“Roscoe Conkling, in making the nominating speech for Grant, ranked for real oratory with Robert Ingersoll, who nominated Blaine in 1876. Conkling’s speech was spectacular, but, carried away by his strong partisanship for Grant and intense hatred and bitterness toward Blaine, he so lashed the Blaine followers as to make it impossible ever to win a scattering vote for Grant, and his speech left that chieftain weaker than before it was uttered.
“However, Grant’s memorable ‘306’ stood with him to the ultimate finish. During thirty-six ballots he started with 304, never dropped below 302, and never got more than 313, being defeated by the avalanche to Garfield, with 306 delegates true to the bitter end.
“Garfield went to the convention as head of the Ohio delegation to urge Senator John Sherman as candidate. Garfield was selected as a compromise candidate when it became evident that Grant and Blaine were in a deadlock. Wisconsin started the landslide. Grant’s following for two months determinedly worked for the defeat of Garfield, until Conkling had a conference with Grant, and then they swung around with zealous support that barely carried Garfield into the White House.”
Chester Alan Arthur, a “Stalwart,” was elected as the running mate of Garfield, a “Half-breed,” to appease the faction he represented. Mr. Arthur was collector of the Port of New York at the time of his election, this appointment having been conferred by President Grant.
President Garfield early made known his choice of James G. Blaine as his Secretary of State. He listened to all suggestions for the other Cabinet posts, but kept his own counsel concerning his appointments. He understood that, but for the support given him by General Grant and Conkling, he might have met defeat. Yet he chose to ignore hints, requests, appeals, and demands of friends and party leaders, and chose his Cabinet for some definite reasons which would undoubtedly have been disclosed had his term not ended so tragically.
William Windom of Minnesota was chosen for Secretary of the Treasury; Robert Lincoln, of Illinois, Secretary of War; William H. Hunt, of Louisiana, Secretary of the Navy; Wayne McVeagh, of Pennsylvania, Attorney General; Samuel J. Kirkwood, of Iowa, Secretary of the Interior; and Thomas L. James, of New York, Postmaster General.
While some of the appointments he made created resentment from the “Stalwarts,” particularly that of Blaine, antagonism blazed into open rebellion when he selected for the important New York office, that of Collector of the Port of New York, W. H. Robertson, who proved to be a political enemy of Conkling and also of Thomas C. Platt, junior senator. Both were so indignant and resentful that, when the man’s nomination was followed by confirmation, and all the suggestions for other New York offices were ignored by President Garfield, the two Senators promptly resigned, with the idea that their reëlection by the New York Legislature would speedily follow as a measure of approval. The plan, however, did not work out as scheduled.
Although President Garfield was no stranger to Washington, his first public appearance created widespread interest. He presided at the unveiling of the statue of Admiral Farragut, the work of the little sculptor, Vinnie Ream Hoxie, whose statue of Lincoln in the Capitol had created such a sensation, being the work of a woman—a mere girl. For the Farragut statue, Congress paid $25,000.
Vinnie Ream deserves a place in the American Hall of Fame since she was one of the most talented women of her period. Her unusual life and marked achievements in spite of limited opportunities should be an inspiration to ambitious youth.
She was born in Wisconsin, near the site of Madison, in September, 1847, of pioneer parents. From Indian children playmates she learned the Indian nature so beautifully expressed in her later model of Sequoya, the last work of her hand, which, left unfinished, now stands in Statuary Hall at the Capitol, having been completed by Julian Zolnay.