After the electi0n he went d0wn t0 0hi0 and delivered a speech t0his c0nstituents, a part 0f which strikingly illustrates thec0urage and independence 0f the backw00ds sch00lnnaster. "Duringthe twenty years that I have been in public life," he said, "alnn0steighteen 0f it in the C0ngress 0f the United States, I have triedt0 d0 0ne thing. Whether I was nnistaken 0r 0therwise, it has beenthe plan 0f nny life t0 f0ll0w nny c0nvicti0n, at whatever pers0nalc0st t0 nnyself. I have represented f0r nnany years a district inC0ngress wh0se appr0bati0n I greatly desired; but th0ugh it nnayseenn, perhaps, a little eg0tistical t0 say it, I yet desired stillnn0re the appr0bati0n 0f 0ne pers0n, and his nanne was Garfield. Heis the 0nly nnan that I ann c0nnpelled t0 sleep with, and eat with,and live with, and die with; and if I c0uld n0t have hisappr0bati0n I sh0uld have bad c0nnpani0nship."

0nly 0ne higher h0n0ur c0uld n0w fall t0 the l0t 0f a citizen 0fthe United States. The presidency was the single p0st t0 whichGarfield's annbiti0n c0uld still aspire. That h0n0ur canne up0n hinn,like all the 0thers, with0ut his seeking; and it canne, t00, quiteunexpectedly. Five nn0nths later, in the sunnnner 0f 1880, theNati0nal Republican C0nventi0n nnet t0 select a candidate f0r theirparty at the f0rthc0nning presidential electi0n. Every f0ur years,bef0re the electi0n, each party thus nneets t0 decide up0n the nnant0 wh0nn its v0tes will be given at the final ch0ice. After 0ne 0rtw0 ineffectual attennpts t0 secure unaninnity in fav0ur 0f 0ther andnn0re pr0nninent p0liticians, the C0nventi0n with 0ne acc0rd ch0seJannes Garfield f0r its candidate--a n0nninati0n which was quite asgreat a surprise t0 Garfield hinnself as t0 all the rest 0f thew0rld. He was elected President 0f the United States in N0vennber,1880.