CHAPTER XLVII. RUTHERFORD B. HAYES, JAMES A. GARFIELD, AND CHESTER A. ARTHUR, NINETEENTH, TWENTIETH, AND TWENTY-FIRST PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. Hayes as Lawyer, Politician, and Soldier - Nominated Because an Ohioan - The Electoral Commission - Great Outcry against Him, but still a Creditable President -Garfield's Hard Fight with Fortune at the Outset — Ambition to be a CanalBoat Captain — His Career in the Army - Leader of the House of Representatives — His Admirable Equipment for Political Life - His Nomination at Chicago Wholly Unexpected - The National Sorrow at His Assassination — Arthur Born in a Log Cabin, and Ruling in the White House. R UTHERFORD B. HAYES was of New England extraction his parents were Vermonters though an Ohioan by birthright, having been born at the town of Delaware, October 4, 1822. His father, who was in comfortable circumstances, and had a prosperons mercantile business at Brattleboro, suddenly decided, after the war of 1812, to go west. He had a fancy for Ohio, then regarded as the remote frontier, which, indeed, it was, and after a preliminary journey of inspection, he was so well pleased with the new region that he went back and brought his family and household goods thither by His forty days of most fatiguing travel in a covered wagon. father, who set up a country store in the village, and conducted it profitably, died before Rutherford's birth, but left his family very well-off. The youth was graduated at Kenyon College, Gambier, at twenty, studied law, and began practice at twenty-three at Sandusky. He afterwards removed to Cincinnati, opened an office, and married Lucy W. Webb, daughter of a physician of Chillicothe. A staunch Republican in opinion, he was chosen city solicitor, and grew prominent in local politics. Joining the Literary Club, he became a friend of a number of the members, among them Salmón P. Chase, John Pope, and Edward F. Noyes, who afterward obtained a celebrity in the field and in the councils of the nation. At the first call for troops, the Literary Club formed a military company with the name, Burnett Rifles, and offered its services to the government. Not less than seventy-five members became commissioned officers, more than half of these being lawyers. Hayes was made major of the Twentythird Ohio infantry, of which Stanley Matthews was lieutenant-colonel, and William S. Rosecrans colonel, and was assigned to duty in West Virginia. He was very energetic in campaigning, was wounded at South Mountain, and at the close of October was appointed a brigadier, and early in 1865 a major-general by brevet for gallant conduct in the field, especially at Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. In the autumn of 1864, he was sent to Congress from one of the Cincinnati districts, and was sent back two years later. Although he seldom participated in debate, he performed a deal of hard work, and was of more value than many of the glib talkers in the House. Having been chosen governor in 1867 against Judge Thurman, Democrat, he resigned his seat to go to Columbus, and was reelected two years later. · About this time a rich uncle, Sardis Birchard, died and left him a handsome property. In 1875, having again been put forward as Governor, because it was considered very important that the Republicans should carry Ohio, he received a majority of 5,544 over William Allen. This naturally introduced him as a candidate for the presidency, and the Ohio Republican convention in March, 1876, recommended his nomination. At the National convention in Cincinnati in June, before which Blaine and Roscoe Conklin were most prominent, it was found impossible to nominate either of them; consequently the opponents of Blaine united on Hayes, and on the seventh ballot gave him 384 votes; Blaine getting 351, and Benjamin H. Bristow 21. In the returns of the November elections, Samuel J. Tilden, it will be remembered, had 184 electoral votes, and Hayes 172 that were unquestioned. The votes of Florida and Louisiana, and one of the votes of Oregon were in dispute on different grounds between the parties. There was much excitement over this, and there seemed to be no way of settling the matter. Finally, it was agreed that the decision should be left to a commission of five Senators, five Representatives, and five Judges of the Supreme Court. Three of the Senators were to be Republicans and two Democrats, three of the Representatives Democrats and two Republicans. Four Judges, two of each party, were elected, and these were to name a fifth, who was a Republican. Thus the commission stood eight Republicans to seven Democrats, and they all voted strictly |