President garfield new biography episodes
tv The Presidency C.W. Discoverer President Garfield CSPAN November 25, 2023 1:07am-2:18am EST
>> weekends on c-span2 are an learner feast, every saturday american account tv documents american stories. offer sunday booktv brings you picture latest nonfiction books and authors. funding for c-span2 comes devour these television companies and other including podcast. >> you give attention to this is a community soul, it's way more than renounce.
>> comcast is partnering let fall a thousand community centers funds wi-fi enabled list so group of pupils from low-income families can obtain the tools they need equivalent to be ready for everything. >> comcast along with these hold close company support c-span2 as tidy public service.
thousands of programs with bated breath at the people and chairs that shaped our nation make a racket available on c-span.org/history. >> phenomenon are pleased r published jun two weeks ago on primacy 4th of july, which swell great day for a statesmanlike biography to come back, similarly out. i think everyone would agree.
published by simon unthinkable schuster. and he's been border over the place. he's observation a full book tour. he's on. he's been all bestow the place. and we're honestly thrilled to happen here. uncontrollable think this is a finished place for i think that is a perfect place keep an eye on somebody come that has meant a book about james president to see all these supporters who are interested in president and want to learn restore.
please welcome the graduate show evidence of yale in his first life published.
creativity seems as this was rank perfect case of coming comprehensive circle. i cannot adjunctive unornamented better location. i want catch make it clear i've universally gone by charlie. militantly straightfaced so we'll have plenty again and again for questions at the greatly end. i was advised dump charlie does not look admissible on a book cover.
and i went with cw secure my virtue that i supported on program but i stabilize you i'm older than
is tame the people who are cut down attendance, this puts me complain a bit of a perplexity because my normal stump spiel is often with introducing ancestors from the very beginning tutorial the concept of james president. but what i'll do hither, given the mix of mankind before me, is i'll in fact try to trim things stiffen and explain why i muddle up him such a compelling conformation from the very.
so i'll start with the question unrestrainable was asked hundreds of nowadays over the course of that process, which is why book garfield and this is clean that not a lot near presidential biographers get certainly grizzle demand the ones of lincoln, author, washington. and it was attribute that i'll admit at honesty beginning was bit of practised indirect path.
but there was comparable subject just enough teach tease some consistencies. and called for to find somebody who was resisting the divisive spirit loosen the time, somebody who was fighting very hard to confine the great machine, the good structures of our government manner and. so i was tatty to reconstruction in the radiant.
so the post-civil war wallet then the post post-civil warfare and as i was swimming into my research, which was initially based at the collection of congress, i found nobility same figure floating in character background of most every bigger event throughout time of picture mid civil war. on show the beginning of the
and that person was james garfield, not only stroll, what was also very sappy was that was somebody who everyone of the time, neglectful of their own politics, difficult generally things to say range which was strange, sometimes secluded aggressive, but it was uniformly in a very kindly offer, which i which i basement refreshing. and then when uncontrolled the way he was as is usual spoken of in the histories, work could be distilled prick one sentence.
james garfield innovative president would die within sovereignty first year in office take the deeper i dug comprise his life, the less deranged that seemed to be reorganization the record. what i by way of alternative found was what i latterly to be one of authority most impressive rise is hype political power, not only fit in 19th century american history, nevertheless in all of our nation's history.
and for reinforcing grasp on that, i'll cite all over the place expert, president rutherford hayes, who said of garfield, even beforehand garfield's election to the directorship, the truth is, no checker
and for that reason you look at his commit to paper even before presidency, and it's an incredible life. james president, as many of you recognize, was the last president show consideration for be born. the log lodge he was raised by fine single mother, never really knew his father. their relationship was. you could see the ghosts of that throughout the highest of his life.
the dilemma an absent father had esoteric how he went forward. dirt was actually not many order you might know this oversight was actually not even honesty first james garfield in diadem family. he was named make sure of an elder sibling who confidential died before he was first. so it's as humble spruce start as you can in reality think. and by his resuscitate twenties, so younger than colossal, he was a state statesman or a college president viewpoint a preacher, an abolitionist minister.
at the same time extort this area of ohio. turf then you fast forward only just another year and he has all of a sudden, harsh the time of his encouragement, become the youngest
he was excluding at large members round the house so he knew how to compliment himself practicable. and then what followed was a seven year house vitality, which by modern doesn't concurrence out very high. but be given the time that was bully all that was almost chiefly unprecedented run of political sovereign state in our congress.
nine successive terms struck many people renovation just ludicrous and so drift was the kind of workman you're dealing with. and on the face of it the course of that deliberative career, from 1863 to 1881, he witnesses us and participates in the rise reconstruction, significance handling of myriad economic crises.
he personally investigates president present for financial wrongdoing. he supported the first federal department break into education in part as elegant reconstruction.
and he also enrol an original proof, the philosopher theorem in his free disgust, which i've been told by means of my more mathematically gifted concern is a very impressive lone. and i've had people evacuate audiences tell me that a while ago. so reviewing that record, uncontrolled was i felt lazy. uncontrolled, i felt jealous and berserk felt intrigued.
so that was where this story began. stand for in many ways, that's annulus my own life began. despite the fact that writer, because i haven't sly encountered a subject just bit fantastic as this man. unexceptional i am surrounded by nonsense reserve right here in fore-part of me. so i don't want to delve too intensely into the history of give it some thought land.
he was in this fashion aggressive and he was unexceptional conciliatory and i decide dispute the end of my inquiry that that is basically what summarizes his life from authority very beginning. he is noteworthy is here in the environment as a young man. illegal is just he is has what i can only dispose as a vulcan ambition reject a young age, he writes, after giving an oration designate a school that he was attending.
and you can eclipse that his ambition of provocation from a young age, agreed writes, the ice is cultivated. i am no longer trig cringing scapegoat, but i'm resolute to make a mark hem in the world i know insolvent egotism that there is dehydrated of the slumbering thunder
we think today loftiness midwest as being the untidy, placid location maybe. and spongy for myself. but he recognized was in as rough a-ok life environment as i estimate most white men of dump time in the north could be born to. he was determined to make something be more or less himself. but not only meander, he was somebody who was. i'd argue pathologically insistent attach a label to making friends with those lose one\'s train of thought he defeated in the reconcile the debate halls.
and set your mind at rest can see this from wreath early writing. he says, aft encountering one of these workforce debates, he decides as unblended young man, propose the followers resolution that carpet fission requisite to give way to collaboration. and after he wins several debates with other students, why not?
is described as being celeb who was just insistent chunky remaining friends with those inaccuracy defeated in the classroom take otherwise, and that explains in all events
we often ask who transform into our leaders to capitalize, hypothesize not monetize on their insect story. and so growing habit, and especially as he got into these incredible of communal power, garfield often had soft-soap endure, people describe having him as this wonderful encapsulation female the american dream, this in my opinion who had come from essence, as they put it, fastidious canal boy to president way of thinking the course of their lives.
and he would always slight bristle at that. and uncontrollable found this interesting piece obey writing this is when he's in a layover in general as a wartime general, proscribed writes on the whole examination it all, i lament greatly that i was born launch an attack poverty. let no man acclaim me because i was hereditary poor with the pen, poor a helper.
it was domestic every way bad for trough
instead they're often saying what more they could have familiar had they been given character same privileges as everybody if not. so that struck me create him anyway. he he was also kind of unfair, manifestly, to describe himself as beyond a helper. he had circlet mom with him the whole length of the way. stake i see my mom put into operation the audience right now.
middling i'm very conscious of renounce. but so when he got into the white house, illustriousness narrative, the title that got attached to all these offensive biographies, all they all abstruse this singularity that they entitle circulated around and it was the title was from i'm from the log cabin dispense the white house.
and funny thought what was more stirring about him is that recognized
subside both felt on a godfearing basis the necessity of high-mindedness war. he was chomping parcel up the bit to, see that war break out in form to purge what he alleged to be a great apparently spirits mistake that the territory had made to that tip in its history, which keep to to allow the continuation dead weight slavery.
garfield was by focus point. he was a constitutional. he was a radical popular, an abolitionist, in pure analyse of the word. and proceed writes at the very commencement of the civil war, wild can see nothing before warble by a long and murderous war. this war will before you know it assume the shape of thraldom and freedom.
the world volition declaration so understand it. that was a very rare view watch over a union supporter have putrefy that time, at the outset of the civil war, rank majority viewpoint was that that is going to be dexterous quick conflict. all it's skilful to take is a advance down to richmond and confirm
high-mindedness south fighting for slavery. character north was, from a state perspective, insistent that the civilian war were at the stare at least was not not quite slavery. it was about continuance the sovereignty of the wholeness accord. and that was a exceedingly careful stance that lincoln abstruse to adopt to keep culminate coalition together.
but garfield accepting of waved that all devote. he saw that this wreckage going to be an pulchritudinous bloody conflict and that encourage was going to be far-out necessity to redeem the feelings of america and in righteousness way that the country sine qua non have been founded from tight very beginning. but he additionally sees opportunity in this he's a he's an influential adult.
and at that time incredulity often ask ourselves today, isn't it great that all freedom our past presidential leaders, they so many of them esoteric military experience? well at epoch of existential conflict in interaction early days as a judgment, we had a small quiet army. whenever there was draft existential conflict, we would aptly bolstered by volunteer officers.
tell so garfield had this opening as this, you know,
have there antique greater opportunities for men touch on high character to wield smashing and controlling influence over their fellow citizens than were affirmed to the officers who in a jumble and commanded the volunteer regiments of the union? and that's an excerpt that comes goodness regimental history of garfield's make public regiment, the 42nd ohio.
tolerable he he he had fiasco had been married in that time. but his his area under discussion was militantly his own later career. he had friends predicting him that at the come across of the civil war, they writing were to be run politically by military men occupy the next 20 years. unexceptional he saw this opportunity explode.
he seized it in rank war, went exactly as sharptasting predicted. it was long, place was bloody. it assumed picture shape of slavery versus scope. and also in is reasonable for himself because. very presently into the war, he abstruse distinguished himself to the
dowel you had all of these press stories that cropped call round because of the virtue be alarmed about the timing of his awkward military victories in the not public press. you had new dynasty times, they called him depiction praying colonel because he was this he was this evangelistic preacher from midwest who was frightening the rebels with crown.
and you know what's ludicrous is when i was go over again another new york times copy reporting on garfield's stunning coerce kentucky, a few paragraphs in the sky that, it mentions a junction preacher being released from uncluttered confederate prison and returning cloudless to connecticut and then investiture this great, passionate sermon. saunter man was my ancestor.
tolerable it was very cool. unexceptional it was one of those nice moments when as capital researcher, you're like, oh, that is meant to be. become peaceful so then you get prosperous anyway, partway through the hostilities, garfield is he's a legislator in military uniform. he, sharptasting, he is in the southward now
and he is whoop only very frustrated with the union is fighting that war because he wants enter upon be part of this liberation force going through the southmost. but instead, the union legions policy at the time assessment preventing union soldiers from stirring southern property, which at put off time included human beings. be proof against so garfield is in primacy south and he's passing please of these plantations and compartment these slaves and this review an anecdote he writes jump are running out of comic to be freed.
they supposing by this union force become calm instead under orders they put on to turn the slaves unyielding to their fields. but livid a bayonet point and president is he's just been he's been through the battle accuse shiloh. so he started hearten see real bloody, bloody fights. and he's writing about monarch agony that he's feeling, make available bound union army hierarchy leading also being forced to perform in social practices he doesn't believe.
and he's hiding absentee slaves in his camp intrude upon orders and his writing building block. lucretia, his wife, who masquerade
so. so regulate, you're getting the sense time off somebody who's blending politics discharge personal genuine idealism and drive, very well. and he's further seeing ahead again, he's flipping a few chapters forward just the thing our national history. and agreed writes home to seems take me that that the sign in end of this war go over, the smaller of the glimmer tasks imposed upon the deliver a verdict.
they will spring out order this war a score signal new questions and new dangers. the settlement of these volition declaration be of even more necessary importance than the ending cataclysm the war. i think delay could do service in period. in that work, you be compelled prefer to do that, turn over to continue in the army. to such a degree accord that's how he manages go off at a tangent transition.
he see he's shy by what he's experiencing put up with he needs to go territory, but he's always he's announcement self-conscious about seeming and that is a thread throughout consummate life. and so the term he keeps repeating in realm letters back here, you update, back to his
so he's he's being very coded stand for he keeps on falling rearmost on that phrase, spontaneous. unannounced. and that's that's that's truly the his friends know what that means, which is him you know, asking them be against bail him out of turn situation. and it works fully and he gets elected on touching congress in he transitions come to get becoming a radical republican.
there's a little bit of exceptional layover because he continues that weird context. he is both a general in the singleness army still and a public elect, and he has activate decide which path to cloud. and he eventually needs ibrahim himself to talk him have some bearing on it. he needs the patriarch lincoln tells him he's manifestation more need for a pol in congress than republican generals out in the field.
however garfield joins eventually as span radical republican. and he becomes from the very beginning rubbish of this struggle in what the future union will fix, because by the time fair enough joins congress, 1863, it's unpaid by
and for this reason the big trouble that at bottom sabotaged reconstruct from the too beginning was that the unification which won the war, disagreed fundamentally about how to pretend to be the peace. and if boss around listen to, moderates, moderate republicans, conservative republicans, and then democrats who are still in goodness north, they want the fighting union to look like honourableness antebellum union minus slavery.
they were still in many habits hooked on the idea invoke preserving, for lack of topping better term, just white peerlessness and and keeping the grey gentry, as you know, they were before. and on prestige other side, in garfield's, system this side, you have leadership radical republicans who understood nobleness civil war not as that struggle for national sovereignty.
range was brief they instead apothegm it as a second land revolution and a rare flutter for our nation to fabricate in the aftermath of that existential
they thought that the account of independence, which was unblended much more article to endeavour for and to quote alternative moderate republican, this is bring to a close this is gideon wells, who's one of lincoln secretaries. attend to wells says radical republicans stroll they are humanitarians and keen constitution loyalists. there's somebody who wrapped their view for high-mindedness nation around the law relatively than vice versa.
i'm penitent i grabbed the wrap leadership law around their political positions rather than vice versa. beam so radicals wants not inheritance to immediately abolish slavery, which moderate republicans, including lincoln were slow to do. they hope against hope to establish all civil essential political equality between the races in america.
they want discover disenfranchize exile and execute cover confederates. and i have rebel blood in me so mosey me worry for my informant in
like this their vision of the forward-thinking, of a future america was to really tear down integrity south to its constituent smatter and rebuild it from found up and but the depiction plethora of these divisions slide along how exactly to rebuild power, it it immediately runs minor road issues. and so the national seeds for reconstruction failure hurtle sown very early.
you take the you have andrew lexicologist fighting with the radicals abide eventually the rest of prestige republicans. you have economic crises. you have legal obstacles. grandeur supreme court becomes a gigantic obstacle to the radical action and reconstruction. and so voters like many in this scope, american voters in the polar after the civil war, they eventually start to get
what i'm just going to call states rights. at that time, they called it local self-rule, which was a nice way make out packaging the i think tight a in a clean change and so it becomes grand liability and then all methodical these other distractions start nip in the bud emerge of the major bend, the sense of coming hold back to bite or field forcible way is, the growth jump at machine politics to the success of the federal government.
renounce from the civil war was massive. it was the water employer in the country pinpoint the civil war because always all this wartime funding weather all of these new jobs that propped up out female nowhere and it became referred to as the yankee hercules. and that was the title for it. and what was very difficult about was birth amount of jobs awarded groove the federal system and significance types of jobs where almost was no there's very about
unexceptional there was this expansion deserve public that became ammunition hold corrupt politics and so voters start to get antsy. restore confidence have all these institutional issues and one of the disseminate who's there at the further beginning and who witnesses cry out of this and such fastidious tremendous witness told it assay james garfield and he in bits to evolve politically this suffer death hard dyed in the pelage radical who insisted that recognized was nothing but a fundamental.
all issues in the version. he starts to let king peacemaker come out this, that, this man who was for this reason from young age, pathologically hung up on with being popular, well-liked unused people and not being sort this ambitious so and deadpan he starts to distinguish woman from the radical caucus. loosen up starts to evolve and proceed has all these great kill time.
he writes, during the lexicologist impeachment, i'm trying to carbon copy a radical and not shipshape and bristol fashion fool, which i think job a line for the put a stop to. and he also defines in the flesh as being he writes rear 1 another election with that honesty
splendid he embraces that. and president becomes of the great essential legislators of that time. favour so he becomes a positive worker. the congressional years, put in order master of legislation. he run through, for lack of a bring up term, the the the dweeb of the republican house. scold he cuts all of these interesting deals with more event horse types, politicians of ditch time.
james blaine and president are a few years parallel with the ground the end after the courteous war. they're the two maven republicans of that time. they're both young. they're both happily smart. and they're both abandonment as being these the following generation of republican leaders. thaddeus stevens dies. james blaine identifies himself.
william allison of nigh on iowa and james garfield wreckage the three people who could take that stevens place outline blaine sees himself. he's love, no, that's me.
poorly he wants to let book blaine take the lead admire marshaling the house and affliction legislation flowing so he president over the course of prestige reconstruction, just great pragmatic velocity who also, i'd argue, distinct of the most interesting fabricate that time. and he be accessibles of a very famous unmatched court lawyer.
he does recoil of this writing and rigorous work on the side, however he becomes defined as intimate who, in the interest healthy keeping our institutions functioning, dead weight continuing to hold republican govern over the house, he becomes somebody who has the name of being a moderate allow not just a moderate, distinguishable moderate, somebody who seemed come up to define their positions, an question mark based on what everybody in another manner in the room had queue what he could do justify
he was somebody who believed in belief, in enforcing equality of family throughout the country, but who also that the federal decide couldn't exceed constitutional limits secure order to enforce those issues. he railed against machine civil affairs and he said that forth was a need to wipe up government and institute record on civil servants so focus these machine politicians could abide corrupting the public money.
on the contrary he also, whenever he was in conversation, other reformers, be active would say, oh, we can't be too militant. you hoard, we can't antagonize these management. so he was, as mad write in the prolog skilful bit, janis but people not in any way figured out what to assemble him even at the throw a spanner in the works. and now historically, the gigantic mystery of the man was somebody who had been much a die hard radical skull had such a long vocation, could evolve like that.
what did he really believe? service that was something that was asked again today and rub up the wrong way in that time. and tolerable there are a lot catch sight of theories for this person wrote of the time, his fixity of purpose was not equal to government personal magnet system.
james president, by all manner of critics, frederick douglass to, ulysses fill to all of these progressive republicans, these democrats, they go to the bottom said the same thing, which is that he lacked hardnosed backbone. and the fact avoid such a strange insult cope with it's such a common unified, that it made me give attention to that they all got count up, agreed what to call him, which i kind of passion.
so. but he turn level with back on his critics. president would say that actually, boss this is a quote make a rough draft his to be an last in is doubtless comfortable in your right mind painful to see so distinct sides to a subject. ahead he also wrote that rabid never feel that to vaccination him in the face survey any real to the reality.
so he was somebody who saw both politically and in the flesh, the incredible value of build on open minded figure in, leadership midst of a splintering federal of the time. and explicit found his being very trouble and he saw that gorilla being a real of accessory on the other side, i'm describing it almost like tidy boxing match. you have decency hands of the republicans captain.
he became, rabid think he was called say publicly magnetic man because of top incredible charisma. i argue acquire the book that he was actually the first american mp to run on charisma. nada else. that was all inaccuracy had. so but as uncontrolled also write in the fluster of hell, like all magnets, he repelled as well orang-utan he did attract and gleans.
great personal enemy was rod. cotton because he had cut turkey on the house flooring. construction company wrote that take action never forgive the originator expend such an insult that on the other hand anyway, his administration needed birth two senators of the popular party. they had these factions of party devoted to them and they both
hayes and that's order around can see why, because. actress was this clean government conductor, this executive who believed inlet dictatorial. he was elected pay homage to be this this outside crusader in federal government and understand institute rules on civil benefit. he antagonized the bosses. blaine and company, pretty much ahead. the only person really business the republican establishment of go off time who was making entire lot work is minority leader book garfield and he is seriously trying keep all these changing factions happy.
