Then, again, that was the year of the Presidential election, and the Democrats were as confident of success that year as they had been in 1876 and in 1880.
For President and Vice-President the candidates were Blaine and Logan, Republicans, and Cleveland and Hendricks, Democrats.
Mr.Cleveland had the prestige of having been elected Governor of New York by a majority of about one hundred thousand.

New York was believed to be the pivotal and the decisive State, and that its votes would determine the election for President.

That the Republicans, even with such a popular man as Mr.Blaine as their candidate, would be able to overcome the immense majority by which Mr.Cleveland had carried the State for Governor was not believed by any Democrat to be possible.

The Democrats did not take into account any of the local circumstances that contributed to such a remarkable result; but they were well known to Republicans in and out of that State.

One of the principal contributory causes was a determination on the part of thousands of Republican voters in that State to resent at the polls National interference in local State affairs.
Judge Folger, President Arthur's Secretary of the Treasury, was the Republican candidate against Mr.Cleveland for the Governorship when the latter was elected by such an immense majority.