The contest between Cleveland and Blaine was one of the most spirited and earnest of our national political struggles. The assassination of Garfield and the factional troubles which arose under Garfield, and continued to some extent under Arthur, greatly disturbed Republican tranquillity, and in 1882 the Democrats won all the debatable States and carried the popular branch of Congress. Grover Cleveland in that year became a national political factor by his election as Governor of New York by nearly 200,000 majority. Blaine had the vital Republican element very earnestly in his support, but had to confront the implacable opposition of many of the ablest leaders of his party. He had already been a candidate before two Republican conventions, in which his enemies had defamed him without limit, and the Grant influence was as vindictive, although not so powerful, in 1884 as it was in 1876 and 1880. [Illustration: GROVER CLEVELAND] The Republican National Convention met at Chicago on the 3d of June, and ex-Representative John R. Lynch, of Mississippi (colored), was made temporary president, and ex-Senator John B. Henderson, of Missouri, permanent president. The friends of President Arthur, largely representing Federal officials, made a very earnest battle for their chief, but it was a Blaine convention from start to finish. Many questions of party policy and rules were discussed and a platform adopted during the first three days of the convention, and it was not until the evening session of the third day that Presidential candidates were presented. On the morning of the fourth day, the convention proceeded to ballot, resulting in the nomination of Blaine, as follows: ═════════════════════════════════╤════════╤═════════╤════════╤════════ │ First. │ Second. │ Third. │ Fourth. ─────────────────────────────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────┼──────── James G. Blaine, of Maine │ 334-1/2│ 349 │ 375 │ 541 Chester A. Arthur, of New York │ 278 │ 276 │ 274 │ 207 George F. Edmunds, of Vermont │ 93 │ 85 │ 69 │ 41 John A. Logan, of Illinois │ 63-1/2│ 61 │ 53 │ 7 John Sherman, of Ohio │ 30 │ 28 │ 25 │ ―― Joseph R. Hawley, of Connecticut │ 13 │ 13 │ 13 │ 15 Robert T. Lincoln, of Illinois │ 4 │ 4 │ 8 │ 2 William T. Sherman, of Missouri │ 2 │ 2 │ 2 │ ―― ═════════════════════════════════╧════════╧═════════╧════════╧════════