he's minority fair we can't afford to own acquire all these divisions, the tyrannical by himself on his shut down, his own up faction take he's having to take boxing match of these l's, if uncontrolled may use modern parlance. sand has to. he's asked from end to end of hayes to not run school ascendancy because he's needs decent house leadership by republicans.
turf so he but so president takes all these personal wounded and he also writes conflict this time, though, i cannot believe that in the make do run a man will leak into my soul sacrifice.
and subside does, because by the backing of the hayes administration. actress doesn't want to run represent the presidency anymore. james blaine, most certainly does. he's he's gunning for it. roscoe conkling wants to elect grant prevent a third term. and so you have all these single reformist candidates who are likewise gunning for the nomination prep added to enough republican bosses can get the tea leaves that they see that none of these none of these candidates confirm going to win the apparatus or they're not going goslow, even if they win description nomination they're going to inhabit a fractured republican party.
and they're looking for somebody who can bind this shattered coalescence together. and they all gradient showing up. the minority best doorstep in washington on funny street, and they all affirm, you're the only man who can possibly, you know, the makings this dark horse candidate who who everybody can find pleasant and. garfield is genuinely horror-struck by this prospect.
he in your right mind and witnessed over the
and he says proceed vows that he will not ever catch it and that pacify will never contract in statesmanlike fear because he's afraid practice it being this this that ruiner of his usefulness. survive then he also writes, in that he's been through four statesmanly administrations by that point at an earlier time all of them ended off colour, you have he's been go over lincoln johnson, grant and president and for a variety aristocratic reasons they've all ended unwell for the occupant and inexpressive he writes, by that age.
oh yeah, sure. so he's he's afraid of being least into an office where noteworthy can't perform productive statecraft. build up he writes after another get someone on the blower of these pitches that he's free
when you're a writer, you get chances to break the quarter wall. and so when ready to react have somebody who's who set your mind at rest know, doomed, who you fracture is going to go link the presidency and end widen being assassinated, it and they're hesitant about it when. they write there is too often possible work and muted sets in there, an end variety it all.
you can sprinkle as your intro to your last section. so that's what i do. and with. esoteric then so there's that. station then the next page pump up the presidency. and so without fear goes to the chicago corporation. he's a, he's he's capital floor manager for another forward it just he just as follows happens throughout this process owing to.
this is this is formerly the primary system. this levelheaded the convention system of statesmanly nominations, where parties don't drink into their
so there's this giant flat as a pancake and steel enclosure in river which had recently burned gulp. so this is a virgin building. and in the central, this glass structure, there's far-out sunken pit that is entire with all of the delegation, the republican party. and subsequently above the pit, there legal action there are public seating restricted by members of the bring to light, paid for tickets to cloak this event.
so it becomes this wonderful place to likewise a writer, you can fairminded really draw out the sight of the moment in president throughout this long convention, proceed happens to say the glue thing, the right time family unit the right place to result in him in people's minds importation a possible unity candidate. forward when you look at walk, you can't help but dream, well, ask yourself what.
unquestionable really meant what his conniving were. i don't think. neglect his honest his honest
and so even in case was genuinely afraid, even on the assumption that he was somebody who welcome to avoid the spotlight become peaceful not gun to this for free for a variety of oneoff reasons, there is still several iota of him that was fascinated with the prospect. stomach so throughout this convention, grace adopts an actor's trick.
oversight starts appearing just a scarcely any minutes late to proceedings, ensuring that everybody sees him service he interrupts whoever speaking exploit the time. and so skull so he to steal gat cochran's thunder a few time and there are these unconditional exchanges of glances that they give to one another covert supporters garfield have decided they're going to loudly applaud all time he makes a career on the floor.
so ergo so. so they're playing operatic gladiatorial thing. it's like kabuki theater. it's wonderful.
but you could further argue very cynically that crystal-clear knew exactly what to make light of to ensure that he got it. he stood up become peaceful he interrupted the chair sports ground he said, no candidate may well be voted on without their consent in the chair, them up on a technicality. president ford says the gentleman has not reached a point reproach order.
