Steph+O.+-+GC+-+SP10

. **Stephen Grover Cleveland March 18, 1837-June 24, 1908 Member of the Democrat Party Presidential Terms: March 4, 1885-March 3, 1889 and March 4, 1893-March 3, 1897 Term 1 Vice President: Thomas A. Hendricks (1885-1889) Term 2 Vice President: Adali E. Stevenson (1893-1897)**

I would have to give President Grover Cleveland the grade of a C for his two terms in office. While Cleveland did try to benefit the country through tariff laws and vetoing hundreds of bills that he saw unjust, but Cleveland did make quite a few decisions that brought him bad public opinion. Cleveland was facing a difficult time in the country as depression loomed. Overall I think his presidency deserves the grade of a C.

In his inaugural address, Cleveland claims that he wanted the government to be for the people and represent the people. He took a policy upon himself to not give favors to economic groups. He followed through with this plan when he vetoed a bill to give seed grain to drought-stricken farmers in Texas because he did not want them to become dependent on the care of the federal government. Although Cleveland did waver from his goal to be for the people when he fired two-thirds of the 120,000 federal employees to give positions to the Democrats that supported him. Cleveland definitely supported the people when he supported a bill to lower tariffs and, in effect, lower prices for consumers.

Congress and President Cleveland had a bit of a strained relationship as he vetoed hundreds of bills that they sent to his desk. Republicans dominated the Senate ant the Democrats controlled the House in his first term and in his second term power shifted hands between the two parties several times. Most of the bills Cleveland vetoed pertained to the pension and private relief, he did so to stop drains from the Treasury. Cleveland fought for lower tariffs, which in turn lower prices for consumers. This action also stopped the Treasury surplus, which Cleveland did not support. Republicans approved of his decision, but Democrats did not agree with the president following his own stubbornness. By enticing J. P. Morgan into loaning the federal government $65 million, Cleveland tinged his reputation in the eyes of Congress and the American people. He also allowed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff to pass without his signature in 1894, despite the Democratic plan to lower tariffs. Due to all these Cleveland-induced set backs the Democrats lost their power in the House.

In my opinion, Cleveland’s most positive action was to lower the tariffs in his first term. Cleveland took on an issue that had been avoided since the conclusion of the Civil War, and dug deep into what the outcome of lowering the tariff would be. The government needed to dispose of the $145 million dollar surplus they had obtained through the tariff. If the government had just lowered the surplus without affecting the tariff, the surplus would begin to accumulate again through the tariff’s ongoing profits. So the best solution was to bring down the high tariff. Through lowering the tariff prices for consumers decreased, monopolies received less protection, and an end was brought to the Treasury surplus. This decision definitely had a positive outlook on the nation.

Cleveland’s most negative decisions would have to be those involving J. P. Morgan and the Wilson Gorman Tariff. By taking the loan of $65 million from J. P. Morgan, Cleveland diminished his respectability and hurt the administration’s reputation. This transaction was viewed as a sellout of the national government, although Cleveland did not believe there was fault in his actions. Cleveland’s next big mistake was to pass the Wilson-Gorman Tariff. This bill barely lowered tariffs as it was weighed down by special-interest protection. But Cleveland disregarded the add-ons and the Democratic plea for lower tariffs, and allowed the bill to proceed without his signature. These upsets to the Democratic party pushed them out of power and damaged the party. Cleveland’s foolish actions impacted him and the American people.

Cleveland changed the executive branch for future presidents. He established the chief executive’s power by initiating a record-breaking number of vetoes and when he instituted executive privilege in refusing to surrender department files to Congress in a fight over presidential appointments. Through these actions he reestablished the balance between executive and legislative power. The Pullman strike is an example of Cleveland asserting his presidential power by sending federal troops to stop the conflict. He also took the initiative with Britain in the Venezuela border dispute. Cleveland took power in his own hands and reinvented the presidential position.

In the end of Cleveland’s presidency he no longer received the respect that he was granted when he first took off because of many of his harmful decisions. The country went through a horrible depression in 1893 and was slowly recovering throughout Cleveland’s second term. Cleveland attempted to fight the panic by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase. By the end of his term, the country was recovering from this economic down fall and business was reviving. The country was not in as good a shape as it was in before Cleveland took office, but there would be no way for an improvement with the depression looming. This panic of 1893 was out of Cleveland’s control although he could have tried harder to improve the nation after it occurred. Cleveland made many good decisions that benefited the country, but it is his faults that earned him the grade of a C.

Work Cited: "American President: Grover Cleveland." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. University of Virginia, 2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. . Degregorio, William A. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. Sixth Edition. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books Inc., 1946. 319-329, 345-352. Print. "Grover Cleveland." //The White House//. The White House, n.d. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .