Editing James A. Garfield (section)

===Floor leader; Hayes administration===

The Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in 1875 meant the loss of Garfield's chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, though the Democrats did put him on the Ways and Means Committee. With many of his leadership rivals defeated in the 1874 Democratic landslide, and Blaine elected to the Senate, Garfield was seen as the Republican [[floor leader]], and the likely Speaker, should the party regain control of the chamber.{{sfn|Rutkow|2006|pp=37–39}}

Garfield thought the [[Public Land Survey System#Railroad land grants|land grants]] given to expanding railroads was an unjust practice. He also opposed monopolistic practices by corporations, as well as the power sought by workers' unions.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|p=331}} He supported the proposed establishment of the [[United States civil service]] as a means of ridding officials of the annoyance of aggressive office seekers. He especially wished to eliminate the practice of forcing government workers, in exchange for their positions, to [[Kickback (bribery)|kick back]] a percentage of their wages as political contributions.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=335–338}}

As the [[1876 United States presidential election|1876 presidential election]] approached, Garfield was loyal to the candidacy of Senator Blaine, and fought for the former Speaker's nomination at the [[1876 Republican National Convention]] in Cincinnati. When it became clear, after six ballots, that Blaine could not prevail, the convention nominated Ohio Governor [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]. Although Garfield had supported Blaine, he had kept good relations with Hayes, and wholeheartedly supported the governor.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=398–400}} Garfield had hoped to retire from politics after his term expired to devote himself full-time to the practice of law, but to help his party, he sought re-election, and won it easily that October. Any celebration was short-lived, as Garfield's youngest son, Neddie, fell ill with [[whooping cough]] shortly after the congressional election, and soon died.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=401–405}}

[[File:Electoral Commission (United States).jpg|thumb|200px|upright=1.25|Garfield (second from right in the row of commissioners just below the gallery) served on the [[Electoral Commission (United States)|Electoral Commission]] that decided the disputed 1876 presidential election. Painting by [[Cornelia Adele Strong Fassett]].]]
When Hayes appeared to have lost the presidential election the following month to Democrat [[Samuel Tilden]], the Republicans launched efforts to reverse the results in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida, where they held the governorship. If Hayes won all three states, he would take the election by a single electoral vote. Grant asked Garfield to serve as a "neutral observer" of the recount in Louisiana. The observers soon recommended to the state electoral commissions that Hayes be declared the winner—Garfield recommended the entire vote of [[West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana|West Feliciana Parish]], which had given Tilden a sizable majority, be thrown out. The Republican governors of the three states certified that Hayes had won their states, to the outrage of Democrats, who had the state legislatures submit rival returns, and threatened to prevent the counting of the electoral vote—under the Constitution, Congress is the final arbiter of the election. Congress then established an [[Electoral Commission (United States)|Electoral Commission]], consisting of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, to determine the winner. Despite his objection to the Commission, Garfield was appointed to it. He felt Congress should count the vote and proclaim Hayes victorious. Hayes emerged the victor by a party line vote of 8–7.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elections.harpweek.com/Controversy.asp|publisher=Harpers Weekly|title=Hayes vs. Tilden: The Electoral College Controversy of 1876–1877|access-date=December 21, 2021|website=HarpWeek|archive-date=December 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221170539/https://elections.harpweek.com/Controversy.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> In exchange for recognizing Hayes as president, Southern Democrats secured the removal of federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction.{{sfnm|Caldwell|1965|1pp=251–261|Rutkow|2006|2p=40}}

Although an Ohio Senate seat would be vacated by the resignation of [[John Sherman]] to become Treasury Secretary, Hayes needed Garfield's expertise to protect him from the agenda of a hostile Congress, and asked him not to seek it. Garfield agreed. As Hayes's key legislator in the House, he gained considerable prestige and respect for his role there.{{sfn|Rutkow|2006|p=41}} When Congress debated the [[Bland–Allison Act]], to have the government purchase large quantities of silver and strike it into legal tender [[Morgan dollar|dollar coins]], Garfield opposed it as a deviation from the gold standard; it was enacted over Hayes's veto in February 1878.{{sfn|Caldwell|1965|p=261}}

In 1876, Garfield purchased the property in [[Mentor, Ohio|Mentor]] that reporters later dubbed [[James A. Garfield National Historic Site|Lawnfield]], where he conducted the first successful [[front porch campaign]] for the presidency.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|p=498}} Hayes suggested that Garfield run for governor in 1879, seeing that as a road likely to take Garfield to the White House. Garfield preferred to seek election as a U.S. senator. Rivals were spoken of for the seat, such as Secretary Sherman, but he had presidential ambitions (for which he sought Garfield's support), and other candidates fell by the wayside. The General Assembly elected Garfield to the Senate in January 1880, though his term was not scheduled to commence until March 4, 1881.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=442–447}}