that Grant and Blaine would each have a very strong following in
the national convention, but that the contest between them might
lead to my nomination. After the state convention, it was generally
assumed that I would receive the united vote of the delegation in
conformity with the expression of opinion by the convention. During
this period a few leading men, whose names I do not care to mention,
made a combination of those unfriendly to me, and agreed to disregard
the preference declared by the state convention.

During the month of May the feeling in my favor increased, and many
of the leading papers in New York and in the eastern states advocated
my nomination as a compromise candidate.

At this time I was in constant communication with General Garfield,
by letters and also by interviews, as we were both in Washington.
On the 10th of May he wrote me:

"I think it will be a mistake for us to assume a division in the
Ohio delegation. We should meet and act as though we were of one
mind, until those delegates who are hostile to you refuse to act
with us, and if we fail to win them over, the separation will be
their act, not ours."

The national convention met June 2, 1880. It was called to order
in the Exposition Hall, Chicago, by Senator J. Donald Cameron, and
a temporary organization, with Senator George F. Hoar as president,
was soon perfected. An effort was made by the friends of General
Grant to adopt the unit rule, which would allow a majority of each
state to determine the vote of the entire delegation. This was
rejected.

Four days were occupied in perfecting the permanent organization,
and the nomination of candidates for President. During this time
a minority of nine of the delegation of Ohio announced their
determination to vote for Blaine. This was a fatal move for Blaine,
and undoubtedly led to his defeat. Nearly four-fifths of the
delegation were in favor of my nomination, in pursuance of the
express wishes of the Ohio convention, but they were all friendly
to Blaine, and whenever it should have become apparent that my
nomination was impracticable, the whole delegation could easily
have been carried for him without a division, and thus have secured
his nomination. The action of those nine delegates, who refused
to carry out the wishes of the state convention, prevented the
possibility of the vote of Ohio being cast for Mr. Blaine.

Long before the convention I had declared, in a publis