• The election scenes and events of 1876 have passed into history as among the most exciting and important in the annals of the country. An election so close as to hang upon a single electoral vote; charges of fraudulent voting in several states to a sufficient extent to render questionable not one alone, but several votes in the electoral college; party feeling running so high as to threaten at each moment the performance of sonic overt act on one side or the other, which might deluge the country with blood, and set. back civilization for many years; such were the elements which render this struggle the most momentous since the foundation of the government. For details concerning this. election, see HAYES, RUTHERFORD B., and TILDEN, SAMUEL J. The former was finally declared elected by an electoral commission chosen from both houses of congress and from the supreme court of the United States; and whose decision was accepted by all concerned as final and irrevocable. See ELECTORAL COMAIISSION. Pres. Hayes appointed for his cabinet—and they were confirmed March 10, 1877—William M. Evarts, secretary of state; John Sherman, secretary of the treasury; Carl Schurz, secretary of the interior; R. W. Thompson, secretary of war; George W. McCrary, secretary of the navy; D. M. Key, postmaster-general; and Charles Devens, attorney-general. Changes were afterward made in the cabinet, so that only Messrs. Evarts, Sherman, Schurz, and Devens remained in it until the close of Mr. Hayes's administration. The yeat41887 was • made memorable by the troubles in South Carolina and Louisiana; where state 4 governments, each claiming to be legally elected, struggled for supremacy. In the I g former state the difficulty was adroitly settled by pres. Hayes, who invited the two 44/ claimants to the governship of that state—Chamberlain and Wade Hampton—to appear , before him and endeavor to effect an adjustment of the questions at issue. The result' this novel action was the withdrawal of the U. S. troops which had been stationed at Columbia, S. C., and had been an objectionable feature of the contest; whereupon the republican governor, Chamberlain, retired, and gen. Wade Hampton took peaceful pos session of the office. A settlement was also effected in Louisiana, a commission being sent thither by the president,when the democratic governor, Nichols, was enabled to gain possession of his seat, the U. S. troops being in this instance also withdrawn from New Orleans.' This year was further noteworthy by the occurrence in July of the railroad strikes and riots, which prevailed throughout the country, to the injury of business, and with serious loss of property. See STRIKES. The question of the title of president Hayes to his seat attracted some attention during 1878, and resolutions and a memorial were laid before the legislature of the state of Maryland asking for legislative investiga tion on the part of congress as to its legality. A committee of investigation as to the frauds alleged to have been committed in Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon, in connection with the election of president, was afterward appointed by con gress, and did so investigate: neither of these movements served to disturb Mr. Hayes's title. The excitement occasioned by the near approach of the period fixed by congress for the resumption of specie payments produced a demand on the part of numbers of persons throughout the country for a party Opposed to the prevailing sentiment with regard to financial questions. Such a party was, in fact, organized at Toledo, Ohio, Feb. 22, 1878, under the name of the national party, delegates being present from 28 states; and its platform of principles duly enunciated. This included bi-metaIism; the govern ment to exercise exclusively the function of creating money and regulating its value; suppression of national bank issues; money to be provided by the government in accord ance with the necessities of labor and trade; bonds to be taxed; a graduated income-tax to be levied; reduction of the hours of labor, bureaus of labor and industrial statistics to be established; opposition to the contract-system in prisons, and to Chinese labor. This party originated in the movement in 1876 which resulted in the nomination of Peter Cooper as the " greenback" candidate for president. The vote cast by the party in Nov., 1876, was 82,640; in 1877, 187,095; in 1878, 1,000,365.—The crops in 1878 were unusually large, the figures being as follows: During the year 1878 an important event in foreign relations was the establishment of a permanent Chinese legation at Washington, including the following personages: Chen Lan Pin, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary; Yung Wing, assistant envoy; Yung Tsang Siang, Chinese secretary of legation; D. W. Bartlett, American secretary of legation; Hwang Tah Kuen and Tsai Sih Yung, interpreters; and Kai Sung, attache. This embassy was the result of the treaty with China, ratified at Wash ington on July 16, 1878, and which had been negotiated by Mr. Burlingame, U. S. min ister at Pekin. Special articles of this treaty were those permitting entire religious liberty in the two countries; reprobating any but voluntary emigration from one to the other; conferring mutual privileges, immunities, and exemptions, in respect to travel and residence, on