Editing James A. Garfield (section)

===Cabinet and inauguration===
[[File:President Garfield in reviewing stand, viewing inauguration ceremonies, March 4, 1881 LCCN00650941.tif|thumb|200px|President Garfield in reviewing stand, viewing inauguration ceremonies, on March 4, 1881]]
[[File:GARFIELD, James A-President (BEP engraved portrait).jpg|thumb|200px|Line engraving of Garfield, produced around 1902 by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as part of a presentation album of the first 26 presidents]]
Before his inauguration, Garfield was occupied with assembling a cabinet that might engender peace between the party's Conkling and Blaine factions. Blaine's delegates had provided much of the support for Garfield's nomination, so the Maine senator received the place of honor as Secretary of State.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=519–521}} Blaine was not only the president's closest advisor, but he was also obsessed with knowing all that took place in the White House, and allegedly posted spies there in his absence.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=554–555}} Garfield nominated [[William Windom (politician)|William Windom]] of Minnesota as Secretary of the Treasury, [[William H. Hunt]] of Louisiana as Secretary of the Navy, [[Robert Todd Lincoln]] as Secretary of War, and [[Samuel J. Kirkwood]] of Iowa as Secretary of the Interior. New York was represented by [[Thomas Lemuel James]] as Postmaster General. Garfield appointed Pennsylvania's [[Wayne MacVeagh]], an adversary of Blaine's, as [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]].{{sfn|Doenecke|1981|pp=33–36}} Blaine tried to sabotage the appointment by convincing Garfield to name an opponent of MacVeagh, [[William E. Chandler]], as [[United States Solicitor General|Solicitor General]] under MacVeagh. Only Chandler's rejection by the Senate forestalled MacVeagh's resignation over the matter.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=555–561}}

Because Garfield was distracted by cabinet maneuvering, his inaugural address was a "compendium of platitudes" and fell below expectations.{{sfn|Caldwell|1965|p=330}}{{sfn|Weisberger|2002|p=272}} At one high point, however, Garfield emphasized the civil rights of [[African-Americans]], saying "Freedom can never yield its fullness of blessings so long as the law or its administration places the smallest obstacle in the pathway of any virtuous citizen."{{sfn|Peskin|1978|pp=538–540}} After discussing the gold standard, the need for education, and an unexpected denunciation of [[Mormon polygamy]], the speech ended. The crowd applauded, but the speech, according to Peskin, "however sincerely intended, betrayed its hasty composition by the flatness of its tone and the conventionality of its subject matter."{{sfn|Peskin|1978|p=539}}

Garfield's appointment of James infuriated Conkling, a factional opponent of the Postmaster General, who demanded a compensatory appointment for his faction, such as the position of Secretary of the Treasury. The resulting squabble occupied much of Garfield's brief presidency. The feud with Conkling reached a climax when the president, at Blaine's instigation, nominated Conkling's enemy, Judge [[William H. Robertson]], to be Collector of the Port of New York. This was one of the prize patronage positions below cabinet level and was then held by [[Edwin Atkins Merritt|Edwin A. Merritt]]. Conkling raised the time-honored principle of [[senatorial courtesy]] in an attempt to defeat the nomination, to no avail. Garfield, who believed the practice was corrupt, would not back down and threatened to withdraw all nominations unless Robertson was confirmed, intending to "settle the question whether the president is registering clerk of the Senate or the Executive of the United States."{{sfn|Doenecke|1981|p=38}} Ultimately, Conkling and his New York colleague, Senator [[Thomas C. Platt]], resigned their Senate seats to seek vindication but found only further humiliation when the New York legislature elected others in their places. Robertson was confirmed as Collector and Garfield's victory was clear. To Blaine's chagrin, the victorious Garfield returned to his goal of balancing the interests of party factions and nominated a number of Conkling's Stalwart friends to offices.{{sfn|Peskin|1978|p=273}}

With his cabinet complete, Garfield had to contend with myriad office seekers. He exclaimed, "My God! What is there in this place that a man should ever get into it." Garfield's family happily settled into the White House, but he found presidential duties exasperating.{{sfn|Weisberger|2002|p=272}}