Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1908-07-02

by conscientious digging the victory
that came to others by so-called gen.
ius
In 1881 he was elected mayor of Buff
falo, as Democrat, by plurality
of $500. The candidates on the Repub-
| lican state ticket carried the city by
1000. After the election Cleveland
said in letter to his brother that he
proposed to stand in the relation of an
employe to the people of the city. His
one aim would be to render faithful
service to his employer
| In carrying out this resolution he
became known as the ''veto mayor"
1t was an honorable title. Buffalo had
| long been in the grip of unscrupulous
/ politicians.
| Grown arrogant from power and rich
from graft, they had come to regard
rule wholly to their interest as
settled right Mayor Cleveland dis
abused their minds Raids on the
treasury were blocked by his veto.
Oficeholders were warned that their
allegiance was due the people. Claims
| of friendship and the pressure of pow
erful influence were without effect up
on him. His sturdy fights in the inter
| est of his employer" were widely pub
lished and attracted attention through
out the state.
| Governor of New York.
So it happened that when the Dem
| ocrats in 1882 cast about for can
didate for governor their eye natur
| ally turned toward Buffalo. Grover
Cleveland was placed at the head of
| their ticket. He was elected over
Charles ]. Folger, then secretary of
the treasury, by 100000 plurality.
Cleveland's record as mayor and his
overwhelming victory in the election
made him a national figure. There was
widespread curiosity as to the course
| he would pursue as governor. He
gained new celebrity through his We
| toes He refrained from discourses
on public affairs and framed no theory
Of government, but he gave keen at
| tention to the matters brought before
| him for action. When these seemed
not to be for the public good his dis
| approval was expressed promptly and
with the plainest words in his vocab-
ulary. From IL to IA hours a day were
! devoted to the investigation of bills
and reports submitted to him for ac-
| tion.
On July II, 1884, in Chicago, he was
nominated to oppose James G. Blaine
in the campaign for the presidency.
A slender plurality in New York state
turned the scale and he became the
first Democratic president since the
civil war The second time in his
life that he visited Washington was
when he went to the capital to take
Office as president. His bearing on
the stand erected for the inaugural re-
vealed his masterful character to the
experienced statesmen who sat around
him. Stretched before him were more
people than he had ever seen assem-
bled for any purpose. They were en-
thusiastic, but neither their demon
strations nor thought of the grave re-
sponsibilities he was about to assume
i
He was calm as any man there hav-
ing nothing at stake. When the time
! came to speak he advanced to the bar
firmly and coolly as lawyer in court.
! Deliberately and in strong voice he
delivered his address of 5000 words,
and he shattered all preeedents by CIV
i ing it from memory instead of from
manuscript. He declared for the Mon
roe doctrine, economy, protection of
the Indians, security Of the freedmen,
and for civil service.
Famous Venezuelan Message.
The death of Mr.. Cleveland will
recall to all the days when he
was the most forecful figure in
American public life. Nothing
| which he ever did while pres
ident attracted more attention than
the famous message he sent to con-
gress in December, 1895, on the sub
iect of Great Britains controversy
with Venezuela over the boundary be-
tween the latter country and British
Guiana. The foundation for Mr. Cleve-
tary of State Olney to Lord Salisbury,
the British minister for foreign affairs.
That note was written during the con-
gressional recess, three months before
congress convened, and before Mr..
| CleVeland's message was prepared.
The Olney note was drafted after a
consultation between the secretary of
state and Mr. Cleveland during the
summer at Great Gables on Buzzard' s
bay. Mr. Olney went there to confer
with the president about the Venezue-
Ian question. The note was submitted
to every member of the cabinet.
i War Was Not Feared.
Mr.. Hilary A. Herbert. then secre-
tary of the treasury in Mr.. Cleveland s
cabinet, has said of the incident: Il
remember that as the note developed
1t almost took my breath away, and
was inclined to oppose its presenta-
] ton hut before the reading was fin.