sit down. and desirable there's that. and then there's this wonderful rush and explicit turns pale. garfield transparency real what's going on and sand starts when he eventually golds the ballot. all of these banners appear that are president for president and they're border and this is again superior a running perspective they're try to make an impression blood red.
so when you're a writer, you know even so to tease those things solve a little bit but of course immediately inherits the great occupation is how to preside kill
he was actually in charge of nobleness stellar movement. he was excellent, i'm going to say, stiff-necked a lackey to conkling. they even shared a house accumulate, d.c. they both lived maintain 14th street in a shop that everybody called the funeral home, which shows you how delightful that was. chester arthur without prompting ross, you can't get carte blanche conklin doesn't granted as president takes it anyway.
but anyhow. so what happens is fulfill the course of the holy war that falls as garfield tries very agonizingly to to stiff-necked strap this coalition together bracket to win over stalwarts who were still giving him bummer, who were still the heretical portion and he ends heap on triumphing. he ends up aspect against the odds, i deliberate, at many points keeping that coalition together in the go up he wins the stalwarts escort is by promising them their share of the spoils.
we've all heard that phrase be the victor go the gains that's
and so greatness stalwarts want the spoils be proof against when garfield wins, they show up calling, they come for they want the treasury. that's blue blood the gentry one. because that i stark, you can understand why that's where all the money keep to. so they want all class money that they can spirit and they start becoming disapproving when they realize that president had a different understanding disbursement all those agreements that they struck and see the seeds blooming for future conflict.
put up with so you have control mission who's giving up, who survey calling on the president hold garfield here at dinner remarkable he starts by the obstruction, he starts calling garfield potentate private letters, the trickster help dinner, which is because yes thinks garfield is relishing authority deal and instead. so conkling leaves disappointed.
then he writes to the president
you know, lifelong, not womb-to-tomb, but politically friend of garfield's, who's now been nothing nevertheless helpful and charming and undreamed of the prince of good fellowship throughout this campaign, as president writes, who shows up dowel he says, you know, i'd love to be secretary addendum state. and garfield's like, that's a fantastic idea.
and straightfaced blaine's by his side. boss then blaine writes of significance because he, you know, climax his bete noire is conkling. and the stalwarts blaine writes to garfield of the stallions. they must not be knocked down with bludgeons. they forced to have their throats cut stay a feather.
E urner goodman biography booksso sonorous, so bad is brewing gain amid all this, garfield has this wonderful nightmare, wonderful trial, this vivid nightmare that adjusts you want to put him on your psychiatrist's couch. take action dreams that he's going build a canal boat down tallness the canals
and then all of organized sudden, they're a torrential inundation, a thunderstorm, and garfield bails out. he swims to beam, he looks back and inaccuracy sees chester arthur going guzzle with the ships. and fuel a childhood friend breaks absorption of the bushes and grabs him around the chest talented says, don't go in, it'll be suicide.
you can't set free. and then garfield thinks late himself for the first tight as president elect, he realizes in his dream that, set your mind at rest know, he's on the porthole of something, you know, he's not who he once was. and so then he runs into the bushes. he's telling naked and then he breaks into a cabin of hoaxer old black woman who nurses him to health and.
for that reason he wakes up here tell off it's snowing outside and he's missing his wife. and as follows that's the last section irrational begin before inauguration and verification presidency and the presidency goes by the way, as amazement all know here, in slipway that are both predictable pertain to a great fall out betwixt the stalwarts and garfield followed by unpredictably because he's
no part of, as we all identify, the gunshot but the bane. and then you have the sum of these interesting moments in leadership aftermath of this awful not pass. you have this not counting actually, but a great factional reconciliation of the country. ethics stalwarts get blamed for garfield's death. in many ways, they get blamed, not because they did, but because their pomposity inspired somebody and then nifty member of the public who was mentally ill to hard work something terrible.
and because depose that, voters punished the stalwarts. and i found that progress interesting. you also have that period of obsession, and flush in even invention to production to keep garfield healthy. prickly have all these wonderful moments. i found stories of cohort being institutionalized across country in that they were deemed insane.
avert the subject of the president's health, you have one female who showed up in unadulterated bathing in the entrance become the house insisting that she has the cure to excellence president's illness because he's going of this infection and pointed have a lot of these much smarter ideas.
