CHAPTER III.

REFORM GOVERNOR.

THE year 1882 was, in a political point of view, certainly one of the most memorable and probably one of the most influential years in our recent history.

There had for many years been mutterings of discontent, not only among the Democrats, but also among the Republicans. There was rapidly forming a well-defined and influential body of Independents, destined to draw upon themselves a large share of opprobrium and ridicule, but composed in the main of men not deeply vulnerable by the ordinary politician or party journal. But no one, even within their own body, imagined that their influence had assumed such gigantic proportions.

The year was now at hand in which these indications of discontent were to express themselves in a manner that surprised the whole nation. No such political "tidal wave" had swept over the country for a generation. And although the change was very striking in Massachusetts and other States, it was in New York that the most astonishing revolt took place. In that State the Independent vote for the first time showed to what an astonishing extent it had grown.

In 1879 Mr. Cornell defeated Governor Robinson by forty-two thousand votes (although, owing to the opposition of the "Young Scratchers," he ran 20,000 votes behind the rest of his ticket); in 1880 General Garfield had twenty-one thousand more votes in New York than General Hancock; but the Jeform movement of 1882 swept away these majorities, and gave Grover Cleveland such a majority as had never before been received by anybody in a State of the Union.

And this notwithstanding the fact that the Republican party was fairly well satisfied with the administration of Governor Cornell, and notwithstanding also that Mr. Cleveland's opponent, Judge Folger, was a man of acknowledged ability and high character.

This prodigious change was due to a combination of circumstances: first, it was a year of general reaction against the Republican party; secondly, there was a general uprising among the better elements of the Republican party in New York against dictation and intrusive interference in State politics by the National Administration.

Those in authority at Washington, together with a few prominent New York opponents of Governor Cornell, took it into their heads to defeat his renomination, and to name his successor. Changes were made among the government officials in Brooklyn, Albany, Utica, and other cities, for the sole purpose

of manipulating the local nominating machinery. Several of these officials who were sacrificed had been so efficient that the reason for their removal was apparent, and gave rise to a general protest in the journals and a greater one at the election. The people were determined to express in a forcible manner their disapproval of such a "debauchery of patronage."

The opposition to Governor Cornell from certain influential sources in New York sprang from motives even more unworthy than those which characterized the National Administration; so that the manner in which the nomination of Judge Folger was brought about was happily ascribed by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher to "a union of revenge and avarice."

In the Republican State Convention, moreover, there were well-founded accusations of bargaining and purchasing, and even of forgery.

In addition to these causes of the revolution in public sentiment, came the fortunate nomination by the Democrats of a man for Governor who had no record but a good one, a man who, as citizen and Mayor of Buffalo, had showed himself to have just the qualities needed in a Governor at that time. He had fully justified the expectations of the people of Buffalo that he would put down dishonesty in the government of their city; he had done this, and in doing it showed executive ability of a high order, an independence of party, a strength of will and straight

forward practical dealing with public questions that had won for him golden opinions and spread his name throughout the State.

Closely following the Republican Convention that nominated Judge Folger, came the Democratic Convention at Syracuse.

It adopted the following platform, presented by General Roger A. Pryor, of Kings County, the chairman of the Committee on Resolutions:

The Democracy of New York in convention assembled declare:

First. That whereas the country is again subjected by Republican maladministration to the evils and abuses which afflicted it in 1874, we reaffirm the principles of our platform of that year, under which the Republican party was driven from power, and the government of the State brought back for a time to the practice of economy and honesty.

Second. We arraign the Republican majority in Congress for its culpable failure to reduce the amount of taxation to a sum sufficient only for the legitimate requirements of government under an honest and frugal administration; and we favor such tariff and fiscal reforms as shall relieve an over-taxed people from all unnecessary burdens, and prevent the accumulation of a fund to be lavished in profligate legislation, and the support of a horde of useless and idle placemen. In particular we proclaim our condemnation of the River and Harbor Bill, in which, by the multiplication and mutual support of ob