ABSTRACT
Liberal Republicans, Democrats seeking to reunite their Northern and Southern constituencies, and reformers of all political stripes contested the policies and personnel of the Directory, or Stalwarts as they were called. The liberals who remained loyal to the Republican party took up their cudgels once again as the scandals of Grant’s second administration were brought to light and civic reform became a major issue. First steps in the liquidation of the harsh Reconstruction policy of the Stalwarts were taken in anticipation of the 1876 Republican national convention. The opposition to the Grant faction, however, was unwilling to invoke its removal power, believing that a public breach between the factions would be irreparable. Marshall Jewell found himself competing with Dorsey for control of the details and losing. Stalwarts circumvented him and dealt directly with Dorsey. The campaign witnessed an important Republican factional development.
