The compromise of 1877
An election map with conflicted states in yellow.
The conflicted returns from the Election of 1876 were to be the cause of great controversy in the Compromise of 1877.
trinityhistory.org
Governor Hayes protested, and argued that there be a recount with the states in question. He believed that fraud had swayed the vote in the states of Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon. His request was initially refused, so he asked Congress to intervene. The House of Representatives tried to allow Hayes to become president, but the Democrat controlled Senate held their motions in check. Congress was unable to come to a definite decision.
"On January 10, 1877, Edmunds and McCrary, chief Republicans on the Senate and
House special committees, respectively, proposed the creation of a commission
independent of Congress for final adjudication of the disputed electoral
returns. It was an orderly, multi-institutional, bipartisan solution.The Electoral
Commission bill would establish a 15-member commission, consisting of five
senators (three Republicans and two Democrats), five representatives (three Democrats and two Republicans), and five members of the Supreme Court (four chosen based on geographic diversity, who would then select a fifth).The commission’s decisions were to be legally regarded as final unless overridden by both houses of Congress."
- Harper's Weekly
"The justices included two Democrats, two Republicans,
and Justice David Davis, who was considered to be independent. But before the
commission could render a decision, Democrats in the Illinois legislature,
under pressure from a nephew of Samuel Tilden, elected Davis to the U.S.
Senate, in hopes that this would encourage Davis to support the Democrats.
Instead, Davis recused himself and was replaced by Justice Joseph Bradley.
Bradley was a Republican, but he was considered one of the court's least
political members. In the end, however, he voted with the Republicans." - digitalhistory.uh.edu
.
"On January 10, 1877, Edmunds and McCrary, chief Republicans on the Senate and
House special committees, respectively, proposed the creation of a commission
independent of Congress for final adjudication of the disputed electoral
returns. It was an orderly, multi-institutional, bipartisan solution.The Electoral
Commission bill would establish a 15-member commission, consisting of five
senators (three Republicans and two Democrats), five representatives (three Democrats and two Republicans), and five members of the Supreme Court (four chosen based on geographic diversity, who would then select a fifth).The commission’s decisions were to be legally regarded as final unless overridden by both houses of Congress."
- Harper's Weekly
"The justices included two Democrats, two Republicans,
and Justice David Davis, who was considered to be independent. But before the
commission could render a decision, Democrats in the Illinois legislature,
under pressure from a nephew of Samuel Tilden, elected Davis to the U.S.
Senate, in hopes that this would encourage Davis to support the Democrats.
Instead, Davis recused himself and was replaced by Justice Joseph Bradley.
Bradley was a Republican, but he was considered one of the court's least
political members. In the end, however, he voted with the Republicans." - digitalhistory.uh.edu
.
encore-editions.com
nndb.org
Simply put, Southerners wanted the remaining federal troops pulled out of the
south, something that had been completed except in Louisiana, South Carolina,
and Florida. Hayes agreed to remove the remaining troops from the south, thus
ending reconstruction and returning the south to its native sons. Southern
Democrats also wanted control of a cabinet position. Hayes’s representatives
agreed to make Democrat David Key, a U.S. Senator from Tennessee, the Postmaster
General, the cabinet position controlling the largest haul of federal patronage.
Southern railroad interests also wanted support for the construction of a
southern transcontinental railroad, a proposal considerably energized in these
meetings. The climax of these negotiations took place at the Wormley Hotel in
Washington, D.C., about a week prior to the scheduled inauguration. There,
representatives of Hayes agreed with a group of southern Democrats to the
proposals that had been the subject of conversations over the past several
months. - Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Richard Glenn in their article "The Compromise of 1877".
During these negotiations, the Congressional Committee was checking whether Hayes' Republican results from the Southern states were genuine. They determined that they were, and on March 2, just two days before the customary swearing-in day, the Committee voted for Hayes by a score of 8 to 7. On March 4, Hayes was sworn in as the 19th President.
"The Agony Over! Hayes Elected President." - Headline of the National Republican (Washington City, D.C.), March 2,
1877.
"Who Made Hayes President. The Fraud in a Nut-shell." - The Title of an Article in the Richland Shield and Banner, March 31st, 1877.
Library of Congress
fahg.org
Chief Justice William Rehnquist in a discussion with C-SPAN on his book "Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876". He explains why it was necessary to make a compromise. - " There were threats of violence.... these Southern Democrats in Congress had been through one civil war and didn't want another civil war... So they made overtures to Hayes' people and Hayes' people made overtures to them..."
Artifacts from the State of Louisiana's electoral certificates - From the Library of Congress
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millercenter.org