executed of beaten copper by Bartholdi, an eminent sculptor. The cornerstone of the pedestal was laid on an island in the harbor of New York in August, 1884. The height of the pedestal and statue is about 300 feet. The statue, designed for a lighthouse, is on Bedloe's Island, where it was unveiled. with imposing ceremonies, in October, 1885.

The visit of M. De Lesseps to the United States and the Isthmus of Panama, in 1880, in furtherance of his scheme for the construction of a Ship Canal across the isthmus, aroused the American government and people to the importance of such a work at another point on the narrow strip of earth which connects North and South America. In November, 1884, a treaty between the United States and Nicaragua, which provided that the former should construct a canal across the isthmus of Tehuantepec, and the latter grant the right of way, with a strip of territory three miles wide. The Senate of the United States failed to ratify the treaty, but the project was not abandoned.

During the same month a treaty was negotiated between the United States and Spain for commercial reciprocity between our Republic and Cuba and Port Rico. The Senate did not ratify it.

The Second Session of the Forty-eighth Congress began on Dec. 1, 1884. The President in his annual message to Congress alluded with satisfaction to the labors of the Civil Service Commission, and the salutary performances of the Utah Commissioners, and again recommended Congress to assume absolute political control of the Utah Territory. He called their attention to the condition of our foreign trade, which he regarded as "one of the gravest of the problems which appeal to the wisdom of Congress." It was shown that only a little more than seventeen per cent. of our combined exports and imports were conveyed in American vessels.

A "World's Fair" was opened at New Orleans in December, 1884, in the presence of 30,000 people. The Exhibition was instrumental in promoting harmony and good feeling between the citizens of the Republic in all sections.

In December, 1884, the capstone of the obelisk, constituting the Washington monument at the National Capital, was put in place, and on the 22d of February following the obelisk was dedicated with imposing ceremonies.

The Administration of President Arthur closed on the 4th of March, 1885. The National debt, which on January 1, 1866, was $2,800,000,000 had been reduced one half on January, 1, 1885. Arthur was succeeded by Grover Cleve

land, like himself a citizen of New York, as the occupant of the chair of State of the Great Republic of the West.

Congress, just before its expiration on March 4, 1885, honored General U. S. Grant by authorizing the President to place him on the retired list of the Army with full pay and title of General, for life. Immediately after this act, Grover Cleveland was inaugurated President of the United States in the presence of 40,000 or 50,000 citizens of the Republic.

ADMINISTRATION OF GROVER CLEVELAND.

GROVER CLEVELAND, a son of a Presbyterian clergyman, a successful lawyer, a Mayor of Buffalo, N. Y., and Governor of the State of New York, was elected President of the United States in the autumn of 1884, and took his seat in the presidential chair on the 4th of March, 1885, at the age of fiftyone years. His administration of public affairs in the commonwealth of New York had been so generally satisfactory, that he began his national administration with the good will of all parties in the Republic. The oath of office was administered to him by Chief Justice Waite. His inaugural address was received with great enthusiasm by a vast crowd, who heard it uttered on the eastern portico of the Capitol.

The administration of Mr. Cleveland was marked by many important events in the history of our nation. Almost his first act was to withdraw from the Senate the unratified treaty with Nicaragua, with a view to the subsequent presentation of a substitute. It was early in his administration that the Prohibition law of the State of Iowa, passed in 1884, was submitted to a constitutional test. The unanimous opinion of a full bench of the Supreme Court of the State pronounced the act to be constitutional.

In the Spring of 1885 a rebellion or large mob having suddenly appeared in the Isthmus of Panama, which menaced the safety of American property if not lives there, and had destroyed Colon or Aspinwall by fire, over a thousand marines of the United States Navy were sent thither. They landed at the ruined town, crossed the Isthmus to Panama and soon restored order. Trouble with the fierce Apache Indians, led by an able chief, Geronimo, gave much alarm in Arizona, New Mexico and the border districts of Mexico, but United States troops soon subdued them. They are the most warlike of our Indian tribes. In July, the same year the Cheyenne Indians broke out of their Reservation and went into Texas, creating great alarm. General

Sheridan hastened to Fort Reno, whither United States troops were sent. Led by General Miles they soon ended the outbreak and the scare. The Cheyennes were brought back to their Reservation and made satisfied by just

treatment.

On the 23d of July (1885), ex-President and General U. S. Grant died at Mount McGregor, not far from Saratoga Springs. His body was taken first to Albany, where it lay in state for a brief period, when it was conveyed to New York by railroad. It lay in state in the City Hall there, and was interred in a temporary vault in Riverside Park, on the banks of the Hudson, in the Great Metropolis. The largest and most distinguished procession ever seen in New York city followed his remains to the tomb.

Knights of Labor, a very strong association of Labor Leagues of various kinds, assuming to control and regulate the labor arrangements between employers and the employed of the country, tried the power of the association by ordering a "strike," or cessation from labor, on railroad lines centering at St. Louis, Missouri. They began their operations by ordering a strike on the street cars of St. Louis at a time (October) when fully 100,000 strangers were in the city attending a great Fair. A mob wrecked twenty street cars in the following Spring (1886). 8,000 to 10,000 employees on the Gould southwestern system of railways struck without adequate cause apparent, by order of leaders of the Knights of Labor. This was the beginning of an attempt to cripple the great system of railroads in that region and so impress the people with a sense of the power of the Knights. For some time all traffic was paralyzed, and the malign influence of the movement was felt all over the country.

Archbishop McCloskey, the first Cardinal in America, died at his Episcopal residence in New York City on Oct. 7th, and on the 29th of the same month, Major-General George B. McClellan, ex-Governor of New Jersey, died very suddenly of heart disease at his residence in New York City.

The first session of the Forty-ninth Congress began on December 4, 1885. The sudden death of Vice-President Hendricks, in the Fall of 1885, left the chair of the president of the Senate vacant. General John A. Logan was nominated by the Republicans to fill the place pro tempore, but declined; Senator John Sherman accepted it. The Democrats nominated Isham Harris for the position. They also nominated John S. Carlisle of Kentucky for Speaker of the House, in which they had a majority, and he was elected.

In his first annual message President Cleveland made special reference to

the condition of the National finances, and suggested that in any modification of the revenue laws the industries and interests in which citizens had made large investments should not be "ruthlessly injured or destroyed;" and that the interests of American labor should be protected. He alluded to the enormous amount-$65,000,000-of coinage then in the treasury, largely in silver, and the evils to be apprehended from such a state of affairs. Indian Reservations and Chinese policy; immigration; Polygamy in Utah, and the Nicaragua Canal treaty, were noticed at length. He opposed the Canal treaty and concluded not to return it to the Senate.

At the middle of December, a conspiracy was discovered in San Francisco, formed by a band of dynamiters, to destroy several leading citizens with the terrible explosive, and to murder all the Chinese there. The conspirators were arrested.

The dusky natives occupying the "Indian Territory" were much disturbed by the introduction of Bills into Congress tending to interfere with their political rights and their property. The Cherokees, the most enlightened of these natives, took action in council, and by resolutions denied the right of the United States to dispose of their property in any way, save by the consent of their Council; also, that the Cherokee nation did not authorize the sale of any of its lands for white settlements or for any purpose.

The "Mormon Question" occupied the attention of Congress. Senator Edmunds of Vermont introduced into the Senate a stringent Anti-Polygamy bill, which passed that body on January 8th (1886) by 37 yeas to 7 nays. At about the same time, the Land Commissioners made a decision which affected a claim of the Northern Pacific Railroad to about two and a half million acres of land, valued at $25,000,000. The validity of the claim of the Company to these lands had long been disputed by settlers on them, many of whom had made improvements. The decision of the Commissioners was against the claim of the Company.

The Presidential Succession Act became a law at the middle of January (1886). It provides that in case of the death of the President and VicePresident of the United States the vacancy shall be filled by a member of his cabinet selected in the following order: the Secretary of State; of the Treasury; of War; the Attorney-General; the Post-Master-General; the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Interior.

Early in March, 1886, a State Anti-Chinese Convention held at Sacramento, California, organized an Anti-Chinese non-partisan Association for the

purpose of discouraging the employment of Chinese labor. The Association resolved to "boycott" any person who should employ Chinese labor, directly or indirectly, or who should purchase the products of Chinese labor.

Connected with the warfare of the Knights of Labor against the Southwestern railroads were the serious operations of a mob at East St. Louis, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Sheriff's deputies were sent from St. Louis to quell the disturbance, and being defied, they fired among the rioters and killed six persons and wounded as many more. The Mayor of St. Louis, who was drunk, tried to arrest the deputy-sheriffs, when shots were exchanged and one man was killed. On that night incendiary fires were kindled in the rail-road yards along two miles of river front. Forty-two cars were burned. The total loss of property was estimated at $150,000 before the rioters were checked by the arrival of Illinois State militia. The business of the whole country was deranged for more than a year afterwards by successive "strikes" ordered by the Knights of Labor or other "labor unions."

A serious movement against the order of Society was begun in Chicago in the Spring of 1886 among foreign residents, who were anarchists. They were chiefly Germans. A large number were engaged in riotous proceedings in the suburbs on May 3d. On the following evening a large crowd had been called together in the city to listen to seditious harangues, and to inagurate anarchist proceedings. After listening for awhile to incendiary remarks from a man named Fielden, the Inspector of Police led a band of the reserved police force to the gathered crowd and commanded the speaker to cease his harangue. At that moment a dynamite bomb was thrown before the front line of policemen, which exploded and killed several of the latter. At the same time the mob fired on the police, who returned the fire. Seven of the leading anarchists were arrested, tried for "murder before the act," in July, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged in November. By efforts to obtain a new trial, the interference of the United States Supreme Court, and a commutation of sentence by the Governor of Illinois, their execution was postponed for about a year. Four of them were hanged, two were sent to prison for life, and one committed suicide in his cell.

In June, 1886, President Cleveland and his ward, Miss Frances Folsom, were married at the Executive Mansion, in Washington, in the presence of members of his cabinet, Justices of the Supreme Court, Senators and Representatives, the Diplomatic corps, Lieutenant-General of the Army, Admiral