d office-holders by which the citizens in all our great
municipalities are robbed of their rights and their money; his obstinate
vetoing of one proposed law after another by which these people hoped to
gain their ends--vetoes for which he always gave his reasons in the
plainest words, meant to be understood by the plainest people--his
determination, in short, to be true to his principle declared on taking
office, that the affairs of government were to be managed as a man would
manage his private business--all this fixed the eyes of the people upon
him as a man to be intrusted with still graver responsibilities.

In 1882, Mr. Cleveland was nominated for the high position of Governor
of New York, in opposition to Charles J. Folger, a man of high
character, formerly chief justice of the Court of Appeals, and at the
time of the contest, secretary of the treasury under President Arthur.
For reasons into which we cannot enter here, but which, though purely
political, gave good cause for public discontent, Mr. Folger's
nomination roused the determined opposition of many of his own party,
and this defection, added to the united enthusiasm of the Democracy,
insured Mr. Cleveland's election by one hundred and ninety-two thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four votes more than were cast for Mr. Folger.

Mr. Cleveland administered the office of governor in such a way as
greatly to strengthen the admiration of his party, especially of the
better portion of it, in spite of the fact that partisan advantages were
often lost by Mr. Cleveland's independent and patriotic action. Nor can
it be doubted that his election to the presidency, which followed, was
the fruit of the experience the people had had of his character while in
the governor's chair. That campaign was one of the most interesting, and
we may say, one of the most valuable morally, that has been waged in our
day in this country. So far as mere votes were concerned, it was not
such a victory as that for the governorship, but in its political
meaning, and its influence on the course of our history, it was of the
first importance.

At the close of his first term of office as president, Mr. Cleveland was
again nominated, but was defeated by his opponent, Mr. Harrison; yet
when the time for choosing a successor to Mr. Harrison came round, Mr.
Cleveland was again nominated, and was elected, defeating Mr. Harrison
in his turn. The vote on this last occasion was so overwhelmingly in
f