Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/285

 CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

■who had resigned his position as secretary ■of the United States treasury to become a guber- natorial candidate. Mr. Cleveland continued, in his discliarge of duty to the state, the sj's- tem that liad proved so popular in his adopted city, and his vetoes, though numerous, were all sustained by law. He claimed to be a ser- vant or clerk of the people and to have an eye single to the interests of his employers. So pop- ular had become his methods and so apparently honest his efforts for reform that the Democratic national convention, July 11, 1884, by vote of 683 out of 820, and which was made unanimous, nominated him as the Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States. As the re- sult of the election in November, 1884, in the electoral college in 1885 Grover Cleveland had 219 votes and James G. Blaine, 182, and of the popular vote Grover Cleveland received 4,911 017;

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.Jam«^s Vt. Blaine, 4,848,334; John P St. John, 151, 8Uy, and Benjamin F. Butler, 133,825. Mr. Cleveland was inaugurated March 4, 1885, and at once announced as members of his cabinet, Thomas F. Bayard of Delaware, secretary of state ; Daniel Manning of New York, secretary of the treasury ; "William C. Endicott of Massachu- setts, secretary of war; William C. Whitney of New York, secretary of the navy; William F. Vilas of Wisconsin, postmaster-general; Augus- tus H. Garland of Arkansas, attorney-general, and Lucius Q. C. Lamar of Mississippi, secretary of the interior. He made Daniel S. Lamont, who had been his secretary while governor, priA-ate secretary to the President. The social functions of the White House wei-e in charge of the Presi- dent's sister. Rose Elizabeth Cleveland. The United States senate met in extra session on March 4, when the President withdrew from tliat body for executive consideration, a treaty untler which the government assumed unusual and new duties in connection with the Nicara- gua canal. He restored to the Indians their rights to the Oklahoma country by removing the white settlers; ordered a naval expedition to As- pinwall for the protection of Americans and their property against revolutionists; removed cattle companies and ranchmen with their herds from

Indian lands without recourse to force and caused them to remove their fences erected on public lands. He outlined his purpose of adopting and enforcing important advances in civil service re- form, and displeased the great body of his party at the outset of his administration by postponing the removal of Republican office holders save the heads of departments, foreign ministers and otliers on whom rested the responsibilities of ex- ecuting the policy of the administration. He made offensive partisanship and neglect or inca- pacity the only causes for removal of minor offi- cials and in this policy disappointed many of his political supporters, accustomed to a clean sweep on a change of party administration. Upon the assembling of the 49th congress, Dec. 8, 1885, the President in his message recom- mended the reduction of the tariff on necessaries of life ; the abolition of duties on works of art ; the suspension of compulsory silver coinage ; the better pay of consular and diplomatic agents; the enlargement and improvement of the navy ; the suppression of polygamy in Utah; the ap- pointment of Indian commissioners; the exten- sion of the principle of civil-service reform; provision for presidential succession ; and reform in the matter of titles to pubUc lands. He re- fused to submit to the senate documents relat- ing to the removal of certain public officials, and the senate in turn threatened to withhold confir- mation of presidential appointments. On March 1, 1886, the President in a message to the senate claimed that under the constitution the right of removal and suspension from office rested within the discretion of the President, and the papers relating thereto were of a private and personal nature. Ultimately the senate ratified most of the appointments of the President. The Presi- dent vigorously and publicly complained of the insincerity of senators and representatives, as well as others, on whose advice he had to depend, for recommending notoriously unfit persons for office. He offered the protection of the govern- ment to the resident Chinamen subjected to out- rages by antagonistic working men and finally ordered out the United States troops to suppress the disturbances. In a message dated April 22, 1886, the President recommended to the congress the creation of a labor commission, to be perma- nent officers of the government, to whom should be submitted all disputes between laborers and capitalists concerning wages or employment. Upon the close of the first .session of the 49th con- gress, Aug. 5, 1886, the presidential vetoes num- bered 115, of which 102 were private pension bills and six bills for the erection of public buildings. The river and harbor bill and the bill taxing oleo- margarine, contrary to precedent, were not vetoed by the President. At the second session