John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[442] these great scandals affected the reputation of hundreds of officials of the highest rank, including several members of the cabinet, it will be seen that they were entitled to all the attention they received, and justly became important factors in the presidential election which took place that year.

It will be recalled that Tilden and Hendricks were the candidates of the Democrats, while Hayes and Wheeler were the candidates of the Republicans. The contest was perhaps the sharpest one the country had ever gone through. The issues were again those which had been so largely framed by the independent press of the country, and were so briefly summed up by the Sun in its famous cry of “Turn the rascals out.” Most of the Southern States were still dominated by the carpet-bag governments, which were in turn upheld by the armed forces of the general government. But the white voters of the South were doing all they could to keep the colored men from the polls and prevent what they called negro domination. In this they were successful to a great extent, especially in Louisiana, which, on the face of the returns, had given a majority to Tilden and Hendricks, and which, if allowed to stand, made their election certain. But under the prompt and vigorous management of the National Executive Committee, the Republicans set up claims which, if sustained, would give to Hayes and Wheeler the vote of the State, together with those of South Carolina and Florida. The exciting discussion which followed throughout the United States, aided by the wide-spread apprehension that the question which had been raised could not be settled without a resort to violence, led to the organization of an Electoral Commission, to which they were referred for decision. This device, although unknown to the Constitution, received the sanction of both houses of Congress and of a number of leading Democrats, including, as many believe, Tilden himself; and the commission was composed