1. Beginnings: the presbyterian manse -- cleveland's emergence a turning-point in democratic party history -- elements of his character -- his birth and ancestry -- family life -- experiences in caldwell, fayetteville, clinton, and holland patent -- his father's death -- 2. The arrival in buffalo -- work with the blind in new york city -- study in holland patent -- reaches buffalo -- character of uncle, lewis f. allen -- buffalo and its history -- begins study of law -- 3. The buffalo bar and the civil war -- high quality of legal profession in buffalo -- standing of cleveland's fim -- influence of dennis bowen -- cleveland admitted to bar -- becomes assistant county attourney -- attitude toward civil war -- hires a substitute -- defeated for district attourney -- 4. A vacation from the law -- cleveland's habits and recreations -- his dual character -- election as sheriff -- the two hangings -- obtains a competence -- 5. The last years at the buffalo bar -- partnerships with bass and bissell -- characteristics as a lawyer -- high place at the bar -- social pursuits -- becomes head of firm -- 6. The mayor and the buffalo ring -- machine politics in buffalo -- cleveland elected on reform ticket -- the street-cleaning contract -- the sewage problem -- triumph over the ring -- the flanagan case -- 7. The path to the governorship -- the rivalry of slocum and flower -- the county democracy holds the balance of power -- e. k. apgar enlists behind cleveland -- the syracuse convention -- nominated -- 8. The first year as governor -- cleveland's attitude toward office -- corruption at albany -- tammany's threats -- courageous treatment of appointments -- veto of the five-cent fare bill -- cleveland defies boss kelly -- his record impresses the state -- 9. The breach with tammany completed -- work and social life in albany -- vacations and friendships -- attack on senator grady -- kelly's return attack -- roosevelt and the new york city bills -- "it's fun to be governor!" -- 10. The nomination for presidency -- tilden's withdrawal -- cleveland with the new york delegates -- the unit rule -- the chicago convention opens -- attacks by grady and kelly -- "we love him for the enemies he has made!" -- nomination on second ballot -- 11. The campaign of 1884 -- the mugwump revolt against blaine -- managers for the two parties -- the new mulligan letters -- the maria halpin scandal -- rôle played by butler and kelly -- the prohibitionist campaign -- republican blunders in last week -- cleveland elected -- 12. The new hand at the helm -- meaning of the election -- cleveland's feelings -- formation of his cabinet -- statements of policy on civil service and silver -- implied decisions on the tariff and foreign relations -- his inaugural address -- diplomatic and other appointments -- 13. A summer of practical reform -- routine of white house life -- ambition to reform the executive departments -- grave inefficiency of navy department -- whitney cleans house -- importance of public lands -- scandals permitted by interior department -- lamar institutes reforms -- customs abuses and manning's remedy for them -- other achievements -- 14. The onslaught of the spoilsmen -- pressure of office-seekers -- cleveland's hostility to spoils system -- dissatisfaction of political leaders -- threatened party revolt -- cleveland yields to a working compromise -- his general record -- 15. The tenure of office battle -- hostility of republican senate -- chooses ground for attack on cleveland -- edmunds and his errors of general ship -- cleveland found in impregnable position -- the attack repulsed -- 16. The "silver blizzard" of 1886 -- silver a continuous issue of the time -- policy of cleveland and manning angers the west -- bland's free-coinage bill defeated -- morrison's surplus resolution -- senate comes to cleveland's rescue -- deadlock on currency issue and dark outlook for the future -- 17. Cleveland turns to the tariff -- reasons why he approached it with caution -- activity of reformers -- randall's opposition -- the morrison bill -- its mismanagement and defeat -- cleveland's efforts in its behalf -- the tariff in the congressional campaign of 1886 -- the garland scandal -- results of the campaign -- 18. Marriage: the president and the public -- social life in the white house -- cleveland's engagement to miss folsom -- his marriage -- intrusive reporters and the honeymoon -- cleveland's outburst at harvard -- changed character of white house life -- favorable impressions of the president and his bride -- washington society -- trip to the west and south in 1887 -- new public view of cleveland -- 19. The ugly heritage of civil war -- sectional antagonisms in the eighties -- cleveland's blunt disdain of them -- his pension vetoes -- the dependent pension bill killed -- the battleflags order and foraker's attack -- cleveland declines to attend the st. louis encampment -- lamar's confirmation and ingall's bloody-shirt speech -- subsidence of sectionalism -- 20. Varied problems of national growth, 1886-87 -- problems of the future -- difficulties of legislating in congress -- the labor problem and the haymarket riot -- cleveland's arbitration proposals -- the pacific railroad problem -- failure of a solution -- the interstate commerce commission and cleveland's appointments -- the dawes severalty act -- cleveland's letter on guilford miller's farm -- agrarian discontent -- failure to study the rural credits problem -- tilden's death leaves cleveland alone in national leadership

21. The great tariff message of 1887 -- prospects for democratic success in 1888 -- the treasury surplus and its dangers -- pressure for tariff reduction -- the oak view conferences on the tariff -- randall thrust aside -- december message devoted entirely to tariff -- true nature of cleveland's courage in the matter -- reception of the message -- why it was belated -- 22. The tariff battle of 1888 opens -- divisions to both democratic and republican ranks on tariff question -- mill's tariff bill -- speeches by tom reed, w. l. wilson, and others -- passage of bill in the democratic house -- humiliation of the helpless randall -- blaine declines to be republican nominee -- harrison nominated on high tariff platform -- cleveland renominated -- struggle over tariff plank -- issue squarely drawn -- 23. The senate and the canadian treaty -- troubles over the newfoundland fisheries -- new england senators insist on a sectional form of retaliation -- cleveland takes steps to draft treaty -- visit of joseph chamberlain -- treaty rejected by senate without reference to its merits -- cleveland's indignation -- his proposal for a really national fom of retaliation -- discomfiture of the senate and its retreat -- 24. The republican revival: cleveland's defeat -- bad management of the democratic campaign -- chairman bryce's lukewarmness; lack of funds; slowness in starting -- vigor republican campaign under quay -- high-tariff propaganda by manufacturer's associations -- the handicap of hill's candidacy in new york -- bribery and block-of-five in indiana -- cleveland loses the electoral college -- indecisive nature of result on tariff issue -- 25. The return to private life -- cleveland's pleasure in escape from office -- the new home in new york -- nature of law practice -- birth of first daughter -- purchase of summer home on buzzard's bay -- cleveland's delight in fishing -- friendships with gilder, jefferson, and benedict -- 26. The silver letter and the hill menace -- blunders of harrison's administration -- cleveland's efforts to keep out of politics -- growth of silver movement in the party -- election of crisp as speaker -- cleveland's letter against silver coinage and its effect -- hill's manuevres for the nomination -- cleveland takes the field against him -- 27. The democratic return to power -- hill's campaign overreaches itself -- the snap convention and its results -- bourke cockran's speech in chicago -- cleveland nominated on the first ballot -- whitney manages the campaign -- hill and tammany sulking -- whitney uges cleveland to placate the machine -- the victoria hotel conference and its results -- the homestead riots and other labor troubles -- quiet nature of campaign -- cleveland's sweeping victory -- 28. Organizing the second administration -- cleveland's formation of a cabinet -- character of gresham, olney, and carlisle -- his inaugural address -- pressure of officeseekers and rules to control it -- weakness of the diplomatic appointments -- cleveland's renewed labors for civil service reform -- 29. A first victory: repeal of the silver-purchase act -- the panic of 1893 -- discussion of a special session -- cleveland attacked by cancer of jaw -- operation on yacht oneida -- opening of special session -- repeal of silver-purchase clauses passed by house-protracted struggle in the senate -- last-minute attempt at compromise and cleveland's courageous rejection of it -- his complete victory -- bitterness of the silver democrats -- 30. Hawaii and american imperialism -- cleveland's conservative foreign policy -- the revolution in hawaii and the role of the american minister -- cleveland withdraws the treaty of annexation -- blount sent on mission of inquiry -- proof of improper interference by americans -- gresham's proposal that queen be restored to throne -- tactical failure of cleveland's policy -- its moral success -- 31. Defeated: the wilson tariff -- "what were we elected for?" -- w.l. wilson introduces tariff bill -- admirable management in house and passage there -- cleveland's weakness in the senate -- gorman's coalition of high-tariff senators -- the house bill completely rewritten -- cleveland consents to passage in hope of changes in conference committee -- senators adamant against compromise -- cleveland's letter of denunciation -- passage of an unsatisfactory bill -- his refusal to sign it -- errors of his course -- 32. The western revolt and the first bond issue -- impoverishment of the west and south -- growing bitterness toward east -- strength of the populist crusade in both sections -- the first bond issue of 1894 and agrarian indignation -- the silver seigniorage bill -- pressure on cleveland to approve it -- his veto and precautions to hold the house in line -- coxey's army and the other commonwealers -- accentuation of unrest throughout the nation -- 33. The pullman strike -- suffering of pullman workers in 1893-94 -- their strike -- american railway union under debs involved -- general managers' association resolves to crush debs -- olney's prejudice against railway unions -- his program for dealing with obstructions to interstate commerce -- issuance of drastic anti-strike injunction -- olney's maneuvres to secure call for federal troops -- cleveland sends troops into chicago -- popularity of the act -- errors of the administration -- 34. Venezuela and british imperialism -- nature of the dragging venezuelan boundary dispute -- cleveland grows impatient in 1895 -- don m. dickinson's visit to white house -- his subsequent speech -- olney suceeds gresham in the state department -- his "twenty-inch gun" note -- salisbury's delay in replying -- olney and cleveland draft a message to congress -- its strength and weaknesses -- anguish of ambassador bayard -- real reason why england yielded to arbitration -- results of the affair -- 35. The storm at its worst: the morgan bonds -- disastrous democratic defeats in election of 1894 -- second and third bond issues become unescapable -- conditions make it impossible to float third publicly -- morgan's two visits to washington -- last-minute agreement with syndicate averts disaster -- increased anger of west and south -- supreme court annuls income tax -- court also strikes a blow at trust prosecutions -- the armor-plate scandal -- grave increase in class and sectional antagonisms -- 36. The triumph of bryanism -- cleveland's attempt to check silver movement in the south -- his failure -- irresistible strength of movement beyond the mississippi -- fighting ground in nearer farming states -- the fourth bond issue and pulitzer's attacks -- success of a public flotation -- state conventions give silverites a majority of delegates -- still hope they may fall of two-thirds -- whitney takes charge of fight -- the sound-money leaders reach chicago -- hopelessness of their effort -- nomination of bryan -- 37. The election of 1896 -- cleveland's dilemma -- formation of gold democratic party -- he endorses the indianapolis nominations -- attitude toward silverite officeholders -- forced resignation of hoke smith -- cleveland's interest in mckinley's success -- his relief after election -- bryan's weakness in south -- 38. The last months in the white house -- cuban affairs and cleveland's opposition to intervention -- his readiness to rebuke the jingoes -- efforts to induce spain to show reason -- the cameron resolution and olney's statement -- general arbitration treaty drafted -- cleveland's indignation over its defeat -- harmon wins a first victory against the trusts -- veto of the literacy test bill -- inauguration of mckinley -- 39. In princeton -- cleveland's social life in princeton -- his lectures and trusteeship there -- birth of two sons -- literary activities and their reward -- the spanish war and imperialism -- disgust with mckinley's policies -- the defeat of bryanism in 1900 -- the great anthracite strike -- cleveland's indignation toward roosevelt -- his return to popular favor -- the defeat of parker in 1904 -- 40. Last years: his place in history -- the reorganization of the equitable -- other labors in the insurance field -- hearst, bryan, and the democratic party -- removal from gray gables -- declining health and death -- public tributes -- nature of his specific achievements -- tariff, currency, administrative efficiency, foreign affairs -- his greatest service: the example of his courage -- his place in american history