Editing Samuel J. Tilden (section)

===Democratic nomination===
[[File:Tilden and Hendricks campaign poster.jpg|thumb|Campaign poster for the election of 1876]]

By the time of the June [[1876 Democratic National Convention]], Tilden had emerged as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the [[1876 United States presidential election|1876 presidential election]].<ref>Morris (2003), pp. 106</ref> Tilden's appeal to the national party was based on his reputation for reform and his electoral success in the country's most populous state.<ref>Morris (2003), p. 106</ref> He was also a skilled organizer whose canvassing system and field knowledge were so thorough that, months before the 1874 election, he had predicted his own winning margin accurately to within 300 votes.<ref>Holt (2008), p. 100</ref> Tilden further bolstered his presidential candidacy through a nationwide newspaper advertising campaign.<ref>Morris (2003), p. 107</ref> As many Democrats expected that their party would win the presidency after four consecutive defeats, Tilden faced competition from some of the party's most prominent leaders, including [[Thomas F. Bayard]], [[Allen G. Thurman]], [[Thomas A. Hendricks]], and General [[Winfield Scott Hancock]].<ref>Morris (2003), pp. 106–107</ref>

During the difficult economic times of the [[Panic of 1873]], the major ideological divide in the Democratic Party concerned the issue of [[History of monetary policy in the United States|currency]].<ref name="Morris 2003, pp. 108-109">Morris (2003), pp. 108–109</ref> Many "soft money" Democrats wanted Congress to repeal the [[Specie Payment Resumption Act]] and authorize the printing of more [[greenback (money)|greenback]]s, [[banknotes]] that had first been printed during the Civil War.<ref name="Morris 2003, pp. 108-109"/> The printing of more greenbacks would result in [[inflation]] and potentially benefit farmers by raising prices and helping them pay down their debts.<ref name="Morris 2003, pp. 108-109"/> Like most Republicans and "hard money" members of the conservative business establishment, Tilden believed that the termination of greenback circulation (which would return the country to the [[gold standard]]) was the best way to solve the ongoing economic crisis.<ref name="Morris 2003, pp. 108-109"/> Tilden's lieutenants at the Democratic National Convention emphasized Tilden's reform credentials above all else, but they also ensured that the party platform endorsed Tilden's hard money views.<ref>Morris (2003), pp. 108–109, 112–114</ref>

Tilden won a majority of the votes cast on the first presidential ballot of the convention (404.5), but fell short of the two-thirds majority (492) required to win the Democratic presidential nomination.<ref name="DNC1876">{{cite book |last=Democratic National Convention |date=1876 |title=Official Proceedings of the National Democratic Convention |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LY7aESi0quEC&pg=PA147 |location=St. Louis, MO |publisher=Woodward, Tiernan & Hale |pages=144, 146, 158–159 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> His closest rival was Hendricks, who had the support of New York party boss [[John Kelly (New York politician)|John Kelly]] and the soft money faction of Democrats.<ref name="DNC1876"/> Tilden won the necessary two-thirds on the second presidential ballot, and the convention then voted to make his nomination unanimous.<ref name="DNC1876"/> Delegates unanimously chose Hendricks as Tilden's running mate, providing a balance between the hard money and soft money factions.<ref>Morris (2003), pp. 115–117</ref> Though the Republicans had nominated a ticket led by [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] of Ohio, another governor who had established a reputation for honest governance, Tilden was widely regarded as the favorite in the general election.<ref>Morris (2003), pp. 80–83, 122</ref>