Memoirs of an editor : fifty years of American journalism / Edward P. Mitchell.

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MEMOIRS OF AN EDITOR

were annihilated by Conkling's third-term movement for
Grant. Appomattox and its famous appletree did the
job. Garfield and Arthur went in turn to the White
House and the Stalwart-Half Breed war was on, fierce
within the party. Again in 1884, when Blaine received the
nomination and led a campaign of unparalleled enthusiasm among his sincere partisans, he was defeated by the
turn of just 525 votes in the great State where Conkling
was the Republican magnate. These facts are among the
desiccated common properties of political history; it is
one of the commonplaces of political history to say that
the personal hostility existing for almost a quarter of a
century between Conkling and Blaine kept one or the
other and perhaps both of these able statesmen and brilliant leaders out of the Presidency.
Not so well remembered is the inconspicuous starting
point of it all. In the House of Representatives in 1866
Roscoe Conkling moved to strike out from a military
reorganization bill a section continuing the office held
during the war by Provost Marshal General James B.
Fry and giving him permanent rank as brigadier-general.
In framing this provision the Committee on Military
Affairs had acted upon a recommendation from Lieutenant-General Grant, who designated Fry as the man
best fitted by his war experience for the post.
On the floor of the House Mr. Conkling attacked Fry
with violence, discrediting his integrity, accusing him of
having protected rascals in his bureau who were his
favorites and friends, and disclosing altogether an animus
which there was little attempt to conceal. Mr. Blaine,
at the moment a sick man, defended Fry both as a friend
and as a member of the committee reporting the bill.

He caused to be read and incorporated in the record a
retaliatory letter from Fry. In substance, the provost
marshal general charged that Conkling's course was determined by previous unfriendly relations with himself