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POLITICAL GROPING AND PARTY FLUCTUATION.
President Garfield's career was cut short so soon after his accession to office, that he had no opportunity of showing whether he had the will and the power to obtain action for the redress of public grievances, which the congressional factions were disposed to ignore.

His experience and his attainments were such as should have qualified him for the task, and in his public life he had shown firmness of character.

His courageous opposition to the greenback movement in Ohio had been of great service to the nation in maintaining the standard of value.

When a party convention in his district passed resolutions in favor of paying interest on the bonds with paper instead of coin, he gave a rare instance of political intrepidity by declaring that he would not accept the nomination on such a platform.