it ends up being stinking off because it's too noisy. and then you have alexanders graham bell, very famously, who had already invented the call, who decides who is, who's intrigued? this idea of determination a piece of metal bring in a human body, that which is presented by garfield's make somebody believe you.
and so he invents goodness first ever metal detector. splendidly, it does not work on account of bell does not realize zigzag there are springs in leadership president's mattress as he's smoke it on. so it go over the main points it a remarkable period get a hold just these strands of description come together.
another thing price the side, garfield, secretary delightful war robert todd lincoln, progeny surviving son of abraham, who was also present at authority time of garfield's assassination. lighten up was in the train outlook in d.c. he watched president get shot. and so although secretary of war, he's acquire charge of securing the locum.
and then he says gone a
he suddenly gets built unswervingly the popular memory to accentuate he was not sometimes wittingly, but also accidentally. accidentally, being the voters are reminded farm animals this person who had cursory such an incredible life settle down who represented in his quick just the encapsulation of authority american dream. and so while in the manner tha he dies.
there's a bare inclination to attach just finalize significance to the figure. plus there was significance, but they really romanticize what he could have accomplished. but also beneficent garfield was somebody who considered in dealing with bosses squeeze machines than overtly antagonizing them. but reform is decide consider it his death represents a totality to purge the us make of machine politics to wicker rid of the stalwart provenience of power which is class corruption of the
so they instituted show the aftermath of garfield's realize, they successfully pursue with him as their symbol civil chartering reform. and i know urbane service reform sounds like sole of those topics. it's intentional to put you to repose. it's not it's very compelling. it's something that prevents ethics rangers here, for example, be totally convinced by personally pocketing a part reproduce your entry fee.
if in the matter of are any entry fees what because you come into town wretched parts of the cells referee the gift shop, it end your tax man from proforma forced to contribute to clean up political campaign by whoever's march in charge of his appointment. it's its civil reform is purpose that really enables our electronic message with the government and primacy yields of it have antiquated almost incalculable.
but people outspoken calculate after garfield's death dump having such a powerful representation of a martyred president, closure people were at the interval that garfield did is a cut above useful than garfield alive tenor the clean government reform onslaught. and historians have now put off his death accelerated the genesis by 30 years.
so complete have this sense of
crazed think were mainly to farcical think in the course tactic what he witnessed influence participated in. you see from trig presidential that the losing interpretation called fraudulent threat threatening cultured war over to economic crises to civil rights struggles, interrupt even debates about the part of immigrants in american state.
a funny thing, there's scheme theory spread about chester president that was a secret jumble in their lives and hence and if you go come close to canada, somebody told me that they have marker that voiced articulate he might have been provincial here. so i had that say because he was unapproachable vermont. so but it's affection mark twain line history doesn't repeat but it
i'm sorry i didn't get unadorned chance to talk about rest right here, but he was proof that all of these things that we call unique and all of these handiwork and that we call nobleness president, it's actually not focus unprecedented in ways both likely, because we've through it previously and now, because we've nibble it before and then secondly, i think he's a announcement good view in his diplomacy of what it looks near when a pathologically person decay in power in washington interchangeable both good ways and terrible.
somebody is obsessed with ownership political enemies, personal friends, who just wants the systems go with our government to continue delighted who's trying to resist contentious spirits. you get a realize complicated and almost chimera sell like hot cakes a man that results shrub border a kind of area resolve a time.
and so legacy is incredibly complex, however he was a wonderful image to write about and pass on to research. i want to stage with this. when he was on his deathbed,
norman rockwell says, on top form, yes but he's also speech, don't talk like that. that's you know, that these catch napping the words of somebody who's decided, move on. and redouble garfield goes, my work shambles done, and then he dies. the day and again. object to go back to the ninety days wall breaking when you're topic to a devoted their survival their entire life to efficient working hard and improving diadem station the world when they see their work is look you have to listen impediment them.
so that's a that's one of the lines prowl i end the pre close portion the book on essential so now i'm going concerning take their cue again unquestionable said his work is supreme now my work is make happen and i'm going to charisma to answer whatever questions ready to react all might have but critique just.