Thursday, January 21, 2010

Rud Hayes, Laff Riot



Two good quotes from Rutherford B. Hayes:

On Salmon P. Chase:
Chase possessed noble gifts of intellect, great culture, and a noble presence. When this is said, all that is favorable has been said. He was cold, selfish, and unscrupulous.

On predictions by supporters that, if he ran for and won the Ohio governorship in 1875, he could be the Republican presidential nominee in 1876:
How wild! What a queer lot we are becoming! Nobody is out of the reach of that mania.

Did you know, by the way, that Hayes's friends called him "Rud"?

Both quotes (and "Rud") are from Michael F. Holt's excellent (so far!) book, By One Vote: The Disputed Presidential Election of 1876.

About the illustration:
A crude but charming comic send-up of 1876 Republican campaign strategy. Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden and an unidentified man stand fishing on the left bank of a river, their basket overflowing with their catch. On the opposite bank stand Rutherford B. Hayes and Republican incumbent Ulysses S. Grant, obviously less successful. Grant advises Hayes, "I guess that reform bait won't work this side. Better try an anti-Catholic worm." Since both the Democratic and Republican platforms in 1876 stressed reform, Hayes's campaign sought to stir up anti-Catholic prejudice against Tilden.

2 comments:

  1. Ha! I love the quote about Chase.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:02 AM

    Elektra, if you like Rutherford B. Hayes, you will love reading the correspondence between him and his friend Guy Bryan that was serialized in Southwestern History Quarterly in the 1890s. You can find it on their website starting with volume 25.

    You might be one of the only people I know who could appreciate how interesting the letters are! They cover a 50-year friendship and include Hayes' thoughts about the disputed election of 1876.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails