Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/304

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254 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS general, Augustus H. Garland, of Arkansas; sec retary of the interior, Lucius Q. C. Lamar, of Mis sissippi. The nominations were promptly con firmed. On March 12, 1885, President Cleveland withdrew from the senate, which met in extra ses sion to take action on appointments and other busi ness connected with the new administration, the Spanish reciprocity and Nicaragua canal treaties, in order that they might be considered by the new executive. On March 13 he issued a proclamation announcing the intention of the government to re move from the Oklahoma country, in Indian terri tory, the white intruders who sought to settle there, which was done shortly afterward by a detachment of soldiers. By his refusal at once to remove cer tain officials for the purpose of putting in their place members of his own party he came into con flict with many influential men, who advocated the speedy removal of republican office-holders and the appointment of democrats, in order to strengthen the party as a political organization. At the same time the republicans and some of the civil-service reformers complained of other appointments as not being in accord with the professions of the presi dent. "Offensive partisanship" was declared by the president to be a ground for removal, and nu merous republican functionaries were displaced under that rule, while the term became a common phrase in political nomenclature. When disturb-