That he had made splendid progress along those lines cannot be denied.  The announced southern policy of the Hayes administration not only completed the destruction of what had been thus accomplished, but it made any further progress in that direction absolutely impossible.  The selection of ex-Senator Key was, however, not the only Cabinet appointment which clearly indicated the southern policy of the administration.  There were two others,—­those of William M. Evarts and Carl Schurz.  Those men had been prominent in their bitter opposition to the southern policy of President Grant.  Mr. Schurz had been one of the leaders in the Greeley movement against President Grant and the Republican party in 1872, while Mr. Evarts was later the principal speaker at a public indignation meeting that was held at New York to denounce the southern policy of the Grant administration.  In fact, John Sherman was the only one of the Cabinet ministers that had a positive national standing, and even his brilliant star was somewhat marred on account of the impression that, as one of the Hayes managers, he had been a party to the deals and agreements that had been made and entered into as a condition precedent to the peaceable induction of Mr. Hayes into office.  It was known, or at any rate believed, that Mr. Sherman’s appointment as Secretary of the Treasury was for the one specific purpose of bringing about the resumption of specie payments.  He was the author of the act which fixed the date when specie payments should be resumed.  He had the reputation of being one of the ablest financiers the country had produced.  That he should be named to carry into effect the act of which he was the author was to be expected.  For the reasons above stated, it was the one Cabinet appointment that met with general approval.

It was soon seen, however, that the Cabinet was so constructed as to make it harmonize with the southern policy of the administration.  It was not long before the announcement was officially made in prolix sentences, of which Secretary Evarts was no doubt the author, that the army could not and would not be used to uphold and sustain any State Government in an effort to maintain its supremacy and enforce obedience to its mandates.  In other words, it was a public announcement of the fact that if there should be an armed revolt in a State against the lawful State Government which would be strong enough to seize and take possession of that government, the National Government would refuse to interfere, even though a request for assistance should be made by the Chief Executive of the State in the manner and form prescribed by the Constitution.  I have never believed that this policy,—­which was meant, of course, for the South,—­was in harmony with Mr. Hayes’ personal convictions; especially in view of his public utterances during the progress of the campaign and immediately after the announcement had been made that he had been defeated.  But he no doubt asked himself the question:  “What