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"The existing Administration is the representative of conspiracy only, and its claim of right to surround the ballot boxes with troops and Deputy Marshals, to intimidate and obstruct the election, and the unprecedented use of the veto to maintain its corrupt and despotic powers, insult the people and imperil their institutions." (The Campaign Text Book: Why the People Want a Change. New York: National Democratic Committee, 1880) "The very man who had, in 876, been foremost in defeating the will of the people, and in fastening upon the honored title of President of the United States the scandal, the shame, and the stain of fraud." The Duty of the People of November Next. J. Delafield Trenor. New York: John Polhemus and Mf'g Stationer, 1880.) “As to the President of the United States being equipped with a profound knowledge of Constitutional law - this claim does not lack a certain spice of the amusing.” he Duty of the People of November Next. "His
degradation of himself and his betrayal of his party, has annihilated its
organization at the South, making Republican ascendancy there impossible,
and has almost destroyed the party at the North, so that the only way to
prevent a Democratic victory in 1880 by reason of a solid South and a
divided North, is to promptly repudiate an administration and a policy
which is dishonoring, paralyzing and destroying the Republican Party."
(William Lloyd
Garrison. January 29, 1878,
Letters
of Mr. William E. Chandler Relative
to
the So-called
Southern Policy of President Hayes. Together With a Letter to Mr.
Chandler of Mr. William Lloyd Garrison.
Monitor and Statesman Office, Concord, NH: 1878.) "I have little patience with Mr. Hayes. He is a victim of 'goody' rather than good intentions & his contributions to the pavement of the road to the infernal regions are vast and various" Edward Casy, editor of the New York Times, writing to Silas W. Burt, December 3, 1979. Burt Collection, New York Historical Society. "This administration will be the greatest failure the Country has ever saw." Samuel Tilden. November 4, 1877. Quotes compiled by Sushila Nayak. |
Rutherford
B. Hayes In the 19th century there were two profiles to the successful American politician. Either he had to be from dirt poor origins, born in a log cabin, or he had to hail from that part of the striving middle class which believed in self reliance, opportunity, hard work, independence and loyalty to the Union. Often such men referred to themselves as "self made." Rutherford B. Hayes admirably filled this profile. His father owned a store in Delaware, Ohio. As a child Hayes showed proficiency in his studies and graduated from Kenyon college and the Harvard Law School. Like others of his generation Hayes capacity for leadership was honed in the Civil War as a Union officer. He advanced from captain to major general during the war. While still in uniform, he was elected to Congress where he served for four years. In his climb to power Hayes returned to Ohio and ran successfully for Governor. With the end of the civil war and the new demands made on government to professionalize and make itself dependable, Hayes developed a civil service which shrunk the power of those who believed that state governments could be bought and paid for. This streak of honesty and administrative capacity was an antidote for those Republicans embarrassed by the scandals and spoils system which was part of the Grant administration. And because of his appearance of incorruptibility as the twice-elected Governor of Ohio the reformers in the Republican party were able to secure the presidential nomination for him. The election of Hayes to the presidency was one of the most important and interesting in the turbulent history of American politics. His opponent was Samuel J. Tilden, the bachelor millionaire lawyer and Democratic governor from New York. When the final votes were counted Tilden had won the popular vote by 250 thousand votes in over eight and a half million cast for the two major parties. Tilden led in electoral college votes, 184 to Hayes 166. But he needed one more vote to win the election. Because Tilden couldn't get that last electoral vote the election went to the House of Representatives. And here another deadlock occurred. The decision was made to turn the election over to a commission of fourteen with one added member -- Supreme Court Justice Bradley who was a Republican. They would decide where the 19 uncounted electoral votes from Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana would go. Not surprisingly, Bradley voted for Hayes. Behind the scenes a deal was consummated between the Republicans and Southern Democrats. Apparently Hayes agreed to end the light military occupation of the South thereby ending the Reconstruction era. In exchange for their initial votes for Hayes, the antebellum leaders of the South also hoped to receive aid from the federal government and business in the development of the South which had not recovered economically from the war. Indeed, the rest of the country was in the midst of a depression as large numbers of immigrants entered the United States to find work and dignity. This was not so easy to attain, and by 1877 workers and farmers were in a foul mood. The governor of West Virginia in 1877 asked President Hayes to send in the federal troops when workers struck against a ten percent cut in pay from 1.50 to 1.35 dollar a day. Because there were insufficient funds in the War Department budget to fight Indian wars and break up the railroad strikes which were spreading in the nation the leading banker of the time, J.P.Morgan, offered to lend money for the officers of the army so that they could contain and defeat the railroad strike. The funds were accepted for this purpose by the federal government. Four state governors had appealed to President Hayes to send the federal troops which he reluctantly agreed to. As President, Hayes turned his back on the more corrupt elements of the Republican party who expected to be named to the cabinet. He also preserved the presidency in the face of Congressional encroachment by withstanding the Senate's attempt to dictate terms to him on questions of personnel. He catalyzed a popular movement against the Senate which tried to derail his nominations. And in so doing he helped to increase the power of the Executive against Congress. Like other presidents, Hayes believed strongly in western expansion and therefore in fighting Indians and severely restricting their lands. Coincident with this policy, he favored a policy of enlightened paternalism which meant that Indians on an individual basis would be encouraged to own land and educated in government schools to the new American culture and competitive market. In foreign policy Hayes believed in free trade and reflected in his private views a more prudent understanding for the "underdog" than he stated in public. Thus, President Hayes gave the orders for American troops to intervene in Mexico on the grounds that Mexican forces were invading American territory. Leading Democrats of the time accused Hayes of trying to have another war with Mexico as a way to gain more territory. Hayes wanted to curb Chinese immigration to the United States and sought to follow the negotiations route with the Chinese rather than through an exclusion act of Congress. As he put it, " I am satisfied the present Chinese labor invasion (it is not any proper sense immigration-women and children do not come) is pernicious and should be discouraged. Our experience in dealing with weaker races-the Negroes and Indians, for example-is not encouraging." (Quoted on p.448, Rutherford B. Hayes and his America by Harry Barnard, Bobbs-Merrill, 1954) President Hayes left the presidency after one term with few regrets and disappointments. And while he was a most conservative man in financial terms he feared the power of the plutocracy and its baleful effects. To his diary he wrote, "Abolish plutocracy if you would abolish poverty." After his term of office he continued his activities on a local scale but also became more concerned about the problem of concentration of wealth. "Vast accumulations of wealth in a few hands are hostile to labor. Their tendency is to break down fair competition, to build up monopoly, to corrupt politics, to bribe conventions, legislative bodies, courts and juries, to debauch society; and churches are not beyond the reach of their baneful influence." p.513 The
Republican Hayes died January 17, 1893 with the leader of the Democratic
party, Grover Cleveland, paying his respects at the funeral. |
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