Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/155

 RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD HAYES 121 elected governor of Ohio. His administration was honest and economical, he was personally popular, and his renomination by the Democratic party in 1875 seemed to be a foregone conclusion. It was equally certain that the Democratic convention would declare itself in favor of a circulation of irredeemable paper money, and against the resump tion of specie payments. Under such circumstances the Republicans felt themselves compelled to put into the field against him the strongest available candidate they had, and a large majority of them turned at once to Gov. Hayes. But he had ex pressed himself in favor of Judge Taft, of Cincin nati, and urged the delegates from his county to vote for that gentleman, which they did. Notwith standing this, the convention nominated Hayes on the first ballot by an overwhelming majority. When he, at Fremont, received the telegraphic announcement of his nomination, he at once wrote a letter declining the honor; but upon the further information that Judge Taft s son, withdrawing the name of his father, had moved in the conven tion to make the nomination unanimous, he ac cepted. Thus he became the leader of the advo cates of a sound and stable currency in that memor able state canvass, the public discussions in which did so much to mould the sentiments of the people, especially in the western states, with regard to that important subject. The Democratic convention