Progress and Reform
America “for their noble devotion to the cause of freedom;” an expression of satisfaction at their entrance into wider spheres of activity and usefulness; and a pledge of respectful consideration for whatever demands they might make for additional rights as citizens. From that platform utterance of the Republican party in June, 1872 dates the real achievement of “votes for women” throughout the United States.
Various other conventions were held that year of minor parties and factions, serving chiefly to illustrate the futility of such movements. Among them were those of the Prohibition party, the Labor Reform party and the Liberal Colored Republicans.
At no time was the result of the campaign in doubt, the only question being as to the size of the Republican majority. Greeley carried Maryland, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee with 63 electoral votes, and received 2,834,125 popular votes. Grant carried all the other states with 286 electoral votes, and received 3,597,132 popular votes. The “straight-out” Democrats polled only 29,489 votes for Mr. O'Conor and the Prohibition candidate got 5,608 votes. Of course a strongly Republican Congress was elected at the same time.
Following this election the Forty-second Congress continued to the end of its term its work of constructive legislation. It abolished the franking privilege for Members of Congress, which has since been restored; and it established the inestimably valuable Life Saving Service on the Atlantic coast. It also early in February, 1873 took the very important action of discontinuing after April 1st the coinage of the standard silver dollar, confining silver coinage to subsidiary coins and
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