How Grover Cleveland Wore Out His Welcome

Grover Cleveland was once dubbed "Grover, the Good" prior to his first presidency, when he was the governor of New York. Grover opposed the graft of Tammany Hall, and he viewed his own political position as having been entrusted to him by the common men of the nation. Thus, although he was a Republican, he expressed an almost Democratic attitude during his political career.

Nevertheless, during his second presidency, Cleveland devoted a huge chunk of energy to trying to regulate monetary policy rather than to provide direct assistance to the needy.

In many ways, Cleveland believed that the needy were responsible for their own improvement. Indeed, even in his first term, he vetoed a bailout legislation proposed by members of Congress to provide assistance to Texas farmers whose crops had been ruined by a drought. Specifically, he opposed buying seed for these Texas businessmen on the basis that the crops they would grow would make little difference to the welfare of the United States as a whole.

Cleveland definitely sought to protect government institutions from powerful forces of corruption, which even in contemporary times constantly threaten to influence the course of the nation. However, he believed that citizens of the nation were in many ways responsible for their own welfare. For example, much like most men of his time, he believed that former slaves should not be given hand outs by the government. He was inclined to believe that most of these people were simply lazy and irresponsible. Thus, to supplement their livelihood would detract from his abilities to effectively serve the interests of the American majority.

Harry S. Truman speculates that Cleveland was weakened during his 2nd presidency, due to his prominent relationships with business interests. Truman speculates that presidents such as Cleveland become susceptible to influence from the business community because "some men are greedier than others, and they get to thinking they are the power rather than the instrument of power (Plain Speaking, an oral biography of Harry S. Truman, by Merle Miller, p. 116)."

Truman's observations regarding Cleveland's alliance with the business community are not far off the mark. Following his presidency, Cleveland was paid over $25,000.00 to reorganize the Equitable Life Assurance Society and to head the Association of Life Insurance Presidents. In fact, Cleveland was the only member on the board of the first company to receive a fee.

While it is true that a president must earn his keep following the completion of his presidency, Cleveland's business affairs may have negatively influenced his 2nd term. Truman asserts that they did, and due the his decreased popularity during his 2nd term, these conservative business interests certainly did not help him to meet the needs of the common men of his nation.

Sources:

Grover Cleveland, by Henry Franklin Graff, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., pp. 134-135

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