faction then threatened to withhold support unless Garfield struck a deal. In response, Garfield agreed to consult with Conkling regarding federal patronage, in addition to backing Arthur's nomination for vice president, and going out of his way to court Arthur's support. Surprisingly, Conkling urged Arthur to reject the nomination only to find his trusted lieutenant both tempted and pleased by the prospect. In spite of Conkling's urgings, Arthur accepted.Arthur actively campaigned during the election to bring New York into the Republican column. His efforts helped Garfield win the presidency, and there was much talk in the airalthough never provedthat he had schemed to buy votes for Garfield in the crucial swing state of Indiana. After the election, Arthur, often portrayed as under the Conkling's control, openly broke with Garfield when the President moved to destroy Conkling's power once and for all by appointing an independent collector of the Port of New York. In the days before Garfield's assassination, Garfield and Arthur were very unfriendly toward one another. Conkling had resigned from the Senate in protest, and it looked as though Arthur would become a powerless figurehead in the Garfield administration. However, Garfield's assassination left Arthur far from powerless as he became the twenty-first President of the United States.Arthur made it clear that no one controlled him as President. Although he professed skepticism about civil service reformthe major reform issue of the dayhe supported the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883. Arthur made this decision despite Republican mid-term defeats in the congressional elections of 1882. The Pendleton Act, written by Ohio Senator George Pendleton established a bipartisan commission to prepare and administer competitive examinations for government office. The law banned salary kickbacks, apportioned federal appointments among the states, and ruled that new employees must begi...
