Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-22
Story of Democratic
Conventions to Date
The Convention of 1896
BY A. H. vANpENBERG

The Convention of 1896
The 1895 Democratic national
convention, which gathered in Chi
cago on July. Z, was destined TO split
the party quite as the later 1912
convention split Republicanism. The
issue upon which the division came
was the free coinage of silver in the
famous ratio of "16 to l." and the
new Democratic chieftain whom
the occasion made, vas William
Jennings Bryan-then only thirty
six years of age-who was destined
to dominate subsequent party faiths
for twenty years.
From the moment the gavel first
fell, the convention hght ragged
around free silver" and from first
to last free silver won. The ma
tional committee had proposed Sen
ator David b. Hill of New York for
temporary chairman. He was
promptly endorsed by q vote of 556
to $40, when the convention substi-
tuted Senator John w. Daniel. a
free silverite," from Virginia. The
committee on credentials then de-
cided all contests in favor of the
free silverites." and thus augment
ed their convention control.
The resolutions committee then
reported a straight-away free Sill
ver'' plank which, after terrific de-
bate. was sustained by a vote of 626
to 900. 1t was in this debate that
Bryan-who got into the convention
only when the credentials commit
tee unseated the gold delegation"
from housekeeping into white
heat popularity and dominion with
that famous speech which conclud-
ed in these burning words-"We
shall answer their demand for the
gold standard by saying to them:
you shall not press down upon the
brow of labor this crown of thorns;
you shall not cruelty mankind upon
a cross of gold!'"
The "~silverites" were now so
completely in the saddle that the
gold standard" delegates realized
they were helpless to prevent a
free silver" nomination, even un-
der the two-thirds rule. They did
not withdraw from the convention
at the time. but 17S delegates re-
fused to vote on the presidential
roll-calls.
Richard B. Bland. of Missouri.
led the first ballot with 235 to
Bryan's 119 votes in a total field of
fourteen candidates. Robert Il.
Pattison of Pennsylvania (95) Hor-
ace Boies of Iowa (S5) and Joseph
s.. C. Blackburn of Kentucky (S3)
were the other principal contenders.
On the second and third ballots
Bland still led. On the fourth bal
lot Bryan went into first favor, and
on the fifth ballot he had 500 votes
Just twelve short of the necessary
two-thirds. Before the result was
announced, seventy-eight delegates
transferred to Bryan and he had
won his first of three presidential
nominations.
Joseph C. SibIey of Pennsylvania
led for vice president on the first
ballot