THE SILVER ISSUE 169 



Republican, represented the radical element. In 

 South Carolina the Democratic party adopted the 

 Farmers' Alliance platform, swept the State in the 

 elections, and sent "Pitchfork" Tillman to the 

 United States Senate as an anti-administration 

 Democrat. Tillman admitted that he was not one 

 of those infatuated persons who believed that " all 

 the financial wisdom in the country is monopolized 

 by the East, " and who said, " ' Me, too, ' every time 

 Cleveland grunts." "Send me to Washington," 

 was his advice to cheering crowds, "and I'll stick 

 my pitchfork into his old ribs!" 



Every political move in 1895 was calculated with 

 reference to the presidential election of 1896. Both 

 old parties were inoculated with the free-silver 

 virus; silver men could have passed a free coinage 

 bill in both houses of Congress at any moment but 

 were restrained chiefly by the knowledge that such 

 a measure would be vetoed by President Cleveland. 

 The free coinage of silver, which was the chief de- 

 mand of Populism, was also the ardent desire of a 

 majority of the people west of the Alleghanies, ir- 

 respective of their political affiliations. Nothing 

 seemed more logical, then, than the union of 

 all silver men to enforce the adoption of their 

 program. There was great diversity of opinion, 



