It was even expected that in this year the
radicals would lose Louisiana and Florida to the "white man's party."
The leaders of the best element of the Republicans, both North and
South, looked upon the reconstruction as one of the prime causes of
the moral breakdown of their party; they wanted no more of the Southern
issue but planned a forward-looking, constructive reform.

To some of the Republican leaders, however, among whom was James G.
Blame, it was clear that the Republican party, with its unsavory record
under Grant's Administration, could hardly go before the people with a
reform program. The only possible thing to do was to revive some Civil
War issue--"wave the bloody shirt" and fan the smoldering embers of
sectional feeling. Blame met with complete success in raising the
desired issue. In January 1876, when an amnesty measure was brought
before the House, he moved that Jefferson Davis be excepted on the
ground that he was responsible for the mistreatment of Union prisoners
during the war. Southern hot-bloods replied, and Blaine skillfully led
them on until they had foolishly furnished him with ample material for
campaign purposes. The feeling thus aroused was so strong that it even
galvanized into seeming life the dying interest in the wrongs of
the Negro. The rallying cry "Vote as you shot!" gave the Republicans
something to fight for; the party referred to its war record,
claimed credit for preserving the Union, emancipating the Negro,
and reconstructing the South, and demanded that the country be not
"surrendered to rebel rule."

Hayes and Tilden, the rival candidates for the presidency, were both
men of high character and of moderate views. Their nominations had
been forced by the better element of each party. Hayes, the Republican
candidate, had been a good soldier, was moderate in his views on
Southern questions, and had a clean political reputation. Tilden, his
opponent, had a good record as a party man and as a reformer, and his
party needed only to attack the past record of the Republicans. The
principal Democratic weakness lay in the fact that the party drew so
much of its strength from the white South and was therefore subjected to
criticism on Civil War issues.

The campaign was hotly contested and was conducted on a low plane. Even
Hayes soon saw that the "bloody shirt" issue was the main vote winner.
The whites of the three "unredeemed" Southern States nerved themselves
for the final strugg