158 The Campaign of 1896 



Watson would be a more startling, more attractive, 

 and more dangerous figure, for if he got the chance 

 he would lash the nation with a whip of scorpions, 

 while Mr. Bryan would be content with the torture 

 of ordinary thongs. 



Finally, Mr. Hobart would typify as strongly as 

 Mr. McKinley himself what was best in the Repub- 

 lican party and in the nation, and would stand as one 

 of the known champions of his party on the very 

 questions at issue in the present election. He is a 

 man whose advice would be sought by all who are 

 prominent in the Administration. In short, he would 

 be the kind of man whom the electors are certain 

 to choose as Vice-President if they exercise their 

 choice rationally. 



The men who left the Republican party because 

 of the nomination of McKinley would have left it 

 just as quickly if Hobart had been nominated. 

 They do not believe in sound finance, and though 

 many of the bolters object to anarchy and favor 

 protection, they feel that in this crisis their per- 

 sonal desires must be repressed and that they are 

 conscientiously bound to support the depreciated dol- 

 lar even at the cost of incidentally supporting the 

 principles of a low tariff and the doctrine that a mob 

 should be allowed to do what it likes with immunity. 

 There are many advocates of clipped or depreciated 

 money who are rather sorry to see the demand for 

 such currency coupled with a demand for more law- 

 lessness and an abandonment by the government 

 of the police functions which are the essential attri- 



