Reconstruction and the Gilded Age 177and various discriminatory laws regarding suffrage by which southern
states effectively nullified the Fifteenth Amendment with respect to
voting by African-Americans. But this election proved that the Re-
publicans could win the White House without southern support.
After his inauguration in March 1881 , Garfield clashed repeatedly
with the Stalwart faction of his party over distributing the patronage.
And he infuriated them further by appointing James G. Blaine his
secretary of state. Several months later, on June 2 , 1881 , the President
was shot by a disgruntled and unstable offi ce-seeker, Charles J. Gui-
teau, who wanted Garfield replaced by Arthur as President, an action
that went a long way in destroying the Stalwart faction. Garfi eld lin-
gered for two months before dying on September 19.
As a result of the assassination, and with President Arthur’s strong
endorsement, Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act on Janu-
ary 16 , 1883, which established a permanent three-man Civil Service
Commission to conduct competitive examinations and make appoint-
ments based on merit. This had been one of the urgent demands by
reformers who felt that the patronage system was thoroughly corrupt
and detrimental to the public good. During Arthur’s term of offi ce,
something like 14 , 000 out of 100 , 000 government positions were fi lled
by civil service examinations. It was an admirable beginning, but fur-
ther reform of the civil service was necessary if the patronage system
was ever to be completely controlled. Some inde pendent Republicans
felt that further reform preceded all other issues, and they were called
Mugwumps because they were seen as fence-sitters with their mugs on
one side of the political fence and their wumps on the other. Three of
the more prominent Mugwumps were Carl Schurz, Charles Francis
Adams, and E. L. Godkin.
In a ddition to the Greenback and Prohibition movements during
the Gilded Age, a group known as the Patrons of Husbandry, or
Grangers as they were more popularly known, developed, as early as
1867. It was a secret society that at first sought to advance the interests
of the farmer. It was organized in Washington and called for action
against monopolies because they prevented competition and the estab-
lishment of maximum railroad rates for shipping goods and charging