The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-08-28
CLEVELAND'S RECORD.
Two Ringing NIrs~HSr's IUltCaIivU Uf
the Spirit Of Our Next President.

Tie most famous of Gov. Cleveland's
utterances upon the subject of "Public
Office Public Trust" was his cele-
brated check upon an extraordinary
contract for cleaning the streets of
Buffalo, which WIS IS follows:
BUFFALO. June 26 1SS2.-l return with
out my approval the resolution Of your hon
Orable body. passed at its last meeting,
awarding the contracts Tor cleaning the
paved streets and alleys of the city for the
cnsl,ing five years to - -, at his bid of
S4:ss2, 800.
The bid TINS accented bv your honorable
body is more than 500, 600 higher than that
of aliOther perfectly responsible party for
the same work; and worse and more Suspi-
cious feature IN this transaction Is that the
bid now accepted is $50 600 moro than that
made by - himself within very few
weeks, openly and publicly to your honor
able body. for performing precisely the
ssnlh services. This LITTER circumstance is
to my mind manifestation on the part of
the contractor of reliance upon the for
briranc" and generosity of your honorable
hody which would be more creditable if it
were less expensive to the taxpayers.
l am not aware that any excuse Is offered
for the acceptance of this proposal, thus
Increased, except the very tlimSy one that
the lower bidders cannot afford to do the
work for the sums they name.
This extreme tenderness and cOnSidera-
ton for those who desire to contract with
the city, and this touching and paternp
SOlicitude lest they should be imprOvidently
led into a bad bargain Is, | am sure, All eX-
ceptiOn to general business rules, and seems
to have no place In this selfish sOrdid world,
except As found in the administration of
municipal affairs.
The charter of your city requires that the
mayor, when he disappr0ves any resolution
of your honorable body, shall return the
same with his objections.
This is ii time for il plain speech, and my
objection to the action of your honorable
body now under consideration shall be
plainly stated | withhold my assent from
the same, because l regard 1t as the Culmln-
alton of most barefaced, impudrnt and
shameless scheme to betray the interests of
the people and to worse than Squander the
public money.
will not be misunderstood in this mat
| ter. There are those whose votes were given
| for this resolution whom can not and will
not sIlsp, CT of willful neglect Of the ill
| tereStS They are sworn to protect; but it has
been fully demonstrated that there are in
| fiuenceS both in and about your honorable
| body, which it behOoves every honest man
to watch and avoid with the greatest care.
When cool Judgment rules the hour, the
people will, hope and believe, have no
reason TO complain OF the action of your
honorable body. But clumsy appeals to
prejudice or passion, insinuationS, with a
Kind of low, cheap cunning, as to the mo-
| heroiSm of brazen ttfrontery which openly
decareS that a wholesome public sentiment
Is 10 lie set at naug It, sometimes dectiVes
and leads honest meh to aid in the cOnsum-
NATION II ,chemes, whic!', if exposed, they
Woufd look upon with abhUrrpnce.
Ii the &c tndal in connection with this
street-clca.ilng cont act, which has 50
aroused our citizens shall cause them to Sc
lect and Watc.I with more care those to
whom they intrust their interests, and it
Ia - A
with Official duties. more careful III their
performance, 1t will not be an unmitigated
evil.
We are fast gaining positions in the grades
of public stewardship. There is no middle
ground. Those who are not for the people
either in or out of your honorable body are
agaiASt them and sho Id be treated accord
lngIy. GROVER CLEVELAND, Mayor.
In view of such expressions and ac-
tiOns us these, the leading Republican
newspaper of Buffalo now supporting
the Republican ticket, was led to say
upon the day succeeding Grover Cleve-
lands resignation as mayor that YES
terday Buffalo lost the best mayor she
ever had"
Elected upon this record to the high
office of governor, public expectation
demanded of him as governor Il cOntin-
uance of his course as mayor. This
sentiment, everywhere felt, was enthus-
iastically expressed by the Hon. iios-
we'll Z. Flower, upon the night OF the
election OF 1882, when, III a public
speech, he said:
This victory is the voice of the people
speaking in thunder tones. What does it
meau? 1t says to Grover Cieve-
land: We will inaugllrate you; we expect
YOU TO faithfully carry out the platform of
your party. If you give us the strict ac-
cOuntability of officials; pure civil service;
of Glnn in1, lILa Hoo
you would private trust, and the moneys
as trust funds; if you faithfully perform
.our duty. we, the people, may put you i'll
the presidential chair"
In administration OF this high office
Gov. Cleveland has CONF fully up to
the line marked out for him, aud has
fifty continued the course commenced
at Buffalo.
His first message to the legislature
concluded in these words:
Let us enter upon the discharge of our
duties, fully approaching our relations to
the people, and determined to serve them
faithfully and well. This involves jeal-
Gus watch of the public funds and refusal
to sanction their appropriation except for
public needs. To this end all unnecessary
offices should be abolished, and all employ
ment of doubtful benefit discontinued. Ii
to this we add the enactment OF such wise
and well considered laws as Will meet the
varied wants of our fellow-ciuzpns and in
erase their prosperity, we shall merit and
receive the approval of those whose repre-
s.,llaiyps we are. and with the Conscious
hess of duty well performed, shall leave
our impress for good on the legislation of
the state,
Within few weeks after this he
was called upon to consider again al
most the same question as that treated
in his veto message OF the Decoration
day appropriation in Buffalo in IS 2,
/ That message, which has been widely
published, preceded his election as gov
ernor by an unparalleled majority. His
established position. thus accepted and
approved by the people, could not be
abandoned simply because he had en-
tered new sphere of action. Chosen
because esteemed capable to strictly