Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2345]

At some point between the sixth and seventh ballots, the anti-Blaine and pro-reform groups decided to drop Bristow and Morton and to take their chances with the dim governor of Ohio. On the seventh ballot New York abandoned Conkling to support, for the most part, Blaine. Yet the final vote was Hayes, 384; Blaine, 351; Bristow, 21. The anti-Conkling New Yorker Wheeler was then selected as vice-presidential candidate. Roscoe Conkling is now as dead politically as his friend Ulysses S. Grant. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2345

Note

This passage effectively summarizes the outcome of a complex political process in just a few lines, showcasing the swift emotional shifts in support and referencing historical figures that evoke the reader’s understanding of the stakes involved. It captures the essence of political alliances and their fragility.