Chapter 204
November, 1884
Washington
The November election of 1884 would prove pivotal to the nation and much of this would fall upon the internal dissention within political parties as much as rivalry without. Ex-Senator James Blaine would refuse to support his own party's candidate, Charles Eliot.
For Eliot's party, the President of Harvard would do enormous damage to his own candidacy by publicly condemning female suffrage and education, vowing to abolish most sports other than rowing and tennis (thus proving his elite credentials) and publicly castigating the Grant Administration for the "aggression" in Venezuela.
Though calling the American actions to seize much of Venezuela's non-developed regions a "crass opportunistic act" may be correct in many eyes, undermining the leader of your Party does not gain one many favors, especially from the still-popular Grant.
But perhaps as damaging was Eliot's open disdain for labor unions and his public bragging of using Harvard students as local strikebreakers. This would not play well with the large labor classes of the northeast where any victorious Republican would expect a near sweep in the latter half of the 19th century.
Eliot was soon viewed as arrogant, aristocratic and eccentric even amongst his own party.
Thomas Hendricks, on the other hand, was a lifelong politician, a moderate, and smart enough to know when to shut the hell up or say the blandest thing possible.
For a Democrat to win an election in 1884, a number of key states must fall just right. Eliot's positions and lack of Grant Administration support (and, to a lesser extent, Blaine's support) would see Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania fall to the Democrats for the first time in a generation. This was enough to swing the electoral college to Hendricks.
Though there were some allegations of fraud, the Grant Administration would investigate and publicly declare the race the cleanest ever run. By December, Eliot would concede and publicly congratulate Hendricks.
Unfortunately, there would be no pats on the back of Vice-President-elect Randall as the Congressman died in December after a long bout with illness. Though elated with their first Democratic President since 1860, the Democrats were also painfully aware that the Republicans maintained a majority in both Houses of Congress....and without Randall, the next person in line should the aging and frail Hendricks expire.....next in line as "Acting President" (only the Vice-President was seeing as BECOMING the President in the succession laws) would be the President Pro Tem of the Senate.....almost certainly a Republican (for the past year, this has been Vermont Senator George Edmunds, a man who apparently rejoiced in tweaking the nose of southerners on a daily basis for decades).
Almost immediately, cries of conspiracy rose among the Democrats and several Senators and Congressmen would demand a Constitutional Amendment to put Cabinet members in line for Succession....or at least a new election....if an elected President and Vice-President both died in office (or in Randall's case, BEFORE taking office). Naturally, the Republicans laughed, knowing that there was no way such an amendment would pass.
However, there was a rapid stampede to Constitutional lawyers to see what, if any, differences in actual powers would be actions by an "Acting President" versus a VP becoming President and if there was any sort of time limit to these "Acting" powers. None existed in the Constitution and the state of Hendricks' health would become of paramount concern for Democrats nationwide.
Louisiana and Florida
Among the other momentous events of 1884's election was the welcoming to the Union of five new western states (Idaho, Cheyenne, Montana, Dakota and Santee) as return to the Union of the states of Louisiana and Florida. The Republicans would eventually gain eight of the ten new Senators and three of the five new Congressmen from these territories.
The Grant Administration and Freedman's Bureau would monitor the election and declare them "clean". The Democrats would take Louisiana's Legislature and send two Senators and half of Louisiana's Congressmen to Congress. Lightly populated Florida, on the other hand, having been largely populated over the past two decades by northern migrants, Freedmen from other areas of the south and one of the larger influxes of European settlers, would fall to the Republicans with all but both Senators and all but one Congressman falling to them.
On the whole, the Republican Senate Majority actually INCREASED by 3 members in 1884 despite the Democratic Presidential victory and the Republican Majority in Congress fell by only one seat.
Naturally, with a Democratic President, it was assumed that Reconstruction would be ended soon, if only by the President vetoing budgets for the Freedman's Bureau and military.
It was also assumed that Hendricks would immediately accept the return of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama to the Union.