citizens of the two treaty-making powers; and insuring all the advan tages of the government edgcational institutions of the two countries to the citizens of either; including also permission for the citizens of either country to establish and main tain schools, respectively, in each country, in accordance with the laws of each for such cases made and provided. The new treaty was received in the United States with general satisfaction, and the arrival of this, the first permanent embassy, was hailed with gratification as foreshadowing more intimate commercial, social, and diplomatic relations between the two nations. The general course of the administration of pres. Hayes had thus far been uneventful. The country was in a fairly prosperous condition; chiefly owing to the continuance of abundant crops; and the year 1878 closed without any significant occurrence whatsoever to mar the equable flow of affairs, domestic and foreign. Jan. 2, 1879, specie payments were resumed throughout the United States, after a suspension of 17 years, and in accordance with the act of congress approved Jan. 14, 1875. The process of resumption was effected without excitement, there being but little demand for gold; and the New York gold room closed operations. The crops for 1872 exceeded in quality and value those of 1878, as will be observed by the following table: An extraordinary movement northward of the colored population of certain of the southern states took place in 1879, and was the source of much uneasiness among the planters, and the subject of general discussion throughout the country: for detailed account of this remarkable spontaneous race-migration, see NEGRO ExoDus. This year, also, saw the decline and fail of the labor agitation in San Francisco, which, under the leadership of Denis Kearney, had been continued with great virulence since 1877. So powerful did this movement become, that it was able to dictate a new constitution for the state of California, an act which resulted in driving capital from the state, and in bringing about a condition of business depression and general stagnation, never before paralleled on the Pacific coast. The conclusion of this agitation was the deposition of Kearney from leadership, as to which, and for other details, see KEARNEY, DENIS. The year 1880 opened with a serious political trouble in Maine, where two legislatures (fusion and republican) declared themselves to be legally in session; two governors of the state were declared elected, and were inaugurated; and a serious situation ensued, threatening bloodshed and revolution for many weeks; concluded by the supreme court of the state declaring in favor of the republican governor, Daniel F. Davis, who took
possession of the office on Jan. 17.
This being the year of the presidential election, conventions were held in every state, by the different political parties; and on June 2 the republican national convention met in Chicago to nominate candidates for president and vice-president. The names most prominent before this convention were those of Ulysses S. Grant, James G. Blaine, and John Sherman, for president. The excitement within the convention and throughout the country was intense. The opposition to gen. Grant's re-election for a third term was extended throughout the republican party, though several states at their conventions had chosen delegations favoring Grant to the national convention, and directed them to vote as a unit, notably New York and Pennsylvania. The vote for gen. Grant in the convention finally settled at 300, and it became obvious that it was impossible to effect any union of the conflicting delegations on either Blaine or Sherman with sufficient strength to insure nomination. Through the efforts of William H. Robertson, a delegate from New York, the unit rule was broken by that delegation, and a compromise was effected on James A. Garfield of Ohio, with Chester A. Arthur of New York as vice president; who were nominated June 8. On June 11 the greenback national convention met in Chicago and nominated James B. Weaver for president, who was afterward accepted as the candidate of the socialist party. On June 22 the democratic national convention assembled at Cincinnati, Ohio, the most prominent names before it being Tilden, Bayard, Thurman, and Hancock. The name of Samuel J. Tilden was with drawn early in the convention; and on June 24 the nominations were made of maj.gen. Winfield S. Hancock for president, and William H. English of Indiana for vice-presi dent. The political campaign was conducted with great activity, and with exceeding bitterness on both sides. The election of the fusion candidate for governor in Maine in September having alarmed the republicans, every effort was made to carry Indiana and Ohio in the October elections; and these proving successful, the democrats became in turn depressed, and made extraordinary efforts during the brief remaining period before the national election. The personal intervention of gen. Grant in the campaign is October; and the desperate efforts made in the state of New York by a thoroughly organized corps of republican speakers, proved the turning movement of the campaign, which also was influenced by the question of the tariff. The election occurred on Nov. 2, with the following result: Garfield (rep.) 4,441,233; Hancock (dem.) 