" increased the rout, since it
disclosed that twenty-five Democrats and fifteen Republicans favoured
confirmation, while only seven Democrats and twenty-three Republicans
opposed it. In other words, the Administration required only five
Democratic votes to match the strength of the dissatisfied
Republicans. Kernan, although he had spoken slightingly of Merritt,
refused to vote, but Blaine, who had joined heartily in the laughter
provoked by Conkling's thrusts as he read the letters, antagonised the
President. This noticeable desire of the Maine statesman to attach his
fortunes to those of the New York Senator neither escaped the
attention nor faded from the memory of Secretary Sherman.

The next morning everybody knew what had happened. Although secrecy
was removed only from the vote, nothing of the seven hours' conflict
remained untold, the result of which to all New Yorkers proved a great
surprise. They had supposed Conkling invincible in the Senate.
Nevertheless, to most Republicans, whether friends or foes, his defeat
on February 3 was a great relief. M