the cleveland era-第7节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


eveland。　Arriving　at　Buffalo；　he　called　upon　a　married　aunt；　who；　on　learning　that　he　was　planning　to　get　work　at　Cleveland　with　the　idea　of　becoming　a　lawyer；　advised　him　to　stay　in　Buffalo　where　opportunities　were　better。　Young　Cleveland　was　taken　into　her　home　virtually　as　private　secretary　to　her　husband；　Lewis　F。　Allen；　a　man　of　means；　culture；　and　public　spirit。　Allen　occupied　a　large　house　with　spacious　grounds　in　a　suburb　of　the　city；　and　owned　a　farm　on　which　he　bred　fine　cattle。　He　issued　the　〃American　Short…Horn　Herd　Book；〃　a　standard　authority　for　pedigree　stock；　and　the　fifth　edition；　published　in　1861；　made　a　public　acknowledgment　of　〃the　kindness；　industry；　and　ability〃　with　which　Grover　Cleveland　had　assisted　the　editor　〃in　correcting　and　arranging　the　pedigrees　for　publication。〃

With　his　uncle's　friendship　to　back　him；　Cleveland　had；　of　course；　no　difficulty　in　getting　into　a　reputable　law　office　as　a　student；　and　thereafter　his　affairs　moved　steadily　along　the　road　by　which　innumerable　young　Americans　of　diligence　and　industry　have　advanced　to　success　in　the　legal　profession。　Cleveland's　career　as　a　lawyer　was　marked　by　those　steady；　solid　gains　in　reputation　which　result　from　care　and　thoroughness　rather　than　from　brilliancy；　and　in　these　respects　it　finds　many　parallels　among　lawyers　of　the　trustee　type。　What　is　exceptional　and　peculiar　in　Cleveland's　career　is　the　way　in　which　political　situations　formed　about　him　without　any　contrivance　on　his　part；　and　as　it　were　projected　him　from　office　to　office　until　he　arrived　in　the　White　House。

At　the　outset　nothing　could　have　seemed　more　unlikely　than　such　a　career。　Cleveland's　ambitions　were　bound　up　in　his　profession　and　his　politics　were　opposed　to　those　of　the　powers　holding　local　control。　But　the　one　circumstance　did　not　shut　him　out　of　political　vocation　and　the　other　became　a　positive　advantage。　He　entered　public　life　in　1863　through　an　unsought　appointment　as　assistant　district　attorney　for　Erie　County。　The　incumbent　of　the　office　was　in　poor　health　and　needed　an　assistant　on　whom　he　could　rely　to　do　the　work。　Hence　Cleveland　was　called　into　service。　His　actual　occupancy　of　the　position　prompted　his　party　to　nominate　him　to　the　office；　and　although　he　was　defeated；　he　received　a　vote　so　much　above　the　normal　voting　strength　of　his　party　that；　in　1869；　he　was　picked　for　the　nomination　to　the　office　of　sheriff　to　strengthen　a　party　ticket　made　up　in　the　interest　of　a　congressional　candidate。　The　expectation　was　that　while　the　district　might　be　carried　for　the　Democratic　candidate　for　Congress；　Cleveland　would　probably　fail　of　election。　The　nomination　was　virtually　forced　upon　him　against　his　wishes。　But　he　was　elected　by　a　small　plurality。　This　success；　reenforced　by　his　able　conduct　of　the　office；　singled　him　out　as　the　party's　hope　for　success　in　the　Buffalo　municipal　election；　and　after　his　term　as　sheriff　he　was　nominated　for　mayor；　again　without　any　effort　on　his　part。　Although　ordinarily　the　Democratic　party　was　in　a　hopeless　minority；　Cleveland　was　elected。　It　was　in　this　campaign　that　he　enunciated　the　principle　that　public　office　is　a　public　trust；　which　was　his　rule　of　action　throughout　his　career。　Both　as　sheriff　and　as　mayor　he　acted　upon　it　with　a　vigor　that　brought　him　into　collision　with　predatory　politicians；　and　the　energy　and　address　with　which　he　defended　public　interests　made　him　widely　known　as　the　reform　mayor　of　Buffalo。　His　record　and　reputation　naturally　attracted　the　attention　of　the　state　managers　of　the　Democratic　party；　who　were　casting　about　for　a　candidate　strong　enough　to　overthrow　the　established　Republican　control；　and　Cleveland　was　just　as　distinctly　drafted　for　the　nomination　to　the　governorship　in　1882　as　he　had　been　for　his　previous　offices。

In　his　career　as　governor　Cleveland　displayed　the　same　stanch　characteristics　as　before；　and　he　was　fearless　and　aggressive　in　maintaining　his　principles。　The　most　striking　characteristic　of　his　veto　messages　is　the　utter　absence　of　partisan　or　personal　designs。　Some　of　the　bills　he　vetoed　purported　to　benefit　labor　interests；　and　politicians　are　usually　fearful　of　any　appearance　of　opposition　to　such　interests：　His　veto　of　the　bill　establishing　a　five　cent　fare　for　the　New　York　elevated　railways　was　an　action　of　a　kind　to　make　him　a　target　for　calumny　and　misrepresentation。　Examination　of　the　record　reveals　no　instance　in　which　Cleveland　flinched　from　doing　his　duty　or　faltered　in　the　full　performance　of　it。　He　acted　throughout　in　his　avowed　capacity　of　a　public　trustee；　and　he　conducted　the　office　of　governor　with　the　same　laborious　fidelity　which　he　had　displayed　as　sheriff　and　as　mayor。　And　now；　as　before；　he　antagonized　elements　of　his　own　party　who　sought　only　the　opportunities　of　office　and　cared　little　for　its　responsibilities。　He　did　not　unite　suavity　of　manner　with　vigor　of　action；　and　at　times　he　allowed　himself　to　reflect　upon　the　motives　of　opponents　and　to　use　language　that　was　personally　offensive。　He　told　the　Legislature　in　one　veto　message　that　〃of　all　the　defective　and　shabby　legislation　which　has　been　presented　to　me；　this　is　the　worst　and　most　inexcusable。〃　He　once　sent　a　scolding　message　to　the　State　Senate；　in　which　he　said　that　〃the　money　of　the　State　is　apparently　expended　with　no　regard　to　economy；〃　and　that　〃barefaced　jobbery　has　been　permitted。〃　The　Senate　having　refused　to　confirm　a　certain　appointee；　he　declared　that　the　opposition　had　〃its　rise　in　an　overwhelming　greed　for　the　patronage　which　may　attach　to　the　place；〃　and　that　the　practical　effect　of　such　opposition　was　to　perpetuate　〃the　practice　of　unblushing　peculation。〃　What　he　said　was　quite　true　and　it　was　the　kind　of　truth　that　hurt。　The　brusqueness　of　his　official　style　and　the　censoriousness　of　his　language　infused　even　more　personal　bitterness　into　the　opposition　which　developed　within　his　own　party　than　in　that　felt　in　the　ranks　of　the　opposing　party。　At　the　same　time；　these　traits　delighted　a　growing　body　of　reformers　hostile　to　both　the　regular　parties。　These　〃Mugwumps；〃　as　they　were　called；　were　as　a　class　so　addicted　to　personal　invective　that　it　was　said　of　them　with　as　much　truth　as　wit　that　they　brought　malice　into　politics　without　even　the　excuse　of　partisanship。　But　it　was　probably　the　enthusiastic　support　of　this　class　which　turned　the　scale　in　New　York　in　the　presidential　election　of　1884。

In　the　national　conventions　of　that　year；　there　was　an　unusually　small　amount　of　factional　strife。　In　the　Republican　convention；　President　Arthur　was　a　candidate；　but　party　sentiment　was　so　strong　for　Blaine　that　he　led　Arthur　on　the　first　ballot　and　was　nominated　on　the　fourth　by　a　large　majority。　In　the　Democratic　convention；　Cleveland　was　nominated　on　the　second　ballot。　Meanwhile；　his　opponents　had　organized　a　new　party　from　which　more　was　expected　than　it　actually　accomplished。　It　assumed　the　title　Anti…Monopoly　and　chose　the　notorious　demagogue；　General　Benjamin　F。　Butler；　as　its　candidate　for　President。

During　this　campaign；　the　satirical　cartoon　attained　a　power　and　an　effectiveness　difficult　to　realize　now　that　it　has　become　an　ordinary　feature　of　journalism；　equally　available　for　any　school　of　opinion。　But　it　so　happened　that　the　rise　of　Cleveland　in　politics　coincided　with　the　artistic　career　of　Joseph　Keppler；　who　came　to　this　country　from　Vienna　and　who　for　some　years　supported　himself　chiefly　as　an　actor　in　Western　theatrical　companies。　He　had　studied　drawing　in　Vienna　and　had　contributed　cartoons　to　periodicals　in　that　city。　After　some　unsuccessful　ventures　in　illustrated　journalism；　he　started　a　pictorial　weekly　in　New　York　in　1875。　It　was　originally　printed　in　German；　but　in　less　than　a　year　it　was　issued　also　in　English。　It　was　not　until　1879　that　it　sprang　into　general　notice　through　Keppler's　success　in　reproducing　lithographed　designs　in　color。　Meanwhile；　the　artist　was　feeling　his　way　from　the　old　style　caricature；　crowded　with　figures　with　overhead　loops　of　explanatory　text；　to　designs　possessing　an　artistic　unity　expressive　of　an　idea　plain　enough　to　tell　its　own　story。　He　had　matured　both　his　mechanical　resources　and　his　artistic　method　by　the　time　the　campaign　of　1884　came　on；　and　he　had　founded　a　school　which　could　apply　the　style　to　American　politics　with　aptness　superior　to　his　own。　It　was　Bernhard　Gillam；　who；　working　in　the　new　Keppler　style；　produced　a　series　of　cartoons　whose　tremendous　impressiveness　was　universally　recognized。　Blaine　was　depicted　as　the　tattooed　man　and　was　exhibited　in　that　character　in　all　sorts　of　telling　situations。　While　on　the　stump　during　the　campaign；　Blaine　had　sometimes　literally　to　wade　through　campaign　documents　assailing　his　personal　integrity；　and　phrases　culled　from　them　were　chanted　in　public　processions。　One　of　the　features　of　a　great　parade　of　business　men　of　New　York　was　a　periodical　chorus　of　〃Burn　this　letter；〃　suiting　the　action　to　the　word　and　thus　making　a　striking　pyrotechnic　display。*　But　the　cartoons　reached　people　who　would　never　have　been　touched　by　campaign　documents　or　by　campaign　processions。

*　The　allusion　was　to　the　Mulligan　letters；　which　had　been　made　public　by　Mr。　Blaine　himself　when　it　had　been　charged