the accession of every new President, was aggravated in
Garfield's case by the factional war of which his own nomination
was a phase. The factions of the Republican party in New York at
this period were known as the "Stalwarts" and the "Half-Breeds,"
the former adhering to the leadership of Senator Conkling, the
latter to the leadership of Mr. Blaine, whom President Garfield
had appointed to be his Secretary of State. Soon after the
inauguration of Garfield it became manifest that he would favor
the "Half-Breeds"; but under the Constitution appointments are
made by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and both
the Senators from New York were "Stalwarts." Although the
Constitution contemplates the action of the entire Senate as the
advisory body in matters of appointment, a practice had been
established by which the Senators from each State were accorded
the right to dictate appointments in their respective States.
According to Senator Hoar, when he entered public life in 1869,
"the Senate claimed almost the entire control of the executive
function of appointment to office.... What was called 'the
courtesy of the Senate' was depended upon to enable a Senator to
dictate to the executive all appointments and removals in his
territory." This practice was at its greatest height when
President Garfield challenged the system, and he let it be
understood that he would insist upon his constitutional right to
make nominations at his own discretion. When Senator Conkling
obtained from a caucus of his Republican colleagues an expression
of sympathy with his position, the President let it be known that
he regarded such action as an affront and he withdrew all New
York nominations except those to which exception had been taken
by the New York Senators, thus confronting the Senate with the
issue whether they would stand by the new Administration or would