perative public duty not to give them sup- | House at Washington are giving active port at this election under any circum- work to the passage of a tariff bill, the re stances. peal of the revenue taxes, and the passage of a two-cent letter postage bill-measures anxiously hastened by the Republicans in order to anticipate friendly and defeat unfriendly attempts on the part of the Democratic House, which comes in with the first session of the 48th Congress. In closing this note, this committee must express its regret, that, having considered it desirable to make overtures to the Independent Republicans, you should have so far misapprehended the facts of the situation. It is our desire to unite the Republican party on the sure ground of In Pennsylvania, as we close this review principle, in the confidence that we are of the struggle of 1882, the Regular and thus serving it with the highest fidelity, and Independent Republican State Committees preserving for the future service of the at least the heads thereof are devising Commonwealth that vitality of Republicanism which has made the party useful in the past, and which alone confers upon it now the right of continued existence. The only method which promises this result in the approaching election is that proposed by the Independent Republican candidates in their letter of July 13th, 1882, which was positively rejected by your committee. On behalf of the Independent Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania, L. D. MCKEE, Chairman. With this communication ended all efforts at conciliation. The election followed, and the Democratic ticket, headed by Robert E. Pattison of Philadelphia, received an average plurality of 40,000, and the Independent Republican ticket received an average vote of about 43,000-showing that while Independence organized did not do as well in a gubernatorial as it had in a previous off-year, it yet had force enough to defeat the Republican State ticket headed by Gen. James A. Beaver. All of the three several State tickets were composed of able men, and the force of both of the Republican tickets on the hustings excited great interest and excitement; yet the Republican vote, owing to the division, was not out by nearly one hundred thousand, and fifty thousand more Republicans than Democrats remained at home, many of them purposely. In New York, where dissatisfaction had no rallying point, about two hundred thousand Republicans remained at home, some because of anger at the defeat of Gov. Cornell in the State nominating convention-some in protest against the National Administrations, which was accused of the desire for direct endorsement where it presented the name of Hon Chas. J. Folger, its Secretary of the Treasury, as the home gubernatorial candidate, others because of some of the many reasons set forth in the bill of complaints which enumerates the causes of the dissatisfaction within the party. At this writing the work of Republican repair is going on. Both the Senate and a plan to jointly call a Republican State Convention to nominate the State ticket to be voted for in November, 1883. The groundswell was so great that it had no sooner passed, than Republicans of all shades of opinion, felt the need of harmonious action, and the leaders everywhere set themselves to the work of repair. The Republicans in the South differed from those of the North in the fact that their complaints were all directed against a natural political enemy-the Bourbons-and wherever there was opportunity they favored and entered into movements with Independent and Readjuster Democrats, with the sole object of revolutionizing political affairs in the South. Their success in these combinations was only great in Virginia, but it proved to be promising in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and may take more definite and generalshape in the great campaign of 1884. The Democratic party was evidently surprised at its great victory in 1882, and has not yet formally resolved what it will do with it. The Congress beginning with December, 1883, will doubtless give some indication of the drift of Democratic events. The most notable law passed in the closing session of the 47th Congress, was the Civil Service Reform Bill, introduced by Senator Geo. H. Pendleton of Ohio, but prepared under the direction of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Republicans, feeling that there was some public demand for the passage of a measure of the kind, eagerly rushed to its support, at a time when it was apparent that the spoils of office might slip from their hands. From opposite motives the Democrats, who had previously encouraged, now ran away from it, but it passed both Houses with almost a solid Republican vote, a few Democrats in each House voting with them. President Arthur signed the bill, but at this writing the Commission which it creates has not been appointed, and of course none of the rules and constructions under the act have been formulated. Its basic principles are fixed tenure in minor places, competitive examinations, and non-partisan selections. POLITICAL CHANGES-1883. In the fall of 1883 nearly all of the States swept by the tidal wave of 1882 showed that it had either partially or completely receded, and for the first time since the close of the Hayes administration (always excepting the remarkable Garfield-Hancock campaign), the Republican party exhibited plain signs of returning unity and strength. Henry Ward Beecher has wittily said that "following the war the nation needed a poultice, and got it in the Hayes administration." The poultice for a time only drew the sores into plainer view, and healing potions were required for the contests immediately following. The divisions of 1882 were as much the result of the nonaction of the Hayes administration, as of the misunderstandings and feuds which later on found bitter manifestation between the Stalwarts and Half Breeds of New York. The Independents took no organized form except in New York and Pennsylvania, and yet the underlying causes of division for the time swept from their Republican moorings not only the States named, but also Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Colorado and California. The