4,443,325; Weaver (geb'it.) 314,324; prohibition, independent, and scattering, 10,487; total popular vote 9,202,362. The electoral vote stood as follows: On June 12, 1776, congress passed a resolution organizing the war office; or, as it was then termed, the board of war and ordnance, and which consisted of 5 members. In the following year this was reorganized, a board of war being provided for, to consist of three persons not members of congress. Afterward a medical inspection and pay depart ment were added: and in 1781 the office of. secretary at war was created and his powers and duties defined. Gradually the entire official direction of the war establishment was placed in the hands of this official, subject to the orders of the president, com mander-in-chief; this latter provision occurring after the adoption of the constitution in 1789; when also the style and title of the secretary were changed from secretary at war to secretary of war, which it has remained ever since. In 1812 the quartermaster general's department, purchasing department, and ordnance department were organized. After the close of the war of the revolution, and when Washington had laid down his eommand, the continental army was soon disbanded. In 1798, when war with France was actually begun upon the sea, a new army was hastily organized to repel the anticipated invasion of the United States by a French force. Gen. Washington was placed in command, and preparations for a prolonged and doubtful struggle were carried into effect. But the army was not called into action, negotiations with Napoleon I. reconciling the differences between the two countries, and the men were presently again disbanded. The acts of the congress of the confederation concerning the organization of the army were, up to this time, as follows: The act of Sept. 29, 1789, by which " a corps of 700 rank and file (to be stationed on the frontier) to be organized, together with two companies of artillery, raised by resolve of Oct. 20, 1786;" and the act of April 30, 1790, in lieu of the preceding act, to regulate and establish one battalion of artillery, and one regiment of infantry, in all, 1216 men. In 1791 an act was passed (March 3) organizing one additional regiment of infantry; in 1792 to these were added one squad ron of light dragoons and 3 regiments and 5 battalions of infantry; in 1794 an act was passed to establish arsenals and military stores; and another to organize a corps of axtillerists and engineers; and to this was added in 1708 a second regiment of artillerists and engineers. The act of May 28, 1798, in view of the prospective war with France, authorized the president to raise a provisional army of 10,000 rank and file, to be organ ized into corps of artillery, cavalry, and infantry, and authorized also the appointment of a lieut.gen. "to command the armies of the United States," gen. Washington being so appointed; and a supplementary act (July 16, 1798), still further increased the author ization to the president by the number of 12 regiments of infantry, with the commanding officers and staff, line officers, etc. The act of March 3, 1799, abolished the title and-office of lieut.gen., and directed that the commander of the army of the United States should be commissioned by the title of the "gcn: of the armies of the United States." The opening of the war of 1812 with England brought about an increase of the army by congress, and directed that it should include 25 regiments of with the necessary officers; and 20 regiments of infantry in addition if needed, with 3 regiments of riflemen. The act of Feb. 8, 1815, organized the ordnance department; and that of March 3, 1815, fixed the peace establishment at not exceeding 10,000 men. In 1821 a still greater reduction was made; and when the Florida war broke out in 1834, the army comprised the staff, one regiment of dragoons, 4 regiments. of artillery, and 7 of infantry, commanded by a inalgen. and two brigadiers.
During the rebellion the number of men enrolled and equipped in the northern armies was 2,690,401, including re-enlistments. They were organized into the army of the Poto mac, army of the Tennessee, army of the Cumberland, and army of the Ohio; the last three being finally united into the military division of the Mississippi. These armies were raised under proclamation by the presideut—each state furnishing its quota, according to population; by voluntary enlistment; and by enforced draft. Regimental organiza tions, when formed, were mustered into the service of the United States, when they fell under the direction of the war department, and were assigned to brigades, divisions, corps, and armies, as required. All general and general staff officers received their commissions from the president; line officers being appointed before mustering into the U. S. service. Toward the close of the war the difficulty of obtaining volunteers so increased that large bounties were offered, in some cases amounting to as much as $1500 for one man. At the close of the war the volunteer army which was mustered out numbered about 1,100,000 men. The regular army was increased during the prog ress of the war from 18,000 men to 50,000; since the war it has been reduced to 25,000.
On Oct. 15, 1879, the army of the United States comprised 26,389 officers and enlisted men, divided as follows: