608 



PRESIDENTIAL CANVASS OF 1896. 



million votes in the last presidential election. The 

 fact that the Democratic convention had not only 

 placed in its platform many of the principles advo- 

 cated by the Populists, especially free coinage of 

 silver and denunciation of Federal action in sup- 

 pivsskm of disorder, and had nominated a man who 

 had been in close touch and sympathy with them, 

 led the convention to nominate William Jennings 

 Bryan as its candidate. But Mr. Sewall, the Demo- 

 cratic candidate for Vice-President, was rejected, 

 and Thomas E. Watson, of Alabama, was selected 

 as the vice-presidential candidate of the party. A 

 convention of men who had declined to co-operate 

 with either of the three parties above named, met 

 in St. Louis the same date, styling themselves the 

 Silver party, and also nominated Mr. Bryan, thus 

 making him the nominee of three parties. The 

 Populist National Committee organized by electing 

 as chairman the Hon. Marion Butler, l/nited States 

 Senator from North Carolina. 



Revolt of the Democratic Press. The action 

 of the Democratic National Convention on the sil- 

 ver question, as well as that relating to the suppres- 

 sion of disorder by the Federal judiciary and exec- 

 utive, was at once denounced by a Large share of 

 the Democratic press, in which they were joined In- 

 most of the independent papers, many of which 

 in recent national campaigns had supported the 

 Democratic nominees. Within ten days after the 

 adoption of the platform at Chicago, more than 

 100 daily papers that had been accustomed to 

 support the nominees of the Democratic party an- 

 nounced their opposition to the ticket and the 

 platform. This was especially l lie case in the large 

 cities east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio, 

 while several of the Democratic newspapers of the 

 South, especially in the border States, took similar 

 ground. In New York city every Democratic and 

 independent newspaper, with a single exception, re- 

 fused to support the Democratic candidates, and 

 most of them declared openly in favor of the elec- 

 tion of McKinley, although in many cases they did 

 not agree with his views on the tariff. Similar ac- 

 tion was taken by Democratic papers of Boston, 

 Philadelphia, Baltimore, Louisville, Detroit, St. 

 Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago, and was followed 

 by numerous others in the smaller cities. This ac- 

 tion was not so strongly marked with the country 

 press, free coinage being apparently more popular 

 with the agricultural population and the residents 

 of villages and towns. The fact that the most im- 

 portant Democratic and independent newspapers 

 of the country refused to support the Democratic 

 candidates and platform proved extremely disad- 

 vantageous to that party, since it deprived it both 

 of the direct influence of the press upon its readers 

 and of the most convenient method of placing be- 

 fore the public the arguments and statements that 

 its leaders might desire to present. 



Revolt of Sound-money Democrats. Mean- 

 time, great dissatisfaction with the platform of the 

 Democratic convention was developing among emi- 

 nent Democrats in all the States between the Mis- 

 sissippi and the Atlantic and north of the extreme 

 Southern States. Democrats of the Northern 

 States by hundreds openly denounced the free- 

 coinage plank as a proposition to dishonor the cur- 

 rency and obligations of the Government, and one 

 which, if carried out, would not only put a stain 

 upon the honor of the nation, but destroy the busi- 

 ness interests and standing of the country. The 

 friends and supporters of President Cleveland were 

 indignant at the attack made in the convention 

 upon his administration. This sentiment was gen- 

 erally expressed in vigorous tones by those holding 

 places of trust and honor under his administration 

 in all sections of the country. In addition to this, 



influential business men of nearly all communities, 

 aside from those of the mining States, without ref- 

 erence to party affiliations, openly opposed the prin- 

 ciples of the Democratic platform, and especially 

 those relating to the currency question. President 

 Cleveland remained silent, but several of his Cabi- 

 net officers openly announced their hostility to the 

 platform of the party. 



The National Democratic Nominating: Con- 

 vention. The result of the growth of sentiment 

 among Democrats who were opposed to the princi- 

 ples of the Democratic platform was that a con- 

 vention was held in Indianapolis, Sept. 2, 1W6, 

 which was attended by delegates from 44 States. 

 and which, after due deliberation, adopted a plat- 

 form denouncing the principles of the Chicago 

 convention relative to currency and Federal action 

 in governmental matters, and nominated John M. 

 Palmer, of Illinois, for President, and Simon B. 

 I'.uckner, of Kentucky, for Vice-President, adopting 

 the name of " the National Democratic party." A 

 national committee was formed, with the Hon. Wil- 

 liam D. Bynum, of Indianapolis, as its chairman. 



The Battle for the Agricultural States. 

 From the time that it became apparent that the 

 currency question, and especially the free coinage 

 of silver, was to be a prominent issue between the 

 great parties, attention was turned to the great 

 agricultural States of tho Mississippi valley as the 

 probable battle ground of the campaign. In New 

 England and the Middle States the sentiment 

 against free coinage was so strong that little doubt 

 was felt as to Republican success in all of them. 

 The advocates of silver, however, claimed for their 

 cause great strength iu the agricultural States, 

 while it was conceded that the South and the min- 

 ing States would support the platform and candi- 

 dates of the Chicago convention. 



As a result of the belief that the battle would be 

 fought in the Middle West, the Republican Na- 

 tional Committee decided to locate its working 

 headquarters at Chicago, having also a headquar- 

 ters in New York, and this was followed by similar 

 action by the other parties. This was a new devel- 

 opment in presidential campaigns, the headquar- 

 ters of national committees having been located in 

 New York on former occasions. 



The Republicans were earliest in the field with 

 the location of headquarters and the opening of 

 their work. They rented apartments occupying 

 several floors of the Auditorium Hotel in Chicago, 

 where Chairman Hanna was joined by the Hon. 

 Henry C. Payne, of Wisconsin, Hon. Charles G. 

 Dawes, of Illinois, and the Hon. W. T. Durbin. of 

 Indiana, members of the National Committee. Gen. 

 W T illiam M. Osborne was made secretary of the com- 

 mittee, and located at the New York headquarters, 

 the Hon. Cornelius N. Bliss, treasurer, with the Hon. 

 Matthew S. Quay, of Pennsylvania. Hon. Joseph 

 Mauley, of Maine, Gen. Powell Clayton, of Arkan- 

 sas, and the Hon. N. B. Scott, of West Virginia, 

 members of the National Committee, in charge of 

 the work especially relating to the Eastern and 

 Southern sections of the country. Col. Perry S. 

 Heath, former proprietor and editor of the Cincin- 

 nati " Commercial-Gazette," was placed in charge 

 of the literary work at the Chicago headquarters, 

 and Hon. William M. Hahn, of Ohio, was assigned 

 to the management of the speakers for the campaign. 

 Major Charles Dick, of Ohio, was made assistant 

 secretary and assigned to duty at the Chicago head- 

 quarters. Chairman Hanna divided his time be- 

 tween New York and Chicago headquarters, giving 

 the larger portion, however, to that at Chicago. 



The Democratic National Committee opened its 

 headquarters in the Auditorium Annex, immedi- 

 ately opposite the building in which were the head- 



