1888 State of the Union Address

1888 State of the Union Address

Date	December 3, 1888 (1888-12-03)
Venue	House Chamber, United States Capitol
Location	Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′23″N 77°00′32″W
Type	State of the Union Address
Participants	Grover Cleveland
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The 1888 State of the Union address was delivered by Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president of the United States, on December 6, 1888. This address was Cleveland's fourth and last of his first term.

Themes

The speech starts by addressing the fact that the year 1888 marked one hundred years of Congress, and reflections on whether the principles of the Founding Fathers were still being upheld to their full extent.

The President's reflections on the success of the American experiment were:

A century has passed. Our cities are the abiding places of wealth and luxury; our manufactories yield fortunes never dreamed of by the fathers of the Republic; our business men are madly striving in the race for riches, and immense aggregations of capital outrun the imagination in the magnitude of their undertakings. We view with pride and satisfaction this bright picture of our country’s growth and prosperity, while only a closer scrutiny develops a somber shading. Upon more careful inspection we find the wealth and luxury of our cities mingled with poverty and wretchedness and unremunerative toil. crowded and constantly increasing urban population suggests the impoverishment of rural sections and discontent with agricultural pursuits. The farmer’s son, not satisfied with his father’s simple and laborious life, joins the eager chase for easily acquired wealth.

Also in the address, the President warns about the dangers of the Communist ideology, the importance of periodically reviewing taxation and tariff laws, and the benefits of a limited government.