election, on the following Tuesday, gave Governor
Foraker a plurality of 23,329 over Thomas E. Powell, and the
legislature was Republican in both branches.

During the canvass I felt specially anxious for the election of
Governor Foraker and a Republican legislature. Some doubts had
been expressed by members of the Toledo convention whether the
resolution favoring my nomination for President would not endanger
the election of Governor Foraker, and his defeat would have been
attributed to that resolution. I did not believe it could have
that effect, yet the fear of it led to my unusual activity in the
canvass. I was very much gratified with the result. Before and
after the election the general discussion was continued in the
newspapers for and against my nomination, upon the presumption that
the contest would lie between Mr. Blaine and myself.

The election in New York was adverse to the Republican party, and
this and his feeble health no doubt largely influenced Mr. Blaine
in declining to be a candidate for the nomination. Upon the surface
it appeared that I would probably be the nominee, but I took no
step whatever to promote the nomination and resumed my duties in
the Senate with a firm resolve not to seek the nomination, but to
rest upon the resolution adopted at Toledo. When letters came to
me, as many did, favoring my nomination, I referred them to Green
B. Raum, at that time a resident in Washington, to make such answer
as he thought expedient.

CHAPTER LIV.
CLEVELAND'S EXTRAORDINARY MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
First Session of the 50th Congress--The President's "Cry of Alarm"
--Troubled by the Excess of Revenues over Expenditures--My Answer
to His Doctrines--His Refusal to Apply the Surplus to the Reduction
of the Public Debt--The Object in Doing So--My Views Concerning
Protection and the Tariff--In Favor of a Tariff Commission--"Mills
Bill" the Outcome of the President's Message--Failure of the Bill
During the Second Session--My Debates with Senator Beck on the
Coinage Act of 1873, etc.--Omission of the Old Silver Dollar--Death
of Chief Justice Waite--Immigration of Chinese Laborers--Controversy
with Senator Vest--Speech on the Fisheries Question--Difficulties
of Annexation with Canada.

The 50th Congress convened on the 5th of December, 1887, and was
promptly organized, the Senate being Republican, and the House
Democratic. During this long session of about eleven months, nearly
every question of polit