year 1882 seemed the culmination of every form of Republican division, and then everything in the States named gave place to faction. Very wisely the Republican leaders determined to repair the mischief, as far as possible, in the otherwise uneventful year of 1883. Their efforts were in most instances successful, especially in Massachusetts where Robinson overthrew Gen. Butler's State administration by 20,000 majority; in Pennsylvania, where the Republican State ticket received about 20,000 majority, after the reunion of the Regular and Independent factions. In Pennsylvania the efforts at reconcilia tion made in the Continental Conference, and in subsequent conventions, gave fruit in 1883, and at this writing in July, 1884 there is no mark of division throughout the entire State, if we except such as must inevitably follow the plain acceptance of Free Trade and Protective issues. Very few of the Republicans of Pennsylvania favor Free Trade, and only in the ranks of this few could any division be traced after the close of the elections of 1883. Ohio was an exception to the Republican work of reconciliation. Division still continued, and Judge Hoadly, a leading and very talented Democrat, was elected Governor by about 15,000 majority, after a contest which involved the expenditure of large sums of money. In the Convention which nominated Hoadly, Senator Pendleton was practically overthrown because of his attachment to the Civil Service law which takes his name, and later on he was defeated for U. S. Senator by Mr. Payne, the McLean and Bookwalter factions uniting for his overthrow, which was accomplished despite the efforts of Thurman, Ward and other leaders of the older elements of the party. Both the Hoadly and Payne battles were won under the banners of the "Young Democracy." Any compilation of the returns of 1883 must be measurably imperfect, for in only a few of the States were important and decisive battles waged. Such as they were, however, are given in the table on the next page: State Elections of 1882 and 1883, compared with the Presidential Election of 1880. • In combined. others the principal State officer was taken. vote was taken. In Georgia, Congressmen-at-Large was taken. The vote for Chief Judge. The Regular and Independent Republican vote is combined. ** Vote of the two Democratic candidates is Lieutenant-Governor was taken, as being, from special causes, a fairer test of party strength. In the combined on Judge. † American, 707; scattering, 989. Scattering, 106. In these States the vote on State officers chosen, excluding Secretary of State. In Nebraska, Democratic and Anti-Monopoly vote Connecticut, the vote for Sheriff is taken. In New York, the average vote on four of the five Where State officers were not elected, the Congressional POLITICAL CHANGES-1884. The Democratic National Convention. The Republican National Convention its work harmoniously, and adopted a met at Chicago, in the Exposition Build-platform without a negative vote. [We ing, on Tuesday, June 3d, 1884. It was give it in full in our Book of Platforms, called to order by Senator Sabin, the and compare its vital issues with that of Chairman of the National Committee, the Democratic in our comparison of Platwho at the conclusion of his address, at form Planks.] the request of his Committee, presented the name of Hon. Powell Clayton, of Arkansas, for temporary President. Gen. Clayton, as a friend of Blaine, was antagonized by the field, which named Hon. John R. Lynch for the place. An exciting debate followed, at the close of which Mr. Lynch received 431 votes to 387 for Clayton. Ex-Senator Henderson of Missouri was made permanent President without a contest. The contested seats were This body assembled at Chicago, in the Exposition Building, on Tuesday, July 8th, 1884, and was called to order by ExSenator Baruum, the Chairman of the National Committee. The Committee presented Governor Richard B. Hubbard, of Texas, for temporary chairman. After his address a notable contest followed on amicably settled, the most notable being the adoption of the unit rule, the debate that of the straightout Republicans of being participated in by many delegates. Virginia against Gen. Mahone's delega- Mr. Fellows, of New York, favored the tion. The latter was admitted, the only rule, as did all of the advocates of Govercontest being in the Committee. The nor Cleveland's nomination for President, Blaine leaders did not antagonize, but while John Kelly opposed it with a view rather favored Mahone's admission, as did to give freedom of choice to the twentythe field generally, for the State Conven- five delegates from New York who were tion which elected this delegation had acting with him. The contest was inopenly abandoned the name of the Re-augurated by Mr. Smalley, of Vermont, adjuster Party and taken that of the who was instructed by the National ComRepublican. None of the Straightouts mittee to offer the following resolution: expressed dissatisfaction at what appeared to be the almost universal sentiment. Candidates for the Nomination. Resolved, that the rules of the last Democratic Convention govern this body until otherwise ordered, subject to the following modification: That in voting for candidates for President and Vice-PresiOn the third day the following candi-dent no State shall be allowed to change dates were formally placed in nomination, after eloquent eulogies, the most notable being those of Judge West of Ohio, in behalf of Blaine; Gen. H. H. Bingham, of Penna., for President Arthur; and Geo. W. Curtis for Senator Edmunds: JAMES G. BLAINE, of Maine. The convention sat four days, completed its vote until the roll of the States has been called, and every State has cast its vote. Mr. Grady, of New York, offered the following amendment to the resolution: When the vote of a State, as announced by the chairman of the delegation from such State is challenged by any member of the delegation, then the Secretary shall call the names of the individual delegates from the State, and their individual preferences as expressed shall be recorded as the vote of such State. After discussion the question was then put, the chairman of each State delegation announcing its vote as follows: |