As typical for that time, he acted in a stridently partisan manner while governor. He pointedly snuubed president Benjamin Harrison when Cleveland visited Oregon in 1891. He refused to use his resources to protect Chinese-Americans when asked by Grover Cleveland's Secretary of State on May 3, 1893. He again refused to intervene at the request of Cleveland when a group of unemployed workers, part of "Coxey's Army", hijacked a train to travel east and join a mass march on Washington, DC.