Mr.Blaine contended that the administration would not only be guilty of ingratitude should it refuse to appoint his candidate, but that it would thereby allow itself to be the medium through which this man was to be punished for his action in making the existence of the administration possible.
"Can you, Mr.President, afford to do such a thing as this ?" asked Mr.
Blaine.
To which the President gave a negative answer.

Perhaps it did not occur to Mr.Blaine at that time that, while the action of Judge Robertson may have made the nomination of Mr.Garfield possible, the subsequent action of Senator Conkling made his election possible.

But, notwithstanding this, the President decided that Judge Robertson should have the office for which he was an applicant.
As previously stated, however, the President was anxious to avoid a break with Senator Conkling.

To get the Senator to consent to the appointment of Judge Robertson was the task the President had before him.

With that end in view the President invited Mr.Conkling to a private conference, at which he expressed a willingness to allow the New York Senator to name every important Federal officer in New York except the Collector of the Port, if he would consent to the appointment of Judge Robertson to that office.