. Depew with the author, March 28, 1909.
See also New York _Tribune_, January 9, 1882. "Among others present at
the conference," added Depew, "were Webster Wagner, John Birdsall,
Dennis McCarthy, and William H. Robertson of the State Senate, James
W. Husted, and George Dawson of the Albany _Evening Journal_. Woodin
remarked, 'We can trust Platt, and when he's elected senator we shall
not need a step-ladder to reach his ear.'"]

[Footnote 1737: Total vote in caucus, 105. Necessary to a choice, 53.
Platt, 54; Crowley, 26; Rogers, 10; Wheeler, 10; Lapham, 4; Morton, 1.

The election, which occurred on January 18, resulted: Senate, Platt,
25; Kernan, 6; Assembly, Platt, 79, Kernan, 44.]

After the campaign of 1880 Conkling seemed to dismiss the feeling
exhibited toward Garfield at Chicago, and in February (1881), at the
invitation of the President-elect, he visited Mentor. The Senator
asked the appointment of Levi P. Morton as secretary of the treasury,
and Garfield consented to give him the Navy, or select Thomas L. James
for postmaster-general. "This conference was not wholly
satisfactory,"[1738] but Conkling's position at the inauguration
ceremonies, voluntarily taken directly behind Garfield while the
latter read his inaugural address, indicated a real friendship. His
motion in the Senate that James be confirmed as postmaster-general
without the usual reference to a committee seemed to support this
belief, an impression subsequently stimulated by the prompt
confirmation of William M. Evarts for commissioner to the
International Monetary Conference, Henry G. Pearson for postmaster of
New York, and Levi P. Morton for minister to France.[1739] Two weeks
later came a bunch of five Stalwarts.[1740] The next day (March 23)
Garfield nominated William H. Robertson for collector of customs at
New York and Edwin A. Merritt for consul-general to London. "That
evens things up," said Dennis McCarthy, the well-known Half-breed of
the State Senate. "This is a complete surprise," added Robertson. "To
my knowledge no one has solicited for me any place under Garfield. It
comes entirely unsought."[1741] It was no less a surprise to the
Stalwarts. Not a hint of it had been dropped by the President. "We had
been told only a few hours before," wrote Conkling, "that no removals
in the New York offices were soon to be made or even considered, and
had been requested to withhold the papers and suggestions bearing on
the subject until we had n