Presidential Problems

by Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland (1837 – 1908) was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He was the winner of the popular vote for president three times – in 1884, 1888, and 1892.Cleveland was the leader of the pro-business Bourbon Democrats who opposed high tariffs, Free Silver, inflation, and subsidies. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him an icon for American conservatives of the era. Cleveland won praise for his honesty, self-reliance, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism. He relentlessly fought political corruption, patronage, and bossism. lf in times of weighty new matters, there are any who have a moment for a backward glance, they would do well to review with Mr. Cleveland some of the problems of his administration which "illustrate the design, the tradition, and the power of our government." The chapters are "independence of the executive," "The government in the Chicago strike of 1S94." "The bond issue," and "The Venezuelan boundary controversy.""Presidential Problems" is the title of a volume containing four essays by ex-President Cleveland, two of which were originally delivered as addresses at Princeton University, while the other two appeared as magazine articles.All four of the essays have been thoroughly revised by Mr. Cleveland. The first, on " The Independence of the Executive," is an important discussion of a constitutional question which occupied the thought of the founders of our government ivs much, perhaps, as any other one topic. Mr. Cleveland's review of his own experience in the Presidential chair, immediately after assuming office, in 1885, is a contribution to history. The same may lie said of his paper on "The Government in the Chicago Strike of 1894," his defense of the bond issues in the years 1894-96, and his account of the Venezuelan boundary controversy of 1895.Whatever Cleveland says has solid worth, but the care which he has spent on '"Presidential Problems," and the essential worth of the problems themselves give his book great value to the serious reader, as a vivid, trenchant study of present-day questions, from the view-point of a thinker.No one of our presidents, aside from Lincoln, has, perhaps, had to deal with more vital and difficult questions than has Mr. Cleveland, and in dealing with them he has not lacked sound wisdom, unselfish devotion and efficient energy. He stood for the soundest and most characteristic American principles, when in 1894 he used the power of the Government to check, during the Chicago strike, what was growing into incipient rebellion, when in the same and the following years he saved the gold reserve and established the credit of the country on a sound basis, and when he made the "irrevocable" assertion to Lord Salisbury regarding the Venezuelan, of the right and duty of our nation and its readiness to sustain the one and perform the other at all cost and hazard.The method of presentation found in the book is clear, logical and direct, and bears the mark of authority based on wide information, and an intimate experience with the subjects treated. The whole is a valuable contribution to the literature of American statecraft. WHILE Cleveland is a part of all the controversies he considers in the four essays in this volume, he has been so long a private citizen, and is so likely to remain so, that he writes without a trace of partisanship, and it is clear that he has written precisely what he purposed to, complete and accurate statements in every detail. The essays are not intended as a defence of any government action, and contain very little of a controversial nature, but are plain straightforward statements of facts from the execu

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

Stephen Grover Cleveland was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897). He was the winner of the popular vote for President three times—in 1884, 1888, and 1892—and was the only Democrat elected to the Presidency in the era of Republican political domination that lasted from 1860 to 1912. Cleveland's admirers praise him for his honesty, independence, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism. As a leader of the Bourbon Democrats, he opposed imperialism, taxes, subsidies and inflationary policies, but as a reformer he also worked against corruption, patronage, and bossism.

Some of Cleveland's actions caused controversy even within his own party. His intervention in the Pullman Strike of 1894 in order to keep the railroads moving angered labor unions, and his support of the gold standard and opposition to free silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democrats. Furthermore, critics complained that he had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in his second term. Even so, his reputation for honesty and good character survived the troubles of his second term. In the words of his biographer, Allan Nevins, "in Grover Cleveland the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not."

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy cow -- Grover Cleveland is a long-winded (and seemingly self-serving) of presidential writers. No issue can be written about without long sentences and vague but pompous words, and I regret to say without also being narrow-minded.

For example, he talks about all the work he did to resolve the Pullman strike except for actually talking to the strikers or the Pullman company. At the same time, he denies that workers for the Pullman company (a company dedicated to making rail cars and staffing the Pullman sleeping cars and parlor cars) could possibly legitimately join a "railroad" union. This is inconceivable: the company is entirely devoted to the railroad way of life; how could it not be a "railroad" company. And Cleveland isn't just stating a preference; he comes right out and declares that no right-thinking person could ever disagree.

[Marian]

Own the 1904 1st edition published by The Century Co. owned previously by Connecticut College, with their bookplate on the front inside cover and their stamp on the title page.