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Curves for Fighters (Quick and Sexy Wolves Book 2) 1st
“The passion felt real and the twists were unexpected. I found their relationship fun and intense. And the combined chemistry between these men and Ruth was hot.”
Manic Readers Review
Look for these titles from Zoey Thames
Quick & Sexy Wolves
Curves for Three (Book One)
Curves for Fighters (Book Two)
Curves for Shifters (Book Three)
Coming Soon
Curves for Cowboys (Book Four)
Curves for Shifters
Quick & Sexy Wolves Book Three
Zoey Thames
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Etopia Press electronic publication: October 2016
~ Dedication ~
Thank you to my editor and my publisher for taking a chance on my werewolf romances.
And to all the readers who enjoyed the other books in this series. Thank you so much! You are the best!
CHAPTER ONE
Michelle Ross definitely needed her good luck charm tonight. She pulled her handbag from the limo’s passenger-side floor and dug around inside, searching for it. Her charm did its best to hide from her in the depths of her handbag, and she started to get nervous.
She excavated deeper, biting her lip to stop the panic. Tissues. Lipstick. Lip balm. More lip balm. Her phone. One balled-up sheer stocking. Spilled breath mints. A half million gas receipts. Where was it? Ah, there. She pulled out the golden charm bracelet her
grandmother had given her for her twelfth birthday and hung it on the limousine’s rearview mirror. The charm bracelet had a dozen little…well, lucky charms. Golden horseshoes and four-leaf clovers, coins, lucky fish, maneki-neko cats, and magic symbols of good fortune. She usually hung it from the rearview mirror when she was working as a chauffeur, driving a limousine for Mirage Confidential. God knew she needed all the help she could get, what with crazy New York drivers and nightmarish Manhattan traffic. Too bad it had never made her lucky in love.
Michelle straightened her uniform cap in the mirror, gritting her teeth and trying to look cheerful and ready to serve. She’d need even more luck to pull off that look tonight. Her client was supposed to be a difficult one. Mirage Confidential specialized in meeting the needs of paranormal clients. Rich, powerful, accustomed to getting their way. Everything had to go perfectly for this assignment. She couldn’t afford another pink slip. Not after getting fired from the brokerage firm. Oh, had she just said fired? More like betrayed, heartbroken, backstabbed, and kicked to the curb.
She started the limo and cruised through the spacious underground parking garage for Mirage headquarters, passing rows and rows of high-end, luxury limousines. She waved to some of the other drivers before slowing for Mitch, the guy at the security booth for the parking garage exit.
She pressed the button to roll down the automatic window. “Hi, Mitch.”
Mitch put down the large slice of pizza he’d been eating and leaned on the counter, grinning at her. He was a large man who loved large pizzas. He always, and she meant always, had a pizza box with him inside his security booth. “Hey, Michelle. Wanna slice?”
“Thanks but no thanks.” One time she’d accepted a slice and some saucy cheese had spilled on her uniform slacks. Luckily, the trousers were black, but from that day on, she’d been terrified she’d stain the rest of her uniform trying to eat while driving. And Mirage drivers never looked stained. Or rumpled. And certainly not greasy. She suspected it specifically said as much in the employee handbook she hadn’t read.
Mitch shrugged. “Suit yourself. You have a big whale in the tank tonight.”
For some reason, Mitch always called the limos “tanks,” and he meant “aquariums on wheels,” not the army kind. He called the clients either fish or whales, depending on how rich and powerful they were. Mitch was really…unique. She tried on her brightest smile to hide the nervous fluttering in her stomach. Right now, she didn’t need someone reminding her how important the man she’d be driving around tonight happened to be.
So she gave Mitch an awkward, half-choked laugh, touched the brim of her chauffeur cap with a little salute, and drove away. Drove away wondering
what was wrong with her brain, giving Mitch of all people a weird, jaunty salute. Where had that come from?
Scratch that. She did know what was wrong with her.
Aaron Duval.
Mr. Duval was not only an alpha-level shifter, but he was the billionaire chairman and CEO of Dark Howl Security a private security company that delivered bodyguard and other protective services to wealthy paranormal clients. Ella had told her Duval was a really intense client, but then again, Ella was always pulling pranks and making stuff up. Although Duval avoided the media like the plague, she knew from Mirage’s client portfolio that he had those rugged, ex-military, tough-guy looks that could drop panties faster than a rocket. Dark hair, dark scruff, dark eyes. The picture in the portfolio didn’t have him smiling. Instead, he looked ready for the climactic battle in some action movie.
So Michelle thought she could be excused for a few stomach butterflies and a bad case of the nerves.
She took the Lincoln Tunnel out of Manhattan, then 495 toward Teterboro Airport in Jersey. Teterboro handled a lot of the luxury jets coming into the New York City/New Jersey areas, so she was there often enough picking up arriving clients.
Traffic was tolerable, which meant her good luck charm was working. She reached out and gave the dangling bracelet a brush with her hand. Thank God she hadn’t forgotten it again. The last time she’d
left it in her apartment, she’d had the worst day at work…ever. Correction, her worst day ever at Mirage Confidential at least. Her client that night had been a shifter from Albuquerque, of all places, who got hammered at a nightclub and transformed into a bear the back of her limo. So she’d been driving around Manhattan with four hundred pounds of drunken bear reeking of rum and Long Island Iced Tea. By the end of the night, he’d left the passenger compartment clawed-up and covered in fur and rum-flavored bear vomit. Yuck-o. And yes, once he’d shifted back to human form, his gratuity had been super generous. Still, she didn’t know if she could handle another headache like that again.
She didn’t want to think about the other time she’d lost her lucky bracelet and her life had crashed hard. She’d had a career. She’d had love.
And then she’d had neither.
Michelle forced away the blues before they could derail her already-stressful night-to-come. She sighed out a shuddering breath as she made the turn past the blue sign announcing Teterboro airport and took an access road meant for private car pickups from the tarmac. She cruised through the securitygate with her Mirage credentials and followed the signage to the correct area where the luxury jet was supposed to be waiting and she’d been instructed to pick up Duval.
She spotted beautiful white Gulfstream G680 was stopped off the runway with its engines idling. There were several security people standing around a
couple of dark SUVs, one particularly big guy positioned between her and the jet’s airstairs.
She swallowed the uneasy lump in her throat and carefully parked near one of the SUVs. She shut off the engine and got out. All the large security men were watching her with an intensity she found unnerving. Another nervous flutter rippled through her as she paused to check her reflection in the limo’s darkened driver-side window. The early summer sun had dipped below the buildings in the west, but she had enough light to see that her chauffeur uniform still looked snazzy and neat. And her mascara was still good because she hadn’t started sobbing her eyes out over losing her jerk-scumbag ex-boyfriend and then watching her career as a stockbroker implode.
Deep breath. Forget about the past. Let go of any worries about previous mistakes. Ignore the scary bodyguard men. Forget about how in a matter of minutes she was going to be driving around the tall, dark, and handsomely billionaire-ish Mr. Aaron Duval. Werewolf alpha. No-nonsense ex-soldier and security guru who could probably bench-press her with one arm, and who would tolerate absolutely no mistakes tonight whatsoever.
Great. Now she was not only nervous but in danger of hyperventilating and falling over.
She hesitated, wondering if she should go talk to security yet or if she should wait for the jet to turn off its engines first. After she waited awkwardly for a few minutes and no one came over to help or even acknowledge her, she opened the limo door again and
climbed back inside. She checked her instructions on the limo’s onboard computer, but they only gave time and place information to pick up Duval. The Other Details field was empty.
She picked up her dispatch radio and called Mirage. “Hi, Mandy, this is Michelle in Black Seven. I’m at the client’s pickup location, but he’s not around. Just a bunch of security guys who probably shift into elephants and rhinos.”
Mandy laughed. “I hear you, Mandy. Checking on it now.” A moment later Mandy came back over the radio. “Your terminal should have client instructions. Let’s see. Oh, here it is. ‘Driver should speak with Mr. Duval’s personal assistant, Mr. Maxwell, upon arrival at precisely eight o’clock. He will be waiting inside the plane. Do not be late.’”
Michelle stared at her computer terminal as dread rushed through her. Eight o’clock was only five minutes away. She’d almost killed her chance at a gratuity tonight because of a technical mishap. Even though she had the job pulled up onscreen, she wasn’t seeing any of the information Mandy had just read off.
Great. Another tech glitch. These limos cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but there were still annoying gremlins sometimes. No use giving Mandy a hard time about it though. It wasn’t her fault technology hated Michelle with a passion. Case in point, Michelle’s cell phone routinely committed phone-suicide in the bathtub, it hated her so much.
Usually right when she was about to get the high score on one of those little app games too—
“You still there, hon?” Mandy asked.
“Oh, yep, sure thing. There’s some issue with my terminal updating. I’ll note it in the log when I get back to base.” She always felt self-conscious calling the Mirage Confidential buildings “base” out loud. But at least she didn’t have to say things on air like “Breaker-breaker there’s a smokey on your tail ”
“Well…I suggest getting your fanny on over to speak to this Mr. Maxwell,” Mandy said, interrupting her wildly veering train of thought. “Mr. Duval is a client we’d like to keep, after all.”
“Yes, of course. Um. Black Seven signing off. And stuff.” She replaced the radio transmitter and hesitated, staring at the four very big, very scary bodyguard-types looming between her limo and the (gangplank> to the plane’s door. She didn’t see this Mr. Maxwell anywhere.
She took a deep breath and climbed back out of the limo into the warm air. Then she double-checked her reflection in the darkened limo glass again and adjusted the tilt of her chauffeur’s cap just so. Then she smoothed her hair and tucked a stray strand back under the cap. Then she realized she was stalling.
Michelle walked straight toward the plane. It was sleek and white, spotless and detailed with dark stripes on the fuselage and rows of circular windows. She knew these luxury private jets were like setup like 5-star hotels on the inside, with staterooms where you could sleep and everything. What would it be
like to fly inside one, jetting across the country from coast to coast to wherever the chic parties were that night? And dimming the cabin lights and fucking like a sex-crazed fiend at forty thousand feet with some blazing-hot shifter stud… She felt her secret core begin to heat, and lazy warmth spread from between her legs up through her body. A little harmless fantasy. Something to keep her busy tonight when
“Ma’am, please don’t come any closer,” one of the security guards in a dark suit and sunglasses growled at her, breaking her fantasy into little pieces. He had shoulders that seemed as wide as her limo. When he moved to cut her off, he showed the same grace she’d noticed in other shifters.
When in doubt, smile. Michelle tried on her winning-est smile. The kind that was so bright it could melt caramel better than a microwave. “Sorry about that, sir. I’m Michelle, a driver with Mirage Confidential. I have instructions to contact Mr. Maxwell at eight o’clock sharp.” She edged to the side slightly, trying to see past the security goon as big as a wall. “Inside the plane.”
“Denied,” the man said in a bass-heavy voice. Her smile faltered. Her heart sank. She glanced at the time on her phone. 8:01 p.m. She was now late. She was late picking up one of Mirage Confidential’s most important clients. And here was this impassive wall of muscle standing right between her and the possibility she would wake up tomorrow still having a job.
How could this night get any worse?
CHAPTER TWO
Usually Aaron Duval was a happy man. Just not right now. Not at all right now. The reason, of course, was the bastard sitting right across from him. Jackson Smith. The man had dark hair cut short enough to see his scalp on the sides, the most piercing blue eyes Aaron had even seen, a muscular frame that filled out his high-end, designer suit. Perfectly tailored, of course. A dark shading of stubble roughened his cheeks. It was that damn stubble Aaron found most distracting. He wanted to rasp his hand along it, feel it brush against his own skin, his neck, his chest. Like he had years ago, before… Well,
no time for distracting thoughts like that now. The truth was, he was supposed to be a hard-ass at the negotiating table with this man, and all Aaron could think about was how much he hated him, and how much he wanted to kiss him.
Like he’d said. Bastard.
“This is not a matter open to discussion,” Aaron said carefully, focusing his thoughts again with military discipline. He had to keep his tone even, almost cold. He couldn’t let the other man know how hard he was finding it to be in the same airplane with him. His custom-modified G6 had plenty of space, designed around flying only four passengers max, luxury leather, mellow lighting, and yet right then it felt oppressively confined. What he wouldn’t have given to be able to shrug out of this suit and run out his frustrations as a wolf, sprinting beneath the stars.
“On the contrary,” Jackson said, arching one perfect eyebrow. “Our business is very much open to discussion. Why else are we here?”
That was a good question. It was hard to believe this meeting had been Aaron’s idea. He was alpha to a pack, though not a standard pack. He was the alpha wolf and CEO of Dark Howl Security based in New York City. He headed a pack of professional bodyguards, security personnel, and private investigators who handled the safety of rich and powerful paranormal creatures or investigated threats and lawsuits against them. They provided services for summits, clubs, concerts, private events, public
events. Didn’t matter. Dark Howl was one of the finest in the States.
But he had competition. Alpha Protective Services. Based in Los Angeles. Led by none other than billionaire werewolf Jackson Smith. The man sitting across from him.
The man Aaron had shared so much with, a long time ago. Before he’d been betrayed by Jackson. Before he’d been left behind.
Aaron clenched his fists, then let his breath out slowly. It wouldn’t do to let the other man see him rattled. He was ex-military, eight years in the army. He was the alpha keeping a pack full of other toughcustomer shifters in line and on task. He was a very successful businessman. It didn’t matter if his cock still went hard at the sight of this other man his competition, his nemesis. It didn’t matter that all he could think about was reaching across the space that separated them and yanking the man into a fierce kiss, capturing his lips, making him submit to the feelings they’d once shared
Keep your mind on the mission, soldier! he scolded himself, absolutely disgusted with how his thoughts kept derailing. Where was all his discipline tonight?
Jackson seemed to take his continued silence as hostility. For the first time, the other man seemed a shade uncertain.
“Look,” Jackson said, leaning forward. “I know we’ve always kept things separate. Your firm provides security on the East Coast. My people handle the West Coast. But competition’s a good
thing. It keeps us hungry. And I want Alpha Protective Services to do business in New York City.” He shrugged. “Who doesn’t want to do business in the Big Apple?”
“And we can discuss that, provided you agree to pay the appropriate franchise and operating fees to me and Dark Howl.”
“This is a free market, not a criminal organization,” Jackson replied coldly. “You want your company to handle New York exclusively, you have to earn it.” He leaned back in his plush leather seat. “I’m not stopping you from coming to LA. If you have the stones.”
Aaron had to suppress the deep growl that ached to escape him. He took a quick sip of his martini to help. The sound of the jet’s idling engines was white noise to him now, though he supposed the noise hid his sigh. The pilots had taxied and parked, but while he’d intended to take Jackson out to dinner at the five-star restaurant in Manhattan, have a few drinks, soften him up for business negotiations, the other man was clearly too smart for such mundane tricks. Jackson had jumped in with the negotiations right away. And when had his onetime lover’s blue eyes grown so icy? It was enough to freeze Aaron from brain to balls.
He glanced out the window. He could see members of Dark Howl and APS security around the plane. A little ways away from the jet, he spotted the limousine he’d hired to take them both to the restaurant. That had been before they’d started
negotiating on the flight here from Chicago and everything fell apart. He wondered if Maxwell would’ve been able to keep things from reaching this point. His second in command was an excellent negotiator. But he’d had a family emergency in Toronto, so Aaron was on his own.
“This is about territory,” Aaron finally replied, choosing each word carefully. “Yes, we hire all kinds of shifters, but we’re organized like a wolf pack.”
“Don’t bring our wolf natures into a business deal as if it will justify your monopoly of the entire East Coast. Face it, Aaron, there’s a new game in town. Either step up your game or go home. I’ll happily put you out of business if you can’t compete.”
Aaron had had enough. He stood, looming over the other man. The alpha fury was on him the need to protect his pack, his people, all the ones who worked for him and depended on him for their livelihoods. “You sit here in my plane and make those kinds of threats? You threaten the security of my pack? You can look me in the eye and say that? To me?”
Jackson shot out of his seat, getting right in Aaron’s face, baring his teeth. They were the same height, six foot two, and a similar muscular build. So they were eye-to-eye, chest to chest.
“You can’t control the biggest city in the U.S.” Jackson snarled, those blue eyes flashing. “We sure as hell aren’t paying you some kind of half-assed
franchise fee either. Our personal history has nothing to do with this.”
They were inches away from each other. Aaron’s blood was rushing through his veins, his heart pounding. He struggled to keep his wolf in check, and at the same time, his cock was hardening in his slacks. Before his brain even really registered what he was doing, he grabbed the other man and pulled him into a kiss.
For an instant, Jackson tensed against him. His hands bunched in Aaron’s suit for grip as he shifted his weight, ready to throw him or use one of his martial arts moves to defend himself. But just as suddenly, Jackson’s body seemed to yield to the embrace, and he kissed Aaron back. His kiss had a surprising ferocity to it. A desire that threatened to break loose.
Aaron knew the other man could feel the hard length of his cock. How could he not? Their bodies were pressed together so tightly. His heart raced even faster when he realized the other man was just as hard.
He deepened the kiss, his mind reeling. Could this even be happening? His inner wolf was rejoicing. This felt so damn good, so damn right
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” a woman said, her voice shattering the blissful tension of their kiss. “I-I didn’t mean to interrupt ”
Jackson shoved him away with a snarl. His classically handsome face darkened with anger. There was still heat blazing in his eyes, but now it was fury.
Aaron’s heart sank as he turned to see who had burst in on them.
It was the chauffeur. Dark hair to her shoulders, green eyes, a smattering of freckles, heavy, full breasts, and her body filling out that classy uniform with thick, perfect curves. A human woman, her scent both alarmed and aroused. That scent suddenly had him so hard he was surprised his cock wasn’t ripping its way out of his trousers right now. But even as his cock throbbed with its need and his thoughts were still dazed from the kiss with Jackson, his wolf pushed its way to the center of his mind.
The wolf growled one word. Mate. He felt a wave of dread and excitement as that word echoed inside his brain. Tonight felt as though everything was destined to change forever, good or bad, and right now he had no clue which would win out.
CHAPTER THREE
Michelle had made mistakes before. Lots of them. Once she’d tried defrosting a steak in a toaster because her microwave was broken. That bright idea had only earned her a sirloin wedged in the toaster and her apartment full of smoke.
So she knew plenty about dumb moves from personal experience. But running around the security guy, then up the plane’s airstairs and through the open door was right up there with her dumbest. Ever.
She had expected to find the elusive Mr. Maxwell inside the plane and calmly tell him that it wasn’t her fault she was now fifteen minutes late. His
security gorillas were the most unresponsive brick walls she’d ever beaten her head against, please forgive her, and please, please, please don’t complain to Mirage Confidential. Maxwell would understand. He had to. Because he’d given precise instructions, and he’d tell the security rhino to back off. Everything would be great, tips and promotions for everyone!
That’s how she’d hoped it would go down.
Instead she’d burst into the plane only to find two stunningly handsome men locked in a kiss so hot it threatened to set the plane on fire. Her knees went weak. Her pussy took control of all systems and immediately began to ache with need and a lust that practically had her swooning on the floor. Her heart was pounding so hard it seemed to shake the plane. Her tongue felt too thick for her mouth as she stared at the two men sharing that intense kiss and struggled to think of something to say.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” she managed to blabber out. “I-I didn’t mean to interrupt ”
Then two huge hands clamped down on her from behind. The security goon had caught up to her. And what he lacked in speed, he certainly made up for in strength.
The men broke their embrace at once. Part of her mind drowned in a flood of disappointment. She wanted to watch more. She wanted to see both of these stunning males naked, cocks hard, losing themselves in the intense physical passion that had seemed to consume them only seconds ago. She wanted to see all kinds of naughty things. And hell,
she wanted to be in the middle of it too a desire that caught her by surprise.
But now the fear came rushing back in, followed by a sick dread that this time she’d really messed up. Maybe even to the level of “you’re fired forever.”
One of the men had electric blue eyes that seemed to glow in a face that would’ve been perfect leading man potential. The other man was dark, hazel eyes, more rugged. Both had the posture of military men or warriors, even though they wore suits easily valued in the five-figure range.
The more rugged-looking man spoke first, addressing the security guy. One of his thick eyebrows arched, and his mouth curved in wry amusement. “A human woman outmaneuvered you?”
The security goon didn’t seem happy about the implication. “Sorry, Mr. Duval. She looked harmless. I couldn’t tell she was a crazy person. I’ll be happy to get rid of her. Maybe stuff her down the toilet for you, if you’ll give me a minute.”
She twisted as much as his huge, powerful hands would allow to glare back at him. Her words burst out of her mouth before she could stop them. “You try that and I’ll gnaw off your testiculars, meathead.”
Her threat drifted in the air like sparks from an exploded firework. For a long moment, no one spoke. Her heart nosedived all the way into her toes. She had just cost herself her job. No one spoke that way
around a client. Mirage Confidential had standards. Unfortunately, Michelle’s tongue had never had any standards.
But Mr. Duval only laughed. “Careful, my friend,” he warned the security goon. “This one has some teeth on her.” He looked back at her, his eyes warm. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard them referred to as ‘testiculars,’ though.”
The other man who’d been part of the kiss the one with the cold blue eyes and the movie-star looks only glowered, first at her, then at Mr. Duval.
“This is completely unacceptable,” he said, each word full of ice. “She saw something…” His lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. “Something that wasn’t anyone’s business. Even if she isn’t a reporter or a spy and right now I’m certainly not convinced she’ll still sell the information to some tabloid like Insta-Gossip or some other rag.” He turned on Mr. Duval, his expression furious. “I don’t need to explain what my investors will do if they believe I’m unduly influenced by you…or what we had a long time ago.”
Michelle struggled to appear as nonthreatening and innocent as possible. These alphas always liked to be dominant, right? So she kept her words as meek as she could. Anything meeker and she’d be a mouse. “Sir, I am so, so sorry. My very specific instructions were to report to Mr. Maxwell inside the plane at eight sharp. I admit I panicked a little when the rhino-goon behind me wouldn’t let me
carry out those instructions. But now I’ll be more than happy to wait in the limo.”
She tried to edge toward the plane’s door, but the rhino-goon still had his crushing paws on her. He stopped her as if she were nothing more than a kitten. She glanced helplessly back at Mr. Duval, praying he would show her some mercy. She could not afford to lose this job.
Aaron Duval’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. “Well, I applaud your dedication to duty in the face of ” He glanced at the bodyguard behind her, and his grin spread wider. “ large obstacles. Unfortunately, Mr. Maxwell had an emergency and couldn’t make the trip tonight.”
“You might think this amusing, Aaron, but I do not,” Mr. Cold Blue Eyes cut in. “This is a clear threat to both of us and our businesses.”
“This is nothing, Jackson,” Aaron responded with a frown. “The human is adorable, and I admire her dedication, but she isn’t any kind of threat. She’s only here to drive us to dinner.” He waved a hand at one of the plane’s small windows, indicating something outside, probably her limo. “I know, because I had Maxwell make the arrangements.”
Adorable. She’d take being called adorable any day of the week. For the first time she began to believe this crazy disaster might actually end with her keeping her job.
Jackson turned that predator stare on Aaron. “You completely misunderstand me. I won’t allow her to run to the tabloids with this. Only a reporter or
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of three months’ volunteers
etc., of one hundred days’ volunteers
of militia and volunteers
Pay, etc., to officers and men in the Department of the Missouri
55 Pay and supplies of one hundred days’ volunteers
Bounty to volunteers and regulars on enlistment
to volunteers and their widows and legal heirs
bounty act of July 28, 1866
Collect’n and payment of bounty, etc , to color’d soldiers, etc.
Reimbursing States for moneys expended for payment of military service of the United States
Defraying expenses of minute-men and volunteers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky
Refunding to States expenses incurred on account of volunteers
to
expenses First Michigan Cavalry and California and Nevada Volunteers
11
11
of the Army and Adjutant
of court of inquiry in 1858 and 1869
Permanent forts and fortifications; surveys for military defenses; contingencies of fortifications; platform for cannon of large calibre, &c., from 1862 to 1868
transporting, and delivering arms and munitions of war to loyal citizens in States in rebellion against the
erection of headstones, pay of superintendents, and removing the remains of officers to national cemeteries
Removing wreck of gunboat Oregon in Chefunct River, Louisiana
of Bureau of Refugees and Freedmen
above.
NATIONAL DEBTS, EXPENDITURE AND COMMERCE, PER CAPITA.
STATEMENT
Average Values of Gold in United States Paper Currency in the New York Market from the Suspension to the Resumption of Specie Payments, during the period of Seventeen Years, from 1862 to 1878, both inclusive—Prepared for the U. S. Treasury Department by E. B. Elliott.
Currency Value of Gold.
Table showing the Average Value in Currency of One Hundred Dollars in Gold in the New York Market, by Months, Quarter-years, Half-years, Calendar Years, and Fiscal Years, from January 1, 1862, to December 31, 1878, both inclusive.
CHRONOLOGICAL POLITICS.
1765.—March 8.—Parliament passes the Stamp Act. Oct. 7.—Colonial Congress met at New York.
1766.—Stamp Act repealed, Mar. 18.
1767.—June 29.—Bill passed taxing tea, glass, paper, etc., in the American colonies.
1768.—Massachusetts assembly petition the King against the late tax.
1773.—The inhabitants of Boston throw 342 chests of the taxed tea into the sea.
1774.—Mar. 31.—The Boston Port Bill passed by Parliament. Sept. 5.—The first Continental Congress meets at Philadelphia.
1775.—April 19.—The war for American Independence commences with the Battle of Lexington.
1776.—July 4.—America is declared “Free, sovereign, and independent”—a declaration which is signed by the following States: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
1777.—Dec. 16.—France acknowledges the independence of the United States.
1778.—Feb. 6.—Treaties of Amity and Commerce adopted between the United States and France.
1781.—Feb.—Articles of Confederation ratified by the States.
1782.—Oct. 8.—Independence of United States acknowledged by Holland. Nov. 3.—Temporary Treaty of Peace signed at Paris.
1783.—Sept. 3.—Treaty of Peace signed at Paris. Nov. 3.—American army disbanded. Nov. 25.—New York evacuated by the British. Dec. 19.—Charleston evacuated by British. Dec. 23.—Washington resigns his commission to Congress.
1785.—June 1.—John Adams, first minister from U. S. to London.
1786.—Nov.—Shay’s insurrection broke out in Massachusetts.
1787.—Sept. 17.—Constitution of the United States adopted by all the States, except Rhode Island.
1788.—Cotton planted in Georgia.
1789.—First Congress. Ten Amendments to the Constitution passed. Departments of Government organized. Washington appoints a National Thanksgiving. April 14.—George Washington declared the first President of the United States. Ratio of Representatives, 30,000; Members of Congress 65.
1789.—Many Treaties with the Indians. Hamilton recommends the first Tariff; passed and approved.
1790.—The territory south of the Ohio river ceded to the United States. Naturalization Law passed. Treason defined and penalty determined. First
Census, 3,929,326. System of Finance adopted; Government assumes State Debts; Public Debt funded; Seat of government removed from New York to Philadelphia.
1791.—First United States bank established at Philadelphia; Capital, $10,000,000. First Tax on Distilled Spirits.
1792.—U. S. Mint established. Apportionment Bill passed, fixing ratio of Representation at, 33,000; 103 members in Congress. Uniform system of Militia established. Post Office department organized anew.
1793.—Washington again inaugurated President. Neutrality declared in regard to France. First Fugitive Slave Law passed. French Minister Gernet recalled by request of Government; returns to organize Democratic or Jacobin Societies.
1794.—Commercial Treaty concluded with Great Britain. The Whiskey Insurrection in Pennsylvania. Regulation of Slave Trade by law. A sixty days Embargo as a retaliation on British “Order in Council.”
1795.—Second Naturalization Law passed. Jay’s Commercial Treaty with Great Britain. Treaty of Madrid. Disagreement of the United States with Algeria.
1796.—Washington’s Farewell Address. Contest between the President and House over the British Treaty. John Adams elected President.
1797.—Congress declares the treaties with France annulled. Privateering against friendly nations forbidden.
1798.—Congress passes an Act for raising a regular army. Washington appointed Lieutenant-General and Commander-in-Chief. Congress authorizes Naval Warfare with France; Commercial Intercourse with France suspended; Navy Department organized.
1799.—Congress votes to raise an army of 40,000 men. American Navy consists of 42 vessels with 950 guns. Pennsylvania seat of government removed to Lancaster. Washington dies at Mount Vernon, Va.
1800.—Treaty of Peace with France. General Law of Bankruptcy approved. Second official census—population 5,308,483. Removal of the Capitol from Philadelphia to Washington. Election of Thomas Jefferson President.
1801.—War against Tripoli declared. The Republican party under Thomas Jefferson, comes into power with Jefferson President.
1802.—Louisiana ceded to France by Spain. Naturalization Laws made more liberal. Representatives, 141.
1803.—Louisiana purchased of France for $15,000,000. Congress gives the President extraordinary authority to maintain Free Navigation of the Mississippi. A brief war with the Barbary States.
1804.—Re-election of Jefferson as a Republican. Treaty of Peace concluded with Tripoli.
1805.—Troubles with Great Britain begin.
1806.—Congress provides the importation of certain goods. Disputes with England and France respecting Neutral Rights. England plainly claims the right to search American vessels for deserting seamen; Jefferson disputes it.
1807.—Congress lays an embargo. United States Coast Survey authorized. Conspiracy of Aaron Burr to divide the Union. English ships of war ordered to leave American waters. The first boat goes by steam.
1808.—The Slave Trade abolished by act of Congress. Madison elected President as a Republican.
1809.—Proclamation forbidding all intercourse with Great Britain and France. Embargo repealed. Madison inaugurated.
1810.—Third official census.
1811.—Population of United States 7,239,903. Ratio of Representation fixed at 35,000. Continued troubles with England. War with Tecumseh.
1812.—Congress lays an embargo on American shipping. General Land Office established. More than 6,000 cases of impressment recorded. War declared on the 18th of June against Great Britain. Madison re-elected President, as a Republican.
1813.—Congress authorizes an issue of $5,000,000 and a loan of $16,000,000. Entire American coast blockaded by British ships. Several battles on land and sea.
1814.—Treaty of peace between the United States and England signed at Ghent. A loan of $25,000,000 authorized.
1815.—A loan of $18,400,000 and an issue of $25,000,000 authorized. Government ratifies Treaty of Ghent, and President proclaims peace 18th Feb. Government ceases to pay tribute to Algiers. Battle of New Orleans. Peace followed, though treaty of peace preceded the battle.
1816.—First high Protective Tariff enacted. Second United States Bank chartered for twenty years; Capital, $35,000,000. Monroe elected President as Republican or Democrat.
1817.—Internal Taxes abolished. DeWitt Clinton causes the Erie canal to be commenced. The Era of Peace. United States Bank opened at Philadelphia. Commencement of the Seminole war.
1818.—Pension Law enacted. National Flag re-arranged, so that the Stripes represent the Original Thirteen Colonies and the Stars the present number of States. Treaty of Commerce and Boundary with England. Seminole war in Florida and Georgia.
1819.—Congress ratifies the Treaty for the Cession of Florida. Beginning of the discussion between the North and South in regard to the Slavery Question. The “Savannah”—the first steamer from New York to Liverpool.
1820.—Missouri Compromise passed. Navigation Act restricting importation to United States vessels. Country agitated over the Slavery question. Fourth official census, 9,633,822.
1822.—Florida made a territory. Ratio of Representation fixed at 40,000; Members, 213. Commercial treaty with France. Federal party disbands. Clintonian Democratic party organized in New York.
1823.—Independence of South American Republics acknowledged. Treaty with Great Britain for mutual suppression of the Slave Traffic. The “Monroe Doctrine” advanced. Party politics quiet.
1824.—John Quincy Adams, Whig, elected by the House. Second high Protective Tariff.
1825.—Panama Mission discussed. John Quincy Adams inaugurated.
1826.—Extensive Internal Improvements under the leadership of Clay. The Fiftieth Anniversary of American Independence. Death of Adams and Jefferson. Webster delivers his celebrated eulogy on them.
1827.—Experimenting on the construction of a railroad.
1828.—Tariff amended and Duties increased. Jackson elected President.
1829.—Webster’s great speech against Nullification. Treaty of Amity and Commerce with Brazil. Jackson inaugurated. “To the victor belongs the spoils.”
1830.—Treaty with Turkey, securing for the United States freedom of the Black Sea. Treaty between the United States and Ottoman Porte. Fifth official census: population 12,866,020.
1831.—Building railroads actively.
1832.—Treaty of Commerce with Russia. Treaty of Commerce and Boundary with Mexico. Bill for re-chartering United States Bank vetoed by President Jackson. His proclamation against Nullifiers. Resignation of John C. Calhoun. Black Hawk War commences. South Carolina declares the doctrine of nullification. Representatives 240.
1833.—Andrew Jackson commences his second administration. Gen. Santa Anna elected President of Mexico. Public deposits removed from the United States Bank by the President, and distributed among certain State banks. Secretary of Treasury, W. P. Duane, refusing to carry out the policy, is removed. Lucifer, or Locofoco matches introduced, and the Democrats called “Locofocos.”
1834.—President Jackson censured by Congress for removing Government deposits.—France and Portugal, slow in paying for injuries done United States commerce, are brought to terms by the President.
1835.—War with Seminoles.
1836.—Office of Commissioner of Patents created. Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with Venezuela. Charter for United States Bank expires. Not renewed. Financial trouble brewing. Martin VanBuren, Democrat, elected President.
1837.—The Independence of Texas acknowledged. Issue of $10,000,000 Treasury notes authorized. President refuses to remit the regulation regarding the “Specie Circular.” Financial panic follows, banks suspend Specie Payments in March, and resume in July. VanBuren inaugurated.
1838.—National debt paid—surplus revenue divided among the States. President enjoins neutrality during Canadian Rebellion.
1839.—United States Bank suspends payment. Disturbances on the Northeastern boundaries of Maine.
1840.—Sub-Treasury bill passed. Sixth official census; population 17,069,453. Gen’l Harrison, Whig, elected President. “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” campaign. 1826.—Extensive Internal Improvements under the leadership of Clay. The Fiftieth Anniversary of American Independence. Death of Adams and Jefferson. Webster delivers his celebrated eulogy on them.
1827.—Experimenting on the construction of a railroad.
1828.—Tariff amended and Duties increased. Jackson elected President.
1829.—Webster’s great speech against Nullification. Treaty of Amity and Commerce with Brazil. Jackson inaugurated. “To the victor belongs the spoils.”
1830.—Treaty with Turkey, securing for the United States freedom of the Black Sea. Treaty between the United States and Ottoman Porte. Fifth official census: population 12,866,020.
1831.—Building railroads actively.
1832.—Treaty of Commerce with Russia. Treaty of Commerce and Boundary with Mexico. Bill for re-chartering United States Bank vetoed by President Jackson. His proclamation against Nullifiers. Resignation of John C. Calhoun. Black Hawk War commences. South Carolina declares the doctrine of nullification. Representatives 240.
1833.—Andrew Jackson commences his second administration. Gen. Santa Anna elected President of Mexico. Public deposits removed from the United States Bank by the President, and distributed among certain State banks. Secretary of Treasury, W. P. Duane, refusing to carry out the policy, is removed. Lucifer, or Locofoco matches introduced, and the Democrats called “Locofocos.”
1834.—President Jackson censured by Congress for removing Government deposits.—France and Portugal, slow in paying for injuries done United States commerce, are brought to terms by the President.
1835.—War with Seminoles.
1836.—Office of Commissioner of Patents created. Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with Venezuela. Charter for United States Bank expires. Not renewed. Financial trouble brewing. Martin VanBuren, Democrat, elected President.
1837.—The Independence of Texas acknowledged. Issue of $10,000,000 Treasury notes authorized. President refuses to remit the regulation regarding the “Specie Circular.” Financial panic follows, banks suspend Specie Payments in March, and resume in July. VanBuren inaugurated.
1838.—National debt paid—surplus revenue divided among the States. President enjoins neutrality during Canadian Rebellion.
1839.—United States Bank suspends payment. Disturbances on the Northeastern boundaries of Maine.
1840.—Sub-Treasury bill passed. Sixth official census; population 17,069,453. Gen’l Harrison, Whig, elected President. “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” campaign. 1841.—Congress meets in extra session. Imprisonment for debts due the United States abolished. Central Bankrupt Law passed. A loan of $12,000,000 authorized. Sub-Treasury Act repealed. Revenues received from public lands ordered to be distributed among the States. Two bills for re-chartering the United States Bank vetoed. All members of the Cabinet, except Mr. Webster, resign. Failure of United States Bank under Pennsylvania charter. Harrison dies; Tyler succeeds him.
1842.—The Dover Insurrection in Rhode Island. The Seminole war terminated. Treaty with England settling NorthEastern boundary question. Senate ratifies the Ashburton-Webster Treaty. Ratio of representation fixed at 70,680; Representatives 223. United States fiscal year ordered to begin with July 1st.
1843.—$30,000 appropriated for the construction of Morse’s Electric Telegraph between Washington and Baltimore.
1844.—First message by the electric telegraph. James K. Polk, Democrat, elected President.
1845.—Anti-rent riots in New York. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November on which to hold Presidential elections. Treaty made with China. Speech of Mr. Cass on NorthWestern boundary of Oregon. Annexation of Texas, and war with Mexico.
1846.—Hostilities commence with Mexico. New Mexico annexed to the United States, 10,000,000 voted; and 50,000 men called out, to carry on the war. The Wilmot Proviso, Tariff on Imports reduced. Treaty settling Northwestern boundary. Congress declared the war “existed by act of Mexico.”
1847.—The city of Mexico taken by Americans under General Scott. War rages with Mexico.
1848.—Congress ratifies Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Postal Treaty with England negotiated; concluded in 1849. Peace with Mexico declared, July 4th. Zachary Taylor, Whig, elected President. Upper California ceded to United States. First deposit of California gold in the mint.
1849.—The French Embassador dismissed from Washington. Taylor inaugurated, dies; Fillmore succeeds him.
1850.—The Fugitive Slave Act passed. Texas boundary settled by payment of $10,000,000 to Texas. New Mexico and Utah admitted as territories. Slave trade abolished in the District of Columbia. Webster’s great speech on the Union delivered in reply to Hayne. Treaty of Amity and Commerce with Switzerland. Treaty with England securing a transit over Panama. Seventh census; population 23,191,876.
1851.—Southern Rights Convention at South Carolina. A Cheap Postage Law enacted. Kossuth visits United States.
1852.—Ratio of Representation fixed at 93,423; members, 237. Dispute with England in regard to fisheries. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster died this year. Franklin Pierce, Democrat, elected President.
1853.—Pierce inaugurated. A partisan inaugural address.
1854.—Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska bill. United States Neutral on the Eastern Question.
1854.—Treaty of Reciprocity with England. Commercial Treaty with Japan concluded through Commodore Perry. American party formed.
1855.—The Court of Claims established. Election troubles in Kansas. U. S. steamer “Waterwitch” fired on, on the Paraguay. Passmore Williamson released from three months imprisonment in the Wheeler Slave Case.
1856.—Quebec made the seat of Canadian government, P. W. Geary confirmed as Governor of Kansas. Extra session of Congress adjourns. 133 ballots required to elect Nathaniel P. Banks Speaker of the House. Mr. Brooks of S. C., assaults Senator Summer in the Senate Chamber. British envoy ordered to leave Washington. Great excitement in Congress on the Slavery question and over the admission of Kansas and Nebraska. Republican party formed. James Buchanan, Democrat, elected President.
1857.—A great Financial Panic; 5,123 Commercial Failures. Buchanan inaugurated; pays 8 and 10 per cent. for loans. The Dred Scott Decision delivered by Chief Justice Taney. R. J. Walker appointed Governor of Kansas.
1858.—Congress passes the English Kansas Bill but State refuses to accept. Treaty of amity with China.
1858.—First Atlantic Cable laid; second in 1866. U. S. Army defeats the Mormons in Utah. Minnesota State Government organized. Nicaragua seeks the protection of the United States.
1859.—John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry, Va., his capture and execution. 1860.—Ratio of Representation fixed at 127,000. Crittenden Compromise introduced and defeated. Prince of Wales visits the United States. Senators and Federal Officers from the South favoring disunion, resign. President Buchanan denies the right of a State to secede, and declines to receive the South Carolina Commission. Eighth census; population 31,443,321. Abraham Lincoln, Republican, elected President. The “Palmetto Flag” hoisted in Charleston harbor. Georgia appropriates $1,000,000 to another state. Maj. Anderson takes possession of Fort Sumter.
1861.—Congress meets in Special Session. The President calls the volunteers and $400,000,000 to put down the Rebellion. Jacob Thompson, Secretary of Interior, resigns. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas passed secession ordinances. John A. Dix appointed Secretary of Treasury, vice Thomas, resigned. Jeff Davis resigns his seat in the U. S. Senate.
Southern Confederacy formed at Montgomery, Ala. Peace Congress meets at Washington. Jeff Davis elected President of Southern Confederacy. Gen. Twiggs expelled from the army for treason. Peace Congress adjourned after a stormy session—accomplished nothing. Beauregard takes command at Charleston, S. C.; and stops intercourse between Fort Sumter and Charleston. President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers. Jeff Davis offers letters of marque to privateers. President Lincoln declares the Southern ports in a state of blockade. Virginia proclaimed a member of the Southern Confederacy. McClellan placed in command of the Department of Ohio. Arkansas secedes. England acknowledges the insurgent States as belligerents. North Carolina secedes; Kentucky declares neutrality. Tennessee secedes. Federal troops cross the Potomac. All postal services in the seceded States suspended. Gen. McClellan assumes command in West Virginia. The Wheeling Government, Virginia, acknowledged by the President. July 4, Congress meets in extra session. Fremont appointed to command of Western Department. Nine Southern members expelled from U. S. Senate.
Confiscation bill passed. Congress adjourns. President suspends all commerce with seceded States. President Lincoln orders Gen. Fremont to modify his emancipation proclamation. Secession members of Maryland Legislature sent to Fort McHenry. Gen. Scott resigns as Commander-in-Chief; Gen. McClellan succeeds him. C. S. Congress convened at Richmond, Va. Breckinridge expelled from U. S. Senate for treason. New York and Boston banks suspend specie payment.
1862.—Slavery prohibited in the Territories. Internal Revenue Bill passed. Polygamy forbidden in United Stales. Union Pacific Railroad chartered. Department of Agriculture organized. A draft of 300,000 men to serve for nine months, ordered by the Secretary of war; 600,000 volunteers called. Mason and Slidell delivered to the British Minister. E. M. Stanton appointed Secretary of war, vice Cameron, resigned. Cameron nominated Minister to Russia, vice Clay, resigned. Jesse D. Bright expelled from U. S. Senate. Jefferson Davis inaugurated President of the Southern Confederacy. Brigham Young elected Governor of Deseret, Utah. National Tax Bill passed U. S. House of Representatives. Gen. Halleck (July 11) appointed commander of all land forces. Martial law declared in Cincinnati. McClellan, Sept. 7, takes command in person of Potomac Army. Sept. 22, President Lincoln issues his Emancipation Proclamation. Habeas Corpus suspended by U. S. Government. Nov. 5, Gen. Burnside succeeds McClellan. All political prisoners released. Nov. 22, West Virginia admitted as a state.
1863.—Jan. 1.—Lincoln declares all the slaves free. Bureau of Currency and National Banks established. Death of “Stonewall” Jackson. First colored regiment from the north leaves Boston. A loan of $900,000,000 ten-forties authorized. Proclamation issued. Gen. Grant takes command of the West. Slavery abolished by Proclamation.
1864.—Fugitive Slave Law repealed. A draft of 500,000 men ordered, and 700,000 men called for, 85,000 men accepted from Governors of Western States. Lincoln re-elected President. Gen. Grant appointed to command U. S. Armies.
1865.—The 13th Amendment passed. Amnesty Proclamation issued. Blockade of Southern ports ended. $98,000,000 subscribed to the 7:30 loan during the week ending May 13. A day of fasting on account of the death of President Lincoln. All the nation in mourning. Lee surrenders to Grant. Johnson succeeds Lincoln.
1866.—Freedman’s Bureau Bill and Civil Rights Bill passed. 14th Amendment passed. Proclamation of Peace. Colorado bill vetoed. Suffrage given to colored men in District of Columbia.
1867.—Southern States organized into Military Districts. Military Government Bill and Tenure-of-Office Bill passed. Treaty with Russia for purchase of Alaska concluded, price $7,200,000. Nebraska admitted as a State. Reconstruction bill passed over President Johnson’s veto. Russian American Treaty approved by the Senate. Jeff Davis released on bail. Congress meets in extra session. Supplementary Reconstruction Bill passed, over veto.
1868.—Impeachment trial of President Johnson ends in acquittal. Fourteenth Amendment declared part of the Constitution. Proclamation of Political Amnesty issued. Grant, Republican, elected President. Congress meets. Senate bill passed for the reduction of the army. Bill passed to abolish tax on manufactures. The Chinese Embassy received by the President. Bill passed Senate for admission of S. States. Commencement of difficulties between U. S. Ambassador and the Government of Paraguay. The Senate ratifies the Chinese Treaty. Freedman’s Bureau Bill passed over Johnson’s veto. Laws of United States extended over Alaska. Failure of the Atlantic Cable of 1866. President Johnson issues a universal amnesty proclamation.
1869.—Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads completed.—1,913 miles in length. United States Supreme Court decides Internal Revenue laws constitutional. The Copper Tariff Bill passed over the veto. Passage of the Reconstruction Bill. Indiana Supreme Court decide National Bank currency taxable. Female Suffrage Bill passed by Wyoming Legislature. E. M. Stanton confirmed as Judge of United States Supreme Court.
1870.—Fifteenth Amendment passed. Recall of the Russian Minister, Catacazy, requested. Proclamation against Fenian raids into Canada issued. Ninth census, population 38,555,883. Bill passed for the readmission of Virginia. Legal Tender Act declared unconstitutional. The Saint Thomas treaty expires by limitation. The North Pacific R. R. Bill becomes a law. Bill to abolish Franking privilege defeated. The San Domingo Treaty rejected by the Senate. The new Constitution of Illinois adopted.
1871.—Congress passes Bill against Ku-Klux, also Enforcement Bill. The United States Senate passes the San Domingo Commission Bill. The $300,000, on Five Per Cent. Refunding Bill passed by the House. Congress admits the
Georgia Senators. Deadlock in Indiana Legislature; thirty-four Republicans resign. The Forty-first Congress expires; Forty-second organized. Alabama Claims $12,830,384. Expenses of the United States census reported at $3,287,600. The Apportionment Bill passed by Congress.
1872.—Tax and Tariff Bill passed diminishing Revenue. Ratio of Representation fixed at 131,425; Representatives limited to 293. General Amnesty Bill signed. $15,500,000 awarded the United States by Geneva Tribunal. Emperor William of Germany decides the San Juan Question in favor of the United States. Salary Retroactive Act passed. First repeal of the Franking privilege. Federal officers are forbidden to hold State Offices. Suspension of the Bank of Jay Cook & Co., causes a financial panic. Modoc War.
1874.—Political excitement in Louisiana. Grant vetoes the Finance Bill. United States Senate passes Civil Rights Bill. Currency Bill vetoed. Fillmore and Sumner die.
1875.—Senate ratifies the Treaty with Hawaii. Civil Rights Bill passed. New Treaty with Belgium concluded. Financial trouble continued. Louisiana Legislative hall taken possession of by United States troops. Colorado admitted as a State.
1876.—Centennial Bill appropriating $15,000,000 passed. Secretary Belknap impeached by the House, acquitted by the Senate. Postal Treaty with Japan. Termination of the English Extradition Treaty announced.
1877.—Electoral Commission decided in favor of Hays. Spanish Extradition Treaty announced. Federal troops recalled from the South. Nez Perces War.
1878.—Silver Bill. Halifax Fishing Award; Ben Butler opposes it.
1879.—Specie payment. Negro exodus begins. Ute War.
1880.—Election of Garfield as President, the October election in Ohio and Indiana virtually deciding the issue in advance.
1881.—Assassination of President Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau; VicePresident Arthur succeeds him. Resignation of Senators Conkling and Platt, of New York.
1882.—Extended trial and final conviction of Guiteau, who set up the plea that his assassination of President Garfield was due to an irresistible pressure from Deity. Nomination of Roscoe Conkling to the Supreme Court. Blaine’s eulogy on Garfield. The Mormon issue revived by Edmunds’ Bill; Chinese issue revived by bill to prevent their immigration for twenty years. California and Nevada make a holiday of Saturday, March 4, and devote it to mass meetings, which said “the Chinese must go.” March 1, Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, makes a great speech against Chinese Bill; Senator Miller, of California, replies.
1883.—Jefferson Davis replies to ex-Judge Jeremiah S. Black’s article on “Secession Secrets.” Death of ex-Attorney-General Black.
1884.—Nomination of James G. Blaine, and John A. Logan, at Chicago, for President and Vice-President, who were defeated by Grover Cleveland and
Thomas A. Hendricks. Death of Hon. Charles J. Folger, Secretary of the Treasury.
1885.—General Ulysses S. Grant, ex-President of the United States, died at Mt. McGregor, July 22d, after a lingering and most painful illness of many months. Death of Vice-President Thomas A. Hendricks, and election of Hon. John Sherman as Acting Vice-President of the United States.
1886.—Marriage of Grover Cleveland and Miss Frances Folsom at the Executive Mansion; and death of General George B. McClellan, General Winfield Scott Hancock, ex-Governor Samuel J. Tilden—all three of whom had been nominated for President of the United States; McClellan in 1864, Tilden in 1876, and Hancock in 1880.
1887.—High License Campaign in Pennsylvania; liquor men resisted and formed Personal Liberty Leagues; Republicans contended for High License and Sunday Laws, and won by 46,000 majority. Death of General Philip Sheridan. In December, at opening of Congress, President Cleveland sent in an Annual Message devoted alone to Revenue Reform; Mr. Blaine wired an answer from Paris in favor of Protection, and in this way the issue was opened.
1888.—Re-nomination of President Cleveland on Tariff for Revenue platform; the Republicans nominated General Benjamin Harrison on a Protective platform. A brilliant campaign followed and resulted in a Republican victory. Warner Miller led a High License battle for Governor of New York; beaten by Governor Hill by 18,000 majority. Delaware elected Anthony Higgins, a Republican, for United States Senator.
1889.—Admission by Congress as States of North and South Dakota, Montana and Washington, making 42 in all. The Pan-American Congress assembled in Washington. Representatives of nearly all the Central and South American governments attended. International Marine Conference also assembled. Race troubles in the Southern States. Death of Jefferson Davis.
1890.—Death of Hon. William D. Kelly, known as “The Father of the House,” after a service of thirty years in Congress.
The McKinley Tariff Bill and the Anti-Lottery Bill become laws. Democratic “tidal wave” in the fall elections, overturning the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and the State governments in many heretofore reliable Republican States.
1892.—Re-nomination of President Harrison and nomination of Whitelaw Reid at Minneapolis, for President and Vice-President. Re-nomination of exPresident Cleveland and nomination of Adlai Stevenson at Chicago, for President and Vice-President.
