The resurgent Democrats proved Hayes’s political salvation: they overplayed their hand. In 1878 the House appointed the Potter Commission in an attempt to investigate Republican fraud and overturn the election of 1876. The commission only served to unite the fractious congressional Republicans and divide the Democrats. Republicans and moderate Democrats passed a resolution confirming the election results and condemning attempts to upend them. Ultimately Congress adjourned after an all-night session that turned into a drunken debacle. Hayes was disgusted.
