The Campaign of 1896 155 



tp his vote in the Senate in the event of a tie, he 

 should be given a vote, on ordinary occasions, and 

 perchance on occasions a voice in the debates. A 

 man of the character of Mr. Hobart is sure to make 

 his weight felt in an administration, but the power 

 of thus exercising influence should be made official 

 rather than personal. 



The present contest offers a striking illustration 

 of the way in which the Vice-President ought and 

 ought not to be nominated, and to study this it is 

 necessary to study not only the way in which the 

 different candidates were nominated, but, at least 

 in outline, the characters of the candidates them- 

 selves. 



For the first time in many years, indeed for the 

 first time since parties have fairly crystallized along 

 their present lines, there are three parties running, 

 two of which support the same Presidential candidate 

 but different candidates for the Vice-Presidency. 

 Each one of these parties has carried several States 

 during the last three or four years. Each party 

 has a right to count upon a number of electoral 

 votes as its own. Closely though the Democratic 

 and Populistic parties have now approximated in 

 their principles as enunciated in the platforms of 

 Chicago and St. Louis, they yet do differ on cer- 

 tain points, and neither would have any chance of 

 beating the Republicans without the help of the 

 other. The result has been a coalition, yet each 

 party to the coalition has retained enough of its 

 jealous individuality to make it refuse to accept the 



