this "crowd" was a genuine machine, constructed, unlike some of
its successors, from the center outward. But the "boss" of this
machine was not the President. It was controlled by a group of
leading Congressmen, who used their power for dictating
appointments and framing "desirable" legislation. Grant, in the
imagination of the people, symbolized the cause their sacrifices
had won; and thus his moral prestige became the cloak of the
political plotters.

A number of the ablest men in the Republican party, however,
stood aloof; and by 1876 a movement against the manipulators had
set in. Civil service reform had become a real issue. Hayes, the
"dark horse" who was nominated in that year, declared, in
accepting the nomination, that "reform should be thorough,
radical, and complete." He promised not to be a candidate for a
second term, thus avoiding the temptation, to which almost every
President has succumbed, of using the patronage to secure his
reelection. The party managers pretended not to hear these
promises. And when Hayes, after his inauguration, actually began
to put them into force, they set the whole machinery of the party
against the President. Matters came to a head when the President
issued an order commanding federal office-holders to refrain from
political activity. This order was generally defied, especially
in New York City in the post-office and customs rings. Two
notorious offenders, Cornell and Arthur, were dismissed from
office by the President. But the Senate, influenced by Roscoe
Conkling's power, refused to confirm the President's new
appointees; and under the Tenure of Office Act, which had been
passed to tie President Johnson's hands, the offenders remained
in office over a year. The fight disciplined the President and