Washington
The November election of 1884 would prove pivotal to the nation and much of this would fall upon the internal dissention within political parties as much as rivalry without. Ex-Senator James Blaine would refuse to support his own party's candidate, Charles Eliot.
For Eliot's party, the President of Harvard would do enormous damage to his own candidacy by publicly condemning female suffrage and education, vowing to abolish most sports other than rowing and tennis (thus proving his elite credentials) and publicly castigating the Grant Administration for the "aggression" in Venezuela.
Though calling the American actions to seize much of Venezuela's non-developed regions a "crass opportunistic act" may be correct in many eyes, undermining the leader of your Party does not gain one many favors, especially from the still-popular Grant.
But perhaps as damaging was Eliot's open disdain for labor unions and his public bragging of using Harvard students as local strikebreakers. This would not play well with the large labor classes of the northeast where any victorious Republican would expect a near sweep in the latter half of the 19th century.
Eliot was soon viewed as arrogant, aristocratic and eccentric even amongst his own party.
Thomas Hendricks, on the other hand, was a lifelong politician, a moderate, and smart enough to know when to shut the hell up or say the blandest thing possible.
For a Democrat to win an election in 1884, a number of key states must fall just right. Eliot's positions and lack of Grant Administration support (and, to a lesser extent, Blaine's support) would see Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania fall to the Democrats for the first time in a generation. This was enough to swing the electoral college to Hendricks.
Though there were some allegations of fraud, the Grant Administration would investigate and publicly declare the race the cleanest ever run. By December, Eliot would concede and publicly congratulate Hendricks.
Unfortunately, there would be no pats on the back of Vice-President-elect Randall as the Congressman died in December after a long bout with illness. Though elated with their first Democratic President since 1860, the Democrats were also painfully aware that the Republicans maintained a majority in both Houses of Congress....and without Randall, the next person in line should the aging and frail Hendricks expire.....next in line as "Acting President" (only the Vice-President was seeing as BECOMING the President in the succession laws) would be the President Pro Tem of the Senate.....almost certainly a Republican (for the past year, this has been Vermont Senator George Edmunds, a man who apparently rejoiced in tweaking the nose of southerners on a daily basis for decades).
Almost immediately, cries of conspiracy rose among the Democrats and several Senators and Congressmen would demand a Constitutional Amendment to put Cabinet members in line for Succession....or at least a new election....if an elected President and Vice-President both died in office (or in Randall's case, BEFORE taking office). Naturally, the Republicans laughed, knowing that there was no way such an amendment would pass.
However, there was a rapid stampede to Constitutional lawyers to see what, if any, differences in actual powers would be actions by an "Acting President" versus a VP becoming President and if there was any sort of time limit to these "Acting" powers. None existed in the Constitution and the state of Hendricks' health would become of paramount concern for Democrats nationwide.
Louisiana and Florida
Among the other momentous events of 1884's election was the welcoming to the Union of five new western states (Idaho, Cheyenne, Montana, Dakota and Santee) as return to the Union of the states of Louisiana and Florida. The Republicans would eventually gain eight of the ten new Senators and three of the five new Congressmen from these territories.
The Grant Administration and Freedman's Bureau would monitor the election and declare them "clean". The Democrats would take Louisiana's Legislature and send two Senators and half of Louisiana's Congressmen to Congress. Lightly populated Florida, on the other hand, having been largely populated over the past two decades by northern migrants, Freedmen from other areas of the south and one of the larger influxes of European settlers, would fall to the Republicans with all but both Senators and all but one Congressman falling to them.
On the whole, the Republican Senate Majority actually INCREASED by 3 members in 1884 despite the Democratic Presidential victory and the Republican Majority in Congress fell by only one seat.
Naturally, with a Democratic President, it was assumed that Reconstruction would be ended soon, if only by the President vetoing budgets for the Freedman's Bureau and military.
It was also assumed that Hendricks would immediately accept the return of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama to the Union.