The Washington herald., 1908-06-25

some. Mr.. Cleveland urged the repeal OF
the Bland act which compelled him tc
/ buy silver and coin Il into dollars. but his
words fell upon deaf ears in Congress
/ The increase In the Treasury surplus was
problem he had TO grapple with. where
eight years later. his chief problem was
the maintenance Of a gold reserve
! His vigorous exercise OF the veto power
aroused great indignation. especially hi,
veto Of private pension bills. More thar
/ any Of his predecessors. possibly. he gave
attention 10 details OF administration anc
/ inquired personally into matters that
most Presidents intrusted 10 subordi-
mates. During his first term he vetoed
S5i bills. Most OF these were pension bills
or bills for public buildings
one very interesting White House event
OF the administration was the marr1aee
OF the President and Miss Frances Fol
som. daughter OF Mr.. Cleveland's former
law p1rtaer. which occurred June . 1855
Like tne last Democratic President before
the civil war. the first after the war en-
tered the White House as a bachelor but
he soon took as his wife the youngest
lady, with the exception Of Dolly Madi-
son. OF any matron who had ever pre-
sided there. The marriage was the first
OF any Presidents 70 be celebrated within
the mansion
His Notable Tariff Message.
There was notable conflict with the
Senate in the winter OF 1856 over a demand
for all the papers in the case Of an off,
cial removed. A long struggle ensued over
other removals, but the Senate eventually
confirmed most Of the appointments The
President forwarded a message to the
Senate. contending that the authority for
removal or suspension from Office lay en-
tirely with the Executive. Just as he was
entering upon the last half Of his first
term, Mr.. Cleveland precipitated his IA
nous tarir message.
1t was presented TO Congress in Decem-
Der. 1887, and precipitated the tariff strug-
gle. which was the dominant issue in two
subsequent Presidential campaigns. in
one Of which he was defeated for re-elec-
ton. and in the second OF which he WAS
triumphantly intrenched in power. This
message. probably the most famous OF all
Mr.. Cleveland's state papers. was devoted
entirely 20 Plea for the revision Of the
tariff
The campaign Of 1883 came on a few
country had prospered under his admins
tration. Although there had been fre-
quent conflicts Of authority, not only with
the Republican Senate. but TO some extent
with the House, which remained Demo-
cratic throughout the four wears the
Democrats entered upon the campaign
with confidence. Mr.. Cleveland was
unanimously renominated at St. Louis in
June. lS'S an honor that had been ac-
corded 10 no other candidate than Gen
Grant, since the second nomination ~
Jackson.
The tariff was a leading issue in that
campaign, one OF the hardest fought IN
TO that time of any since the first Lin
coin campaign. The Democratic platform
was mainly an echo Of Cleveland's unioue
message to Congress the previous ne
cember. and Democrats entered the cam
paign with the highest hopes OF victory
On October a. just before the November
election, there appeared the celebrated
Murchison letter. written from California
by a supposed Englishman TO Sir Sack-
vile West, for information about the
two political parties. Sir Sackvile re-
piled conhdentially. expressing a favor
able opinion Of the disposition Of the
Democracy toward England. Six davs
later President Cleveland requested the
minister's recall. The letter was regarded
by Republicans as having wide infiu-
ence on the campaign, especially as the
Jealousy Of England was much stronger
then than now
Defeated, Had Popular Majority.
Gen. Benjamin Harrison was elected
over Mr.. Cleveland by Go votes in the
electoral college. Gen. Harrison having
20 and Mr.. Cleveland lsS, but MI Cleve-