people. The Republican Party also supports large businesses. Usually, due to their differing ideals, elections can be one-sided and predictable. Now that the political parties have been reviewed and their histories revisited, let’s look at the candidates.
The Two Competitors
The two candidates of this election were Grover Cleveland of Buffalo, N.Y. and James Blaine of Augusta, M.E. Grover Cleveland was the Democratic candidate. Born March 18, 1837 in Caldwell, N.J. as Stephen Grover Cleveland, he is the younger of the two candidates. His father died in 1853, forcing Cleveland to quit school to care for his family. He joined a law firm in Buffalo as an attorney and in 1863, became the assistant District Attorney for Erie County. He hired a substitute to fight for him in the Civil War so he could stay and take care of his ailing mother. In the years of 1870 to 1873,
Just the other day, all over the country, in every state and every county, citizens travelled to their local polls to vote for their choice for President. In the beginning of this election, nobody expected the drama that would be dredged up by newspapers and the gossip spread by the people. The election had been a close political race, with similar party platforms and agendas, so the people instead were forced to compare the candidates personal histories and virtues. Scandals had erupted on both sides, and now, as we wait for the votes to be counted up, let’s take a look back at the election.
The Political Backers
The two main parties in this immense political production were the ever popular Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Each has their own prodigious history and are opposites on the political spectrum. The Democratic Party is the older of the two; its origins can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson and the first political factions. The official start to the party was in 1828, when President Andrew Jackson changed the name of the Democratic-Republican Party
to just the Democratic Party. The party supports farms and small businesses, and believes in free trade. Members of this party feel that the government should help the people with public services. Due to this change, the party split and some members left for other political factions. The party split again during the War of Rebellion, just like the rest of the country developed a split over the North and the South. Ever since then, voters have associated the Democrats with the rebels of the South, causing the other party, the Republicans, to have a surge in popularity and power. The Republicans were started in 1854 by anti-slavery groups and the Free Soil Party in Buffalo, N.Y. and quickly grew into a major party. Former President Abraham Lincoln himself was a Republican, which meant that after the war the Republicans were very popular with U.S. citizens, and still are today. Here in Rensselaer County, many of the people are members of the Republican Party. Members of this party believe that the government should not interfere with the
Tensions High as Election Comes to a Close
he became the county sheriff. His real political career did not start until 1881, when he became the mayor for the city of Buffalo. From there, he quickly rose in popularity and became the governor of the state in a scant one year. That same year he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for President and has campaigned against his older and more politically experienced opponent, James Blaine. He was born in West Brownsville, P.A. on January 31, 1830 as James Gillespie Blaine. In 1847 Blaine graduated from the prestigious Washington College and then taught in schools for six years. He moved to Augusta, M.E. in 1854 to be with his newlywed wife and was the editor and co-owner of the Republican newspaper, the Kennebec Journal. Four years later he started his political career by serving in the state legislature, and four years after that, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1868 he became the Speaker of the House. Blaine was elected a Senate member in 1876 and during the Presidency of James A. Garfield he was Secretary of State. With the backing of the popular Republican Party and his previous qualifications, Blaine is a formidable opponent.
The Scandals and Exposed Secrets
It was a fierce fight between the candidates, with similar policies and stances on political issues such as Civil Service reform, sound money, public lands chiefly for homesteads, taxes and tariffs only for needed government revenue, and benefits for all laborers. Multiple rallies have been held for both parties, like the one held by the Republicans just last month. The only way to win, it seemed was to resort to attacking the characters of the candidates. Scandals were exposed on both sides to ruin each candidates public image. Grover Cleveland is known as “Grover the Good” due to his very upstanding and honest nature. He is a staunch supporter of getting rid of corruption, which is a refreshing view from the frequent political scandals in Washington. He is also well known for standing up to the Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine in New York City. Many people attacked his decision to abstain from the war and considered him a coward, but the major scandal that was exposed was the supposed illegitimate child he had with Maria Halpin, a woman who also lived in Buffalo. Ten years
prior to the election, Cleveland had supposedly sired the child with Halpin. Cleveland eventually admitted he had relations with Halpin and took responsibility for the child, but stated that the child was probably not his. It was rumored that he had insisted on telling the public the truth, even after being advised to cover it up. Republicans like to use the slogan “Ma, Ma, where’s my pa?” as a way to remind the Democrats of their candidate’s scandal. James Blaine also has a nickname, the “Plumed Knight”, for his speaking and leadership skills. Despite his best efforts though, rumors had spread that he has used his political positions to increase his monetary gain with railway stocks. Democrats quickly jumped on these rumors to form the slogan “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine!” What really killed his momentum though, happened in a convention in New York City, just a couple of days before the election, where a speaker at the convention claimed the Democrats were a party full of “Rum, Romanism and Rebellion” or in other words, drunkards, Catholics and Southern rebels. This angered the Catholics living in New York once they heard; being associated with drunks and the Southern rebels is insulting for anyone. That comment and its consequences in New
York can mean winning or losing the election for Blaine. These scandals present a tough choice for all voters to make. Reformer George W. Curtis remarked about the election, “We are told that Mr. Blaine has been delinquent in office, but blameless in private life, while Mr. Cleveland has been a model of official integrity but culpable in his personal relations. We should therefore elect Mr. Cleveland to the public office which he is so well qualified to fill and remand Mr. Blaine to the private station which he is so admirably fitted to adorn.”
To explain why winning or losing the state of New York decides the overall election, here is a quick overview of the presidential election process. People go to their local polls and cast their votes. Those votes are then counted and the majority vote wins the state. Each state has a certain number of votes based on its size and population. Depending on who each state votes for decides who gets the total number of votes for the state. With New York having 36 total votes, whomever wins New York can win the election. People from all over wait anxiously as votes are gathered from remote counties. They fear that either party will not hesitate to cheat. Despite the scandals and uncertainty, all citizens can do now is hope that their candidate won.
-Michelle Hutter
(U.S. National Archives and Records Association)
(Library of Congress)
(Library of Congress)
(U.S. National Archives and Records Association)