De Alexander: “For twenty years he lived a life of poverty, yet of tireless industry, with a simplicity as amazing as his genius.”

In accepting the Democratic nomination Cleveland had the great advantage of not being obliged to refer to anything of which he was ashamed.

A keen, exhaustive and merciless criticism of the whole Philippine experiment....

He had been an honest lawyer as well as an upright public official, and the people believed that his stubborn independence and sturdy integrity would make him a real governor, the enemy of rings and bosses, and the foe of avarice and…

Indeed, his administration admittedly ranked with the best that had adorned the State for a century, and his friends, including Independents and many Stalwarts, rallied with energy to his support.