Politics as blood sport...............

While Blaine was determined to keep Stalwarts out of Garfield's administration, he knew that he had to resist the temptation to rush in as Sherman had.  Conkling and his men were formidable adversaries.  To succeed, an attack would have to be both clever and quiet.  "They must not be knocked down with bludgeons," Blaine brooded.  "They must have their throats cut with a feather."

-Candice Millard,  Destiny of the Republic:  A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President