Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-06-14
Career as Sheriff and May
or Of Buffalo,
Governor of New York and
President of the United
States.
Placed in Nomination for Every Office by
the Same Man-His Marriage to
Miss Folsom.

The National Democratic Conven.
ton at st. Louis has nominated
Grover Cleveland, the unanimous
choice of the party, as the standard
| bearer for 1888.
The honors of q second term have
not been so unanimously proffered since
the days of General Grant. For the
past year the chances of no other candi-
date have been seriously considered by
the Democracy.
Emphatically, he is lucky man.
The career of no other public man so
forcibly illustrates the idea of Shakes
pere "that there is tide in the affairs
of men," etc.. as does the career OF
Cleveland. Napoleon believed in luck
and destiny, and assuredly stars of good
report presided at the birth of Grover.
HE WAS BORN
On the 18th of March, 1887, in the viii
lage of Caldwell, N. j. His father was
a Presbyterian clergyman, and the
family originally came from the early
settlers of the Connecticut Valley.
At fifteen his father died, and the lad
at once recognized the fact that his
mother, who, as is usual with country
clergymen's widows, was not over
blessed with this worlds goods, needed
his help to support the family. He
went to work and sought and obtained
a position as assistant book-keeper and
teacher at New York institution for
the blind, where an Older brother was
employed. Two years later he resolved
to
GO TO CLEVELAND, OHIO,
And enter lawyers office.
Passing through Buffalo his uncle,
Lewis F. Allen, asked him why he was
going to Cleveland.
II want to get into a lawyers Office
there"
"Stop here, my boy. will try and
find you place" 1t was the turning
point in the boys career. Buffalo in
that spring morning of 1885 secured her
favored son. He soon entered the law
office of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, where
he remained for eight years, mastering
the details of his future profession
He was admitted to the bar, and was so
favorably known among the young
lawyers of the city that in 1868 he re-
ceived the appointment of Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney. Here again his
luck stood him in hand, for the
Prosecutor was an elderly man, and
the main duties of the office fel! upon
the assistant. In 1865 he was nomi-
mated for District Attorney. Party
lines were then drawn closely. The
passions engendered by the war had
not cooled, and Cleveland was defeated.
In the following year he formed a part
nership with Isaac R. Vanderpoel,
which continued until 1869. Then he
was
ELECTED SHERIFF OF ERIE COUNTY.
Great abuses had crept into the office,
and Cleveland won new laurels by his
business methods, sterling integrity and
honesty in the administration of his
affairs.
His first case after having the office
of Sheriff illustrates trait in his char
acter that speaks volumes for his love
of justice and big heart. A poor wo-
man came to him in great distress over
the threatened foreclosure of a mort
gage upon her house. Her husband
was sick, unable to work, and the
future President of the United States,
convinced that she was the victim of
persecution, drew 81, 400 out of the
bank, hired horse and buggy and
paid off the claim.
He soon formed a partnership with
few years before for the office of Prose-
cutting Attorney. His position was
now an assured one. He was in the
front rank of the leading attorneys of
the Buffalo bar.
In 1881 dissatisfaction reigned in
Buffalo on account of the reckless man
ner in which the affairs of the city gov
ernment were administered. Many
were willing to lay aside
their party allegiance and join with the
Democrats to elect an honest man. He
was elected as
''REFoRM MAYOR OF BUFFALO,
The third city of the Empire State,
and was inaugnrated June 2, 1882. The
city had for long time been controlled
by rings and the Common Council ap-
peared to have contained many men,
bers of the rings. Their schemes for
lavish expenditures of money he
promptly vetoed, and these vetoes be-
came so numerous and famous that he
was known as the Veto Mayor. His
career as Mayor saved the city In
eleven months one million of dollars.
The following year a ticket, one Of
reform, swept through the country, and
the Veto Mayor of Buffalo was
NOMINATED FOR GOVERNOR
OF New York, and elected by the un-
precedented majority of 192,854. His
opponent was Charles J. Folger, man
Of acknowledged ability, who had been
Secretary of the Treasury under Presi-
lent Arthur. It was the late Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher who said that