Not in Chicago, in the heat of June, but
at the ballot-boxes of the Republic, in the quiet of November,
after the silence of deliberate judgment, will this question
be settled."
Conkling, while exciting the admiration of all men for his
dexterity and ability, lost ground at every step. He made
a foolish attempt to compel the passage of a resolution depriving
of their rights to vote delegates who refused to pledge themselves
to support the choice of the convention whoever it might be.
His speech nominating Grant contained a sneer at Blaine. So,
while he held his forces together to the last, he made it
almost impossible for any man who differed from him in the
beginning to come to him at the end. On the contrary everything
that Garfield said was marked by good nature and good sense.
I said on the first day of the convention that in my opinion
if the delegates could be shut up by themselves and not permitted
to leave the room until they agreed, the man on whom they
would agree would be General Garfield. This desire became
more and more apparent as the convention went on.
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