The Irish standard., 1907-11-23

\ The Erie Railway, with its eastern
terminus at Pierpont. on the lower
Hudson, opened through rail communi-
cation with Dunkirk, on Lake Erie. on
May IA. 1851. Philadelphia got its
Pennsylvania Railway completed to
Pittsburg on December 10. 1852. and
Baltimore's road, the Baltimore and
Ohio, struck the Ohio rier at Wheeling,
on January 1, 1853. 1t was an exciting
race between the three rival towns for
the trade of the West, but the work
which Mayor Clinton planned long be-
fore that time gave New York an as
cendancy which the railways increased,
and which has been growing to this
day.
: Cleveland was the only man. howev-
q, whose rise to the presidency may be
said to have dated from his election as
mayor. Chosen mayor of Buffalo in
1881, he vetoed some extravagant ap-
preparations which had been dictated
by his party's machine, and in doing it
he, did some plain talking which at
tracted tho attention of the whole state
When, in the year following, the Re-
publicans wore split into the Stalwart
and Half-Breed wings in the Conkling-
Garfield-Blaine feud, and when any
Democrat could sweep the state, Cleve-
lands friends. backed by CleveIand's
record as mayor, obtained the nomina-
tion Of Cleveland for governor. There
was some skilful work done by Daniel
Manning in nominating Cleveland. but
his own work as a reformer in the
office of executive at Buffalo was what
suggested him as an availability to
Manning and the rest Of the more as
tute and clean handed politicians.
Along to his election as mayor there
had been nothing in CIsveland's record
or his associations which would sug-
gest him as a man of destiny. He had
been a practicing lawyer in Buffalo
since 1859, was assistant district at
torney Of Erie county for two or three
years, beginning in 1853. and was sher-
1T of the county from 1870 to 1873
In each post he made a record for
'thoroushness and conscientiousness,
hut these qualities in those minor Of
shces, were not calculated to win him
"a name large enough to be utilized on
ANY big scale in the politics Of the
::time.
: 1t was his veto. is mayor of Buff
: falo Of a big graft in which some Of
his own persona! friends would profit,
and in which his party machine WOULD
win money and political power. that
carried his name over the state. and
got him the nomination for governor
In a year in which the Democrats were
making a strong bid for the support Of
independent Republicans. 1t was a
/, year in which any Democrat OF a fair
,-degree of popularity could win large
majority. The Republicans put up a
man for governor who had high
character and great ability. This was
: Charles j. Folger, who was then sec
.retary Of the treasury In President Ar
j thurs cabinet. A popular belief that
Arthur used the power Of the federal
administration in putting Folger for
ward, coupled with the fact that Tolger
was associated with the Conkling- Stall
wart faction Of the party, put the
Blaine leaders. with their Half Breed
following. against him.
....7.,-. =, Behind Garfield Vote.
= He fell 80 far behind the vote given
Ito Garfield in the state for president
two years earlier that Cleveland won by
- plurality Of $4,000. That margin,
/. which was far greater than had heen
gained by any other candidate for gov
.ernor in any state along to that time.
Immediately attracted the attention of
tthe country toward him as a. possibil-
a.
irapable and honest governor, became
Etfls most conspicuous of all tho presi-
.deetial possibilities on his own side,
:anA In the convention of 1884 he had
= long lead on the first ballot, although
many men who We're leaders in his
party long before he was ever heard
of outside of his home town were
among the aspirants. He left Bay
ard, Thurman. Randall. Hendricks and
f;other veterans far behind. and he won
;the nomination on the second ballot.
The, Conklins- Blaine Folger feud in
sthe. state of New York, the Prohibition
diversion from the Republican vote
and the Burchard three Rs lunacy
.beat Blaine, the Republican candidate,
fand made Cleveland president.
=, pfNHnfNeNt in fhA oopvontIo,, r,i,;.a.