Date: 4-5-2001
THE MAKING OF A NATION #135- FIRST GROVER CLEVELAND PRESIDENCY
By FRANK BEARDSLEYVOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- A PROGRAM IN SPECIAL ENGLISH BY THE
VOICE OF AMERICA.
(THEME)
GROVER CLEVELAND WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN
EIGHTEEN-EIGHTY-FOUR. HE WAS THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC PARTY
CANDIDATE TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE IN ALMOST TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS.
GROVER CLEVELAND DEFEATED SENATOR JAMES BLAINE OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY. THE ELECTION WAS VERY CLOSE. MANY REPUBLICANS DID NOT
VOTE FOR THEIR OWN CANDIDATE. THEY VOTED FOR CLEVELAND, INSTEAD.
THEY BELIEVED HE WAS HONEST. . .AND BLAINE WAS NOT.
I'M HARRY MONROE. TODAY, KAY GALLANT AND I TELL ABOUT
PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND.
VOICE TWO:
CLEVELAND BEGAN HIS ADMINISTRATION BY ANNOUNCING THAT HE WOULD
REDUCE WASTE IN THE GOVERNMENT. HE WOULD MAKE GOVERNMENT MORE
LIKE BUSINESS. HE SAID HE WOULD SUPPORT REFORMS TO LET ABILITY
-- NOT POLITICS -- DECIDE WHO WOULD GET GOVERNMENT JOBS.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS WERE QUICK TO PROTEST. THEY EXPLAINED
TO CLEVELAND THAT THE PARTY OWED JOBS TO THOSE WHO HAD WORKED FOR HIS VICTORY. CLEVELAND HAD TO COMPROMISE. HE PERMITTED ABOUT
EIGHTY-THOUSAND GOVERNMENT JOBS TO BE TAKEN FROM REPUBLICANS AND
GIVEN TO DEMOCRATS. THIS LEFT TWELVE-THOUSAND JOBS. THESE WOULD
BE GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO DID THE BEST ON GOVERNMENT EXAMINATIONS.
CLEVELAND'S DECISION ANGERED REPUBLICAN REFORMERS WHO HAD VOTED
FOR HIM. THEY ACCUSED HIM OF SURRENDERING TO THE LEADERS OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
VOICE ONE:
ON OTHER ISSUES, HOWEVER, CLEVELAND REFUSED TO COMPROMISE. HE
OPPOSED GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC AID TO ANY INDUSTRIAL GROUP. HE
VETOED A BILL GIVING AID TO FARMERS WHOSE CROPS HAD FAILED. AND
HE VETOED ANOTHER BILL GIVING MORE MONEY TO MEN WHO HAD SERVED AS
SOLDIERS DURING AMERICA'S CIVIL WAR OF THE EIGHTEEN-SIXTIES.
THE PRESIDENT ALSO SHOWED HIS INDEPENDENCE BY INVESTIGATING GIFTS
OF PUBLIC LAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD MADE TO THE RAILROAD,
WOOD, AND CATTLE INDUSTRIES. HE FOUND THAT MANY OF THESE LAND
GRANTS WERE MADE ILLEGALLY. HE GOT BACK MUCH OF THE LAND.HE
OPENED IT TO SETTLERS.
VOICE TWO:
PRESIDENT CLEVELAND SIGNED INTO LAW TWO BILLS HE BELIEVED WOULD
IMPROVE GOVERNMENT. ONE WAS THE ELECTORAL COUNT ACT. IT SET NEW
RULES FOR COUNTING THE ELECTORAL VOTES OF THE STATES. IT WOULD
PREVENT FUTURE DISPUTES OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, LIKE THE ONE
IN EIGHTEEN-SEVENTY-SIX.
THE OTHER BILL CHANGED THE LIST OF OFFICIALS WHO COULD BECOME
PRESIDENT, IF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT DIED OR WERE
REMOVED FROM OFFICE. FIRST ON THE LIST -- AFTER THE VICE
PRESIDENT -- WAS THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
CONGRESS CHANGED THIS LAW AGAIN IN NINETEEN-FORTY-SEVEN. AND
THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR AMENDMENTS SINCE THEN. TODAY, THE SPEAKER
OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WOULD SUCCEED THE VICE PRESIDENT
AS PRESIDENT. THEN WOULD COME THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE
SENATE. AND THEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
VOICE ONE:
GROVER CLEVELAND APPROVED A BILL GIVING THE GOVERNMENT CONTROL
OVER THE COST OF RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION. THE BILL WAS CALLED
THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT. IT LIMITED THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
RAILROADS COULD DEMAND FROM PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO TRAVEL OR
TRANSPORT THEIR GOODS.
THE LAW ESTABLISHED THE IDEA THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD CONTROL
INDUSTRIES, WHEN NECESSARY, FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.
PRESIDENT CLEVELAND ALSO WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A GROWING NUMBER OF LABOR DISPUTES THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE LATE
EIGHTEEN-HUNDREDS. HE PROPOSED THAT CONGRESS CREATE A LABOR
COMMITTEE TO HELP SETTLE THE DISPUTES.
VOICE TWO:
CONGRESS FAILED TO ACT ON THIS PROPOSAL. BUT ITS LACK OF ACTION
DID NOT STOP THE RISE OF A LABOR ORGANIZATION THAT HAD BEEN
FORMED A FEW YEARS EARLIER. THE GROUP SOON WOULD BECOME THE MOST
IMPORTANT LABOR UNION IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS THE AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF LABOR, OR A-F-L.
LED BY SAMUEL GOMPERS, THE A-F-L WAS DIFFERENT FROM EARLIER LABOR
GROUPS. IT DID NOT TRY TO PUT ALL WORKERS INTO ONE UNION.
INSTEAD, IT TIED TOGETHER A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT UNIONS AND GAVE
THEM GENERAL LEADERSHIP.
VOICE ONE:
THE A-F-L WAS DIFFERENT IN OTHER WAYS. IT DID NOT OPPOSE THE
ECONOMIC SYSTEM OF CAPITALISM. IT SAID ONLY THAT LABOR SHOULD
GET MORE OF THE EARNINGS OF CAPITALISM. THE A-F-L ALSO OPPOSED
EXTREMISTS WHO USED LABOR PROTESTS TO CHANGE THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.
WHAT THE A-F-L CALLED FOR WERE THINGS WORKERS WANTED IMMEDIATELY.
HIGHER WAGES. A SHORTER WORK DAY. BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS.
ONE OF ITS FIRST DEMANDS WAS AN EIGHT-HOUR WORK DAY. THIS DEMAND
LED TO A NUMBER OF STRIKES AND PROTESTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
VOICE TWO:
THE MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE IN CHICAGO'S HAYMARKET
SQUARE.
MORE THAN ONE-THOUSAND UNION SUPPORTERS WENT TO A MEETING THERE
ORGANIZED BY AN EXTREMIST. THEY STOOD CALMLY AND LISTENED TO
SPEECHES. JUST BEFORE THE MEETING ENDED, SOMEONE THREW A BOMB
INTO A GROUP OF POLICEMEN. THE BOMB EXPLODED WITH A BLINDING
FLASH. SEVEN POLICEMEN WERE KILLED.
THE OTHER POLICEMEN BEGAN SHOOTING AT THE CROWD. SOME PEOPLE IN
THE CROWD FIRED BACK. WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER, TEN PERSONS HAD BEEN
SHOT TO DEATH. FIFTY OTHERS WERE HURT.
THE INCIDENT SET OFF A WAVE OF FEAR AND ANGER ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE PUBLIC DEMANDED ACTION AGAINST UNION EXTREMISTS. THE
HAYMARKET SQUARE VIOLENCE SLOWED THE GROWTH OF ORGANIZED LABOR IN THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS. IT WOULD BE SOME TIME BEFORE
LABOR BECAME A POWERFUL FORCE IN NATIONAL EVENTS.
VOICE ONE:
IN THE SPRING OF EIGHTEEN-EIGHTY-SIX, PRESIDENT CLEVELAND
ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS TO BE MARRIED. THE CEREMONY TOOK PLACE IN
THE WHITE HOUSE.
A FEW MONTHS LATER, PRESIDENT CLEVELAND AND THE FIRST LADY WENT
TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THE OFFICIAL CEREMONY WELCOMING THE STATUE
OF LIBERTY.
THE STATUE WAS A GIFT TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE
PEOPLE OF FRANCE. IT REPRESENTED THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THEIR TWO
COUNTRIES DURING AMERICA'S WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN.
THE STATUE WAS THE CREATION OF FRENCH ARTIST FREDERIC-AUGUSTE
BARTHOLDI. HE DECIDED TO MAKE A STATUE THAT WOULD REPRESENT
FREEDOM -- A STATUE OF LIBERTY. HE SAID IT SHOULD STAND ON AN
ISLAND IN NEW YORK HARBOR. THERE, HE SAID, IT WOULD WELCOME ALL
WHO CAME TO AMERICA THROUGH THAT GATEWAY.
VOICE TWO:
BARTHOLDI DECIDED TO MAKE A COPPER STATUE IN THE IMAGE OF A WOMAN
-- LADY LIBERTY. HIGH ABOVE HER HEAD, SHE WOULD HOLD A TORCH OF
FREEDOM TO LIGHT THE WORLD. THE STATUE'S FACE WAS THE FACE OF
BARTHOLDI'S MOTHER.
THE ARTIST ASKED FRENCH ENGINEER GUSTAVE EIFFEL TO BUILD A STEEL
SUPPORT TO HOLD THE HEAVY STATUE. EIFFEL WAS THE MAN WHO LATER
BUILT THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS.
THE STATUE WAS BUILT IN FRANCE. THEN THE PIECES WERE SENT ACROSS
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. IT WAS REBUILT IN NEW YORK.
VOICE ONE:
GROVER CLEVELAND AND HIS WIFE WERE NOT THE ONLY AMERICANS TO
ATTEND THE STATUE OF LIBERTY CEREMONIES IN EIGHTEEN-EIGHTY-SIX.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CROWDED ONTO SHIPS IN THE HARBOR TO WATCH THE
GREAT EVENT. THOUSANDS OF OTHERS CROWDED THE SHORELINES AROUND
THE HARBOR. EVERYONE CHEERED WILDLY WHEN A SIGNAL WAS GIVEN AND
A HUGE CLOTH FELL FROM THE STATUE.
LADY LIBERTY STOOD HOLDING HER TORCH HIGH FOR FREEDOM. UNDER HER
FEET WERE THE BROKEN CHAINS OF TYRANNY. BELOW THE STATUE WAS A
POEM. IT CALLED TO THE POOR AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD.
IT TOLD THEM TO COME TO AMERICA TO FIND A LAND OF HOPE AND
FREEDOM.
VOICE TWO:
GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR POOR,
YOUR HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE,
THE WRETCHED REFUSE OF YOUR TEEMING SHORES.
SEND THESE, THE HOMELESS, TEMPEST-TOST TO ME,
I LIFT MY LAMP BESIDE THE GOLDEN DOOR.
VOICE ONE:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. IT WAS ONE OF THE
GREAT ENGINEERING WONDERS OF ITS TIME. AND IT FILLED AMERICANS
WITH PRIDE IN THEIR TRADITION OF FREEDOM AND OPENNESS TO PEOPLE
FROM ALL LANDS.
WE WILL CONTINUE OUR STORY NEXT WEEK.
(THEME)
VOICE TWO:
YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM, THE
MAKING OF A NATION. YOUR NARRATORS WERE HARRY MONROE AND
KAY GALLANT. OUR PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY FRANK BEARDSLEY.THE
VOICE OF AMERICA INVITES YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS PROGRAM AGAIN NEXT
WEEK AT THIS SAME TIME.
Source: www.voa.gov/special/