He mortally offended every friend of Blaine, and thereby made it impossible even to win the hesitating men in the Blaine ranks by his keen and pungent fling at the delegates who disregarded their instructions to vote as a unit for Grant, and by his aggressive assault upon Blaine when he referred to Grant as a candidate “without patronage, without emissaries, without committees, without bureaus, without telegraph wires running from his house to this convention or running from his house anywhere.” Unlike the Ingersoll speech nominating Blaine in 1876, the speech of Conkling, able, eloquent, and grand as it was, left Grant weaker, instead of stronger.

Very general interest centred in General Garfield, who was at the head of the Ohio delegation, that was instructed for Senator Sherman for President. Garfield knew the situation; he knew that a third candidate must eventually be accepted, and he illy concealed his efforts to advance himself, while ostensibly struggling for Sherman. His speech nominating Sherman was a plea for peace rather than an aggressive presentation of Sherman’s claims, and it was well understood that his plea for peace was, in fact, a plea for himself. At various stages of the balloting tidal waves of enthusiasm would start for Garfield, and he narrowly escaped a spontaneous nomination. He was personally very popular, of imposing presence, a most accomplished speaker, and he was finally accepted by the friends of Blaine because he was not the partisan of either Blaine or Grant, and also because they could certainly win with him, and thus defeat Grant.

The convention became weary of what was evidently an equal contest between the Grant and Blaine forces, and all who were not intensely enlisted in the factional fight were glad to end the bitter struggle by accepting Garfield. Grant’s memorable 306 stood by him and never lowered their flag until they were defeated and fell with their faces to the foe.

Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, was the permanent president of the convention, and it was a battle of giants, lasting well in to the second week. Mr. Joy, who presented the name of Blaine to the convention, grievously disappointed the friends of the Plumed Knight. His advocacy of his chief was tame compared with the masterly orations of Conkling and Garfield, but his friends were in admirable fighting trim, and no such heroic struggle as that between Blaine and Grant has ever been recorded in the history of American politics. Conkling was chairman of his delegation, and was offensively imperious in every announcement that he made to the convention. His delegation had been instructed to vote a unit for Grant, but the convention had unshackled the delegates by allowing each one to cast his vote according to his choice, and Conkling in announcing the vote for Blaine in New York always did it with a sneer, and often with offensive expression. A ballot was not reached until Monday of the second week in the convention, and for two days the extraordinary spectacle was presented of Grant and Blaine holding their forces with but little variation, until the Blaine column finally broke for Garfield. The following table presents the ballots in detail:

BALLOTS.James A. Garfield.Ulysses S. Grant.James G. Blaine.John Sherman.Elihu B. Washburne.George F. Edmunds.William Windom.Rutherford B. Hayes.George W. McCrary.Roscoe Conkling.John F. Hartranft.Edmund J. Davis.Philip H. Sheridan.Benjamin Harrison.Total.Necessary to a choice.
1st—30428493313410———————755378
2d130528294313210———————755378
3d130528293313210——————1755378
4th130528195313210——————1755378
5th130528195313210——————1755378
6th230528095313210———————755378
7th230528194313210———————755378
8th130628491323110———————755378
9th230828290323110———————755378
10th2305282923231101——————755378
11th2305281933231101——————755378
12th1304283923331101——————755378
13th130528589333110—1—————755378
14th—30528589353110———————755378
15th—30928188363110———————755378
16th—30628388363110———————754378
17th—30328490363110————1——755378
18th—30528391353110———————755378
19th130527996323110———1———755378
20th130827693353110———1———755378
21st130527696353110———1———755378
22d130527597353110———1———755378
23d230427597363110———————755378
24th230527993353110———————755378
25th230228194353110———————755378
26th230328093363110———————755378
27th230627793363110———————755378
28th230727991353110———————755378
29th230527811635127———————755378
30th230627912033114—————1—755378
31st130827611837113——1————755378
32d130927011744113———————755378
33d130927611044114———————755378
34th1731227510730114———————756379
35th503132579923113———————756379
36th3993064235—————————755378

While it was generally expected that the convention would eventually stampede to Garfield, the movement was given vitality and form by the Wisconsin delegation. The only name prominently discussed as a compromise candidate in addition to that of Garfield was the name of Senator Windom, of Minnesota, who had received the vote of his State from the start. In a caucus of the delegation a small majority of the Wisconsin delegation voted to prefer Garfield to Windom, and that movement started the tide that gave the victory to Garfield. It is quite possible that if Wisconsin had declared for Windom, instead of Garfield, as it failed to do by only a very few votes, Windom might have been made the candidate, as he occupied a very strong position in the party, was free from factional alliances, and probably would have been quite as strong a candidate with the people as Garfield. When the Wisconsin delegation decided to break the deadlock by accepting Garfield, it opened the door for the wearied anti-Grant gladiators to find speedy and gratifying refuge. Grant’s column stood to him with marvellous fidelity. He started with 304 votes, never fell below 302, never rose above 313, and ended on the final ballot with 306. The nomination of Garfield was made unanimous amidst the wildest enthusiasm.

Senator Conkling was in violent temper over the defeat of Grant, and when he was asked to name a candidate for Vice-President he at first petulantly refused to do so, but some of his more deliberate friends suggested the name of Chester A. Arthur, who was in the delegation. Arthur had acted as chairman during part of the balloting when Conkling was absent, and his dignified and manly manner of announcing the vote of his State contrasted very favorably with the offensive manner of Conkling. Conkling assented to rather than dictated the nomination of Arthur, and the 1st ballot for Vice-President was as follows:

Chester A. Arthur, N. Y.468
Elihu B. Washburne, Ill.199
Marshall Jewell, Conn.43
Horace Maynard, Tenn.30
Edmund J. Davis, Texas20
Blanche K. Bruce (Col.), Miss.8
James L. Alcorn, Miss.4
Thomas Settle, Fla.2
Stewart L. Woodford, N. Y.1

CHESTER A. ARTHUR