January 24

I know there is a Supreme Being…whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid.

Grover Cleveland, 22^nd and 24^th President, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897

- From his Second Inaugural Address March 4, 1893.-Cleveland was born in 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey, and spent most of his childhood and adulthood New York state. He was admitted to the New York state bar in 1859. During the Civil War, the Conscription Act allowed draftees to "hire" another to take their place which Cleveland did and continued to work at his law practice, gaining a reputation for hard work and honesty. In 1870 he was elected sheriff of Eerie county and,as sheriff, hanged two convicted murderers. In 1881, he was elected mayor of Buffalo and fought against corruption and cronyism in government. He gained regional attention and was nominated for governor of New York, again fighting against corruption in governmental appointments based on party "reward" rather than merit and the wasting of public money. He was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms, first in 1885 and again in 1893. As he took office in 1893, the nation was facing a depression which came to be called The Panic of 1893. In his address, Cleveland lays out parts of his fiscal policy..."Under our scheme of government the waste of public money is a crime against the citizen, and the contempt of our people for economy and frugality in their personal affairs deplorably saps the strength and sturdiness of our national character. It is a plain dictate of honesty and good government that public expenditures should be limited by public necessity, and that this should be measured by the rules of strict economy; and it is equally clear that frugality among the people is the best guaranty of a contented and strong support of free institutions. One mode of the misappropriation of public funds is avoided when appointments to office, instead of being the rewards of partisan activity, are awarded to those whose efficiency promises a fair return of work for the compensation paid to them...While there should be no surrender of principle, our task must be undertaken wisely and without heedless vindictiveness. Our mission is not punishment, but the rectification of wrong...The oath I now take to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States not only impressively defines the great responsibility I assume, but suggests obedience to constitutional commands as the rule by which my official conduct must be guided...Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid."