Chapter 18
Politics in the post-Reconstruction years were marked by the lackluster performances of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur. All three were elected to one term each from the years 1876 to 1884, but none did much to earn a place in the nation’s collective memory.
After the “big” government of the Reconstruction era, many in Washington, D.C., sought to limit the role of the federal government. This was not so much about ideology as about concerns over job security. The spoils system got a makeover during the Gilded Age as leaders in both parties played the game of party patronage, much as the political machines did in large cities. For example, the Republican party during this time was composed of three major factions: the Stalwarts supported the party patronage system, the Halfbreeds opposed it, and the Mugwumps remained neutral on the issue and sought modest reforms.
The presidency was not immune from the patronage that plagued the parties at the national level. After a less-than-stellar term by Hayes, the Republican party chose to run Halfbreed party member James Garfield for president with Stalwart Chester A. Arthur as his running mate. After winning the election, Garfield quickly set to work appointing party loyalists to coveted civil service positions. As Garfield prepared to leave for his vacation in 1881, an irate civil service job seeker shot him. Garfield hung on for nearly three months, finally succumbing to infection from the wound.
Arthur began to separate himself from his Stalwart pals as he took the presidency. Unfortunately for him, the Republican party chose another candidate for the next election: Senator James Blaine. Blaine did not succeed in winning the election of 1884, as his image had been tarnished by his connection to the Crédit Mobilier and other scandals. Instead, Grover Cleveland became the first Democrat to take office since before the Civil War.
Some accomplishments were made during the “forgotten” administrations, such as passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1881, which reformed the corrupt patronage system. No longer could political cronyism secure government positions; all potential civil service employees had to take an exam to prove their worthiness.