Election of 1876
REPUBLICANS:
- Grant wanted to run but did not
- “Blaine from Maine” (involved in railroad scandal)
+ Rutherford B. Hayes - governor of Ohio
a) does not have skeletons in closet
DEMOCRATS:
+ Samuel Tilden- district attorney who put Tweed in jail in NY
- both were honest men of integrity
- 3 Major Issues were: hard money, taking the troops out of the South, and promoting true Civil Service Reform
- 3 Attacks by D’s to R’s: blame R’s for depression, attack scandal’s under Grant, blaming Republicans, and attack Reconstruction (how it was handled and led to corruption)
- 3 Attacks by R’s to D’s: says R’s are anti-war, said most Southern D’s wanted slavery, said D’s had a huge scheme to pay off Confederate debt
RESULTS: Tilden 4.2m (184ev), Hayes 4.0m (165ev)
HAYES WINS DUE TO COMPROMISE OF 1877
Controversy
20 uncounted for votes ORE=1 SC=7 LA=8 FL=4
from 11/8/76-3/2/77 bribes, ballot stuffing, violence, intimidation, from both sides during that time in those states
Compromise of 1877
- Congress creates the Electoral Count Act
a) has committee of 15 members
#s: 5 US Senators, 5 House of Reps, 5 Supreme Court Justices
7 reps, 7 dems, 1 independent
at the 13th hour, Just. Davis (the independent) resigns for a Senate spot in IL
he is replaced with a Rep (now 8 reps)
committee gives all 19 votes to Hayes (185 EV to 184)
DEMS MAD bc frauded election but say they will allow it if troops are taken out of the South (Hayes agrees)
Hayes’ Problems
- People do not take him seriously
- Ridiculed by Newspapers (called Rutherfraud and ‘His Fraudulent’
(things hurting his administration) - labor disputes
- major railroad strikes, troops called to balt and pitts
- pro silver Congressmen push for an unlimited coinage of silver
Positives of Hayes
- selected a good cabinet
- withdrew fed troops of SC and LA
- took steps to push Civil Service Reform
- approve $$$ for internal improvement of the North and the South
