considerable portion of the
Irish voters, who had been very friendly to Blaine. After that
incident, I met Mr. Blaine at the Chickering Hall meeting, and went
with him to Brooklyn, where we spoke together at the Academy of
Music.

The election, a few days afterward, resulted in the success of the
Democratic ticket. The electoral vote of New York was cast for
Cleveland and Hendricks. It was believed at the time that this
result was produced by fraudulent voting in New York city, but the
returns were formal, and there was no way in which the election
could be contested.

Congress met on the 1st of December, 1884. President Arthur promptly
sent his message to each House. He congratulated the country upon
the quiet acquiescence in the result of an election where it had
been determined with a slight preponderance. Our relations with
foreign nations had been friendly and cordial. The revenues of
the government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1884, had been
$348,519,869.92. The expenditures for the same period, including
the sinking fund, were $290,916,473.83, leaving a surplus of
$57,603,396.09. He recommended the immediate suspension of the
coinage of silver dollars and of the issuance of silver certificates,
a further reduction of internal taxes and customs duties, and that
national banks be allowed to issue circulating notes to the par
amount of bonds deposited for their security. He closed with these
words:

"As the time draws nigh when I am to retire from the public service,
I cannot refrain from expressing to Members of the national
legislature, with whom I have been brought into personal and official
intercourse, my sincere appreciation of their unfailing courtesy,
and of their harmonious co-operation with the Executive in so many
measures calculated to promote the best interests of the nation.

"And to my fellow-citizens generally, I acknowledge a deep sense
of obligation for the support which they have accorded me in my
administration of the executive department of this government."

Hugh McCulloch, upon the death of Mr. Folger, had become Secretary
of the Treasury. His report contained the usual statements in
regard to government receipts and expenditures and the public debt,
but the chief subject discussed was the coinage of silver dollars.
He said:

"There are some financial dangers ahead which can only be avoided
by changes in our financial legislation. The most imminent of
these danger