The Forgotten Conservative-a book report

Rediscovering Grover Cleveland By John M. Pafford I have been on a personal voyage of filling in the lapses in my memory of the decades before and after the Civil War. I found this book at Barnes and Nobel while visiting family in Anchorage. It was interesting to learn that he was a Democrat who believed the government should not interfere with the private sector. He defended the Constitutional limits of federal power with resolve. He vetoed more bills than all the previous predecessors combined usually on the grounds that Congress had acted without a clear warrant in the Constitution. He was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was a man of high integrity. This trait was why the voters respected him. All through his life that was his mantra. His rise to the Presidency was extremely quick, just three years after being elected Mayor of Buffalo, N.Y. There were no wars or crises to make him famous; he just did the job with prudence and skill. The biggest concern in those years was whether to base our currency on the gold or silver standard. Not a very interesting topic to read about. He was a devout Christian and believed that divine law was the foundation of human law. The following is a quote describing his view. “It is right that every man should enjoy the result of his labor to the fullest extent consistent with his membership in civilized community. It is right that our government should but be the instrument of the people’s will, and that its cost should be limited within the lines of strict economy. It is right that the influence of the government should be known in every humble home as the guardian of frugal comfort and content, and a defense against unjust exactions, and the unearned tribute persistently covered by the selfish and designing. It is right that efficiency and honesty in public service should not be sacrificed to partisan greed; and it is right that the suffrage of our people should be pure and free”. . Compare his philosophy to our current leaders. I rest my case. This not an exciting book but pertinent in comparison to where we are today. Jack B. Walters June 7, 2013