The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-09
CLEVELAND IN BUFFALO.
How He Came To Be Elected Mayor-Per-
sonal characteristics.
Buffalo Commercial.

Buffalo Commercial.
At Washington to-day the Hon. Grover Cleve-
land, OF Buffalo, was duly inaugurated President
of the United States. He is the twenty fifth
President, and the second citizen of Buffalo who
has attained that great Office the first one being
the late Willard Fillmore who became President
on the death of President Taylor in 1850
Only three years ago the new President was
Mayor OF Buffalo, and on March 4, 1882, he
would have said Impossible" and ridiculous to
any one who would have predicted to him the
event of to-day. The circumstances Of his pub
lie career and his wonderful political fortune are
we'll known: but few little "reminiscences, Incl
dentally bearing on his advancement, may not
be out of place.
1t is we'll known fact that in the fall Of 1881
the local Democracy were all at sea in regard to
candidate for mayor. Mr.. Cleveland was busy
in his law practice and was regarded as out of
politics so far as being candidate for any Office
was concerned. In the Hancock presidential
campaign he took very little part, and only made
one or two speeches One afternoon, just before
the city convention, Lawyer Cleveland who had
been busy in the court all day, entered the res
taurant of his friend Michael Doll. At one of the
tables sat group of Democratic politicians dis
cussing the mayorality question. AS Mr.. Cleve-
land entered one of them exclaimed, There's
the man we want" and he was invited to join
the circle. On sitting down it was suggested to
him that he become the Democratic candidate
for mayor. Mr.. Cleveland laughed the idea to
scorn. What do | want to be mayor for!" he
said. give got all I can attend to- and besides,
if l wanted an Office it would not be that of
up, satisfied that Mr.. Cleveland could
not be. induced to run, Then came.
the celebrated 'Star-chamber" city convention
at Tivoli Hall, engineered by the late James G.
Muldoon, who was chairman of the city commit
tee. Admission could only be had by ticket
and the Commercial that afternoon headed its
report of the convention ''Muldoons" Picnic, a
name which always stuck to it. Mr.. Cleveland
was unanimously nominated for mayor, and a
committee of three was appointed to see if he
would accept. If not they were instructed to
offer the nomination to Alderman George w.
Partridge In order to facilitate Mr.. ClevelandS
acceptance, John G. Sheehan, who had been re-
nominated by reclamation for comptroller, was
withdrawn, and Timothy j. Mahoney substi-
tuted. 1t was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon
when Mr.. Cleveland appeared in the convention
and made short speech, in which he said that
he accepted the nomination with reluctance, but
would do so because he was Democrat and as
such could not fail to respond to the call of his
party.
The famous veto of the STRENGTHENING con-
tract swindle,n as it was called, Monday, June
26, 1852, did more than anything else to make
Mr.. ClevelandS reputation as mayor but
matter of fact, it's effect entirely discounted
by the aldermen who-as said at the time
nearly tumbled over one another IN their haste
to rescind their action in the matter before the
mayors veto came III. This they succeeded in
doing, but the veto was afterward read and or
dered received and fled It's effect, of course,
had been entirely forstalled. On the morning of
the day it was sent in a reporter of the CONNER
cial called on Mayor Cleveland to ask for an adj
vance copy of the expected veto, to print in the
third edition. well" said the Mayor, Give got
veto prepared, and think it pretty stiff one,
but don't want to give it to you because / am
afraid they won't receive it. 1t makes man
sick, he continued, ito think of their action,
and have used some plain language" The re-
porter suggested that the Council was bound to
receive an official communication from the
scruples about allowing an advance copy to be
taken were overcome, on the pledge however,
that II the document was not read it should not
be printed.
We may say that MIR. Cleveland was always
very clever to the newspaper men, in giving out
his public documents, all of which he wrote him
sell, after consultation with his clerk the hon.
Harmon S. Cutting We notice dispatch from
Washington says that he intends to declaim his
inaugural address from memory This is char
acteristic. and it is an old habit with him to
write ourand memoriZe what he has to say. He
ibid so at the meeting of the bar called to take
action on the death of his friend Oscar Folsom
when he made a touching and beautiful speech.
1t was thought to be impromptu, but the report
ers knew otherwise, they already had the
manuscript word for word as ne delivered it.
When, as mayor, he was called upon to deliver
the address at the laying of the corner stone of
the new Young Mems Christian Association
building, on Mohawk street, a. reporter Of the
Commercial approached him to obtain pledge
of the manuscript after the address was deliv-
ered-"Oh, here it is; you can take it now" said
the Mayor. Il wrote it out but know it by
heart 1t was the same way with his speech at
the semi centennial anniversary of the city, held
July 3, 1882 and also with his speech at the dedi-
cation Of the Fitch Institute.