House of Representatives was
also Republican. The majority was small, but it was large enough to
enable the party to organize the House. The Garfield administration
started out under very favorable auspices. How it ended will be told in
another chapter.

CHAPTER XXI

STORY OF THE MISUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN GARFIELD AND CONKLING

The Garfield Administration, as I have said, started out under most
favorable auspices. Mr. Conkling took an active part in the Senate as a
champion and spokesman of the administration. He seemed to have taken it
for granted, that,--although his bitter enemy, Mr. Blaine, was Secretary
of State,--his own influence with the administration would be potential.
In conversation with his personal friends he insisted that this was a
part of the agreement that had been entered into at the famous Mentor
Conference, about which so much had been said and published. If it were
true that Mr. Conkling's control of the Federal patronage in New York in
the event of Republican success was a part of that agreement, it
transpired that Mr. Blaine had sufficient influence with the President
to bring about its repudiation.

It is a fact well known that the President was anxious to avoid a break
with Senator Conkling. Judge W.H. Robertson, who was a candidate for the
Collectorship of the port of New York was strongly supported by Mr.
Blaine. Judge Robertson had been one of the influential leaders of the
Blaine movement in New York. It was he who had disregarded the action of
the State Convention in instructing the delegates to cast the vote of
the State as a unit for General Grant. In bolting the action of the
State Convention Judge Robertson carried about nineteen other delegates
with him over to Mr. Blaine. Therefore Mr. Blaine insisted upon the
appointment of Judge Robertson to the Collectorship of the port at New
York. Senator Conkling would not consent under any circumstances to this
appointment. Mr. Blaine, it appears, succeeded in convincing the
President that, but for Judge Robertson's action, his, Garfield's,
nomination would have been impossible and that consequently it would be
base ingratitude not to appoint Robertson to the position for which he
was an applicant. Mr. Blaine contended that the administration would not
only be guilty of ingratitude should it refuse to appoint his candidate,
but that it would thereby allow itself to be the medium through which
this man was to be punished for his ac