Republican State Executive Committee. In 1876 he was appointed Adjutant General by Governor Hayes, and the same year was chosen National Republican Committeeman for the State. The latter place he resigned after attending one meeting. In February, 1877, he became Pension Agent for the State of Ohio by appointment from General Grant. He was reappointed by President Hayes in 1881, and by President.

Arthur in 1885, holding the office until July 31, 1885, when President Cleveland appointed a Democrat as his successor. In December, 1885, he was appointed receiver of the Cleveland & Marietta, Railroad, and he had charge of the property until the close of the year 1893. In April, 1896, he was appointed member of the Ohio Canal Commission by Governor Bushnell, which office he still holds.

THU

HURSDAY, March 4, 1873, was the coldest if not the most unpleasant day on which the inauguration of a President ever occurred. Great preparations had been made by the citizens of Washington, but the occasion was robbed of its pleasure and splendor by the intense cold and furious wind. The temperature in the morning was but four degrees above zero and its highest, at a little after twelve o'clock, noon, was but twenty above. The wind was strong all day, reaching a maximum velocity of twenty-eight miles an hour during the day, and at no time falling below twenty miles per hour. At 12:30 o'clock, on a platform adjoining the east portico of the National Capitol building, the oath of office was administered President Grant by Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. It is a matter of record that the President,

the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.

As soon as this ceremony had ended the President in a clear, firm voice commenced reading his inaugural; but, owing to the wind, only those nearest the stand could hear him. Fortunately for his personal comfort, the address was comparatively short. He began with a promise of his best efforts for the maintenance of the laws of the Nation, and as far as it lay in his power for the best interests of all the people. Regarding the status of the negro, he said:

The effects of the late civil strife have been to free the slave and make him a citizen, but he is not possessed of the civil rights which citizenship should carry with it. This is wrong and should be corrected. To this correction I stand committed so far as executive influence can avail. Social equality is not a subject to be legislated upon, nor shall I ask that anything be done to advance the social status of the colored man except to give him a fair chance to develop what

when he travels let him feel assured his conduct will regulate the treatment and fare he will receive.

career:

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

And shall make him of quick understanding in

He referred also to his efforts for the annexation of Santo Domingo as a United States Territory, and asserted that he still believed such a union for the best interests both of our own country and of the little republic. But he added that, in the future, while he held the Presidential office he would first have the support of the people before

recommending any annexation proposition. His various other recommendations were: the restoration of the United States currency to a fixed value as compared to the standard of values-gold-and, if possible, at par with it; " the construction of cheap routes of transit; the maintenance of friendly relations with all nations; the re-establishment of American ocean commerce; encouragement of American industries, to the end that the exports of home products and industries may pay for our imports, the only sure method of returning to and permanently maintaining a specie basis;" the elevation of of labor; by a humane course bring the aborigines of this country under the benign influence of education and civilization;" and the correction of abuses in the civil service. He closed by referring directly to himself as

follows:

I acknowledge before this assembly, representing as it does every section of our country, the obligation I am under to my countrymen for the great honor they have conferred on me by returning me to the highest

office within their gift, and the further obligation resting upon me to render to them the best service in my power. This I promise, looking forward with the greatest anxiety to the day when I shall be released from responsibilities that at times are almost overwhelming, and from which I have scarcely had a respite since the eventful firing upon Fort Sumter, in April, 1861, to the present day. My services were then tendered and accepted under the first call for troops growing out of that event. I did not ask for place or position and was entirely without influence or the acquaintance of persons with influence, but was resolved to perform my part in a struggle threatening the very existence of the Nation, a conscientious duty, without asking promotion or command, and without revengeful feeling toward any section or individual. Notwithstanding this, throughout the war, and from my candidacy for my present office in 1868 to the close of the last Presidential campaign, I have been the subject of abuse and slander scarcely ever equaled in political history, which, to-day, I feel that I can afford

to disregard in view of your verdict, which I gratefully

accept as my vindication.

vote.

On December 2, 1872, Mr. Garfield, from the Committee on Appropriations in the House, reported a bill to Congress making appropriations for the expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1874. This was discussed from day to day and amended from time to time until, on January 14, 1873, it was read the third time and passed the House by a decisive On the same day it was sent to the Senate and immediately read twice by its title in that body and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. The bill was reported back to the Senate on January 23d, with some forty amendments. As its provisions were discussed in the Senate it received numerous other amendments and finally passed on January 30th. On the following day the bill was returned to the House with a message asking concurrence in the Senate amendments and was again. referred to the Committee on Appropriations. On February 7th, Benjamin F. Butler, of Massachusetts, from the Committee on Judiciary, introduced a bill To adjust the salaries of the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Departments of the Goverment." This was read twice and referred back to the Committee. Subsequently through Mr. Butler, it was recommended for passage, with a report stating that the proposed increase in salaries would be as follows: President, $25,000; Cabinet, $14,000; Supreme Court, $18,500; Senators, Members and Delegates in Congress, $972,000; a total of $1,029,500 per annum. That the saving to the Government per annum-according to the official statement of the Postmaster General, by the proposed abolition of the franking privilege, would be $2,543.327.72; and by the abolition of mileage, stationery, postage and newspaper accounts for Mem

Senate

bers, $200,000; a grand total of $2,743.327.72; or a net saving to the Government of $1,713,827.72. While Mr. Butler's bill failed of passage, a greater part of it was finally incorporated in the law which was enacted. The amended bill was discussed in the Committee of the Whole of the House, and finally, on March 1st, a resolution of nonconcurrence was adopted and a Committee of Conference asked for. The agreed and appointed its members of the committee the same day. The joint committee reported on March 3d, and its report was agreed to by the House in the following vote: Yeas 102-Republicans 54, Democrats 46 and Liberal Republicans 2. Nays 85-Republicans 49. Democrats 33, Liberals 3; not voting 43-Republicans 15, Democrats 28. The Ohio members (Democrats in italics) divided as follows: Yeas 5-Bingham, Campbell, Dodds, Lamison and Peck; Nays 9-Ambler, Beatty, Monroe, Shellabarger, Smith, Sprague, Stevenson, Upson, and Wilson; not voting 5-Foster, Garfield, McKinney, Morgan and Van Trump. The Senate adopted the report by the voteYeas 36-Republicans 22, Democrats 10, Liberals 4; Nays 27-Republicans 21, Democrats 5, Liberal 1; absent 10-Republicans 6, Democrats 2, Liberals 2. Both of the Ohio Senators-Sherman and Thurman, were recorded in the negative. President Grant approved the act before Congress adjourned sine die that day.

The act was known in legislative parlance as The Salary Act," but by the newspapers and people generally was called

The Salary Grab." By voting for it, or for accepting the money thus appropriated, a number of prominent members of both political parties relegated themselves to political oblivion forever. The

law increased the compensation of the President from $25,000 per year to $50,000; the Vice President from $8,000 to $10,000; and and also increased the pay of the Cabinet officers and their assistants, Judges of the Supreme Court Supreme Court and the Speaker of the House. If the law-makers had stopped there, or had raised the yearly salaries of their successors, and had not provided back pay" for themselves, there would have been but little serious opposition from the people. But the act further provided that,

Senators, Representives and Delegates in Congress, including Senators, Representatives and Delegates in the Forty-second Congress, holding such office at the passage of this act, and whose claim to a seat has not been adversely decided, shall receive seven thousand five hundred dollars per annum each, and this shall be in lieu of all pay and allowance, except actual traveling expenses from their homes to the seat of Government and return by the most direct route of usual travel once each session.

Immediately there was a great outcry all over the country against those who had taken advantage of the law to draw additional salary, and the Republican party and a Republican President were blamed and condemned in unmeasured terms by the Democratic press and politicians for its enactment. The Democrats, however, overlooked the fact that had fifty per cent of their own Representatives in Congress voted against the measure, in addition to the Republicans who were recorded in the negative, it could not have been enacted. The law, it must be confessed, had a very damaging effect upon the party in power and was the cause of the defeat within the next two years of many a worthy Republican candidate. The members of the Forty-third Congress, many of whom had been in the Forty-second, having been reelected previous to its

passage, hastened to repeal all of the objectionable features of the law, which included everything except the increase of the salaries of the President and Vice President and Judges of the Supreme Court. The act of repeal was adopted by the Senate (by amending House Bill), January 12, 1874, by the following vote: Yeas 50-Republicans 37, Democrats 9, Liberals 4; Nays 8-Republicans 6, Democrats 2; absent 14-Republicans 7, Democrats 6, Liberal 1. On the following day the House concurred by the vote of Yeas 225-Republicans 154, Democrats 68, Liberals 3; Nays 25 Republicans 14, Democrats 10, Liberal 1; not voting 36Republicans 24, Democrats 12. President Grant approved the act, January 220.

Charles C. Walcutt and Rodney Foos, Chairman and Secretary respectively of the State Executive Committee, issued the call for the Ohio Republican State Convention on March 29th. This was by order of the State Central Committee, which, on February 1st, at a caucus with many other prominent Republicans, had decided to nominate candidates for the various State offices on May 21st. Provision was made for 534 delegates, or one for every 500 votes cast for Allen T. Wikoff for Secretary of State the previous October. Particular attention was called to the special election of delegates to the Constitutional Convention with the admonition that separate ballot boxes, poll books and tally sheets must be used the same as if no other (municipal or township) election was being held. Whether the warning came too late or whether the people regarded the Constitutional Convention as a non-partisan body, many of the Republican nominees for delegates were defeated. Through carelessness or indifference of the Republican electors in numerous precincts

throughout the State, and also by their support, a number of independent candidates were chosen.

The composition of the Constitutional Convention, which was elected the first Monday in April, was: Republicans 50, Democrats 45, Liberal Republicans 5, Independendents 4, Labor Reformer 1. The officers elected were:

President: Morrison R. Waite, of Lucas

County.

Vice President: Lewis D. Campbell, of Butler.

Secretary: Dudley W. Rhodes, of Dela

ware.

Sergeant-at-Arms: J. B. Wilbur, of

Cuyahoga.

The selection of these officers demonstrated that in an emergency of political significance the Republicans would be strong enough to carry their point in the adoption of any measure. The Convention first met in the hall of the House of Representatives at Columbus, May 13th, and organized, but shortly afterward adjourned to meet in Cincinnati, where the remaining sessions of the body were held. The Constitution framed by this Convention was, however, rejected by the electors at the polls.

The Republican State Convention was called to order at eleven o'clock, Wednesday morning, May 21st, at the City Hall, Columbus, by Chairman Walcutt. Rev. J. H. Gardner, of Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Chapel, Columbus, opened the proceedings with an invocation for Divine guidance.

Jonathan T. Updegraff, of Jefferson County, was chosen Temporary Chairman and was greeted with applause as he assumed the chair. In part his remarks were as follows: