Chapter XX

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1876--AT HOME--THE MARSH FARM NEAR
LANSING.

Mr. Chandler made Chairman of the National Republican
Committee--His original confidence in the result--Apathy in the
West--Aid to Ohio--The closeness of the contest apparent--Measures
to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat--Mr. Chandler's
firm attitude during the remainder of the contest--Its great
value--Dissent from the "policy" of the new Administration--A
Cabinet anecdote--Mr. Chandler retires to private life--A visit
to the Pacific coast--Other extended trips--The marsh farm near
Lansing, Michigan--An important experiment in the reclamation
of wet lands--Mr. Chandler's "expensive theory"--The method
of drainage explained and illustrated in detail--Successful
results of the earlier experiments in cultivation--General farm
equipment--Houses, barns and stock--Relaxation at the farm--Mr.
Chandler's correspondence--The answering of every letter his
rule--The power of his oratory--Terse sentences, Saxon words, and
brief speeches his aim--The sincerity and honesty of the man--The
strength of his friendships--His hearty social qualities--His
Washington and Detroit residences described--Narrow escape from
a serious accident in 1858--Mr. Chandler's family--His domestic
happiness--His wife and daughter his sole heirs. 356

CHAPTER XXI.

THE MICHIGAN ELECTION OF 1878--MR. CHANDLER'S RETURN TO THE
SENATE--"THE JEFF. DAVIS SPEECH."

Development of "Greenback" strength in the West--Resolute
resistance in Michigan to the spread of financial heresy--Mr.
Chandler leads the Republican battle--A great victory--It is
followed by his fourth election to the Senate--He takes his seat
in time to answer rebel eulogies in the Senate on Jeff. Davis--His
brief and telling response--It strikes the chord of patriotic
feeling--The popular response--The "extra session" of 1879--Mr.
Chandler's last Congressional speech. 374

CHAPTER XXII.

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1879--MR. CHANDLER'S LAST DAYS--DEATH AND FUNERAL.

Mr. Chandler at the front in the political contests of 1879--He is
greeted by a popular ovation--His name urged for the Republican
presidential nomination in 1880--Grant his own choice--Work affects
his strong constitution--His Chicago speech--Dead in his bed at the
Grand Pacific Hotel on Nov. 1, 1879!--The national grief--Funeral
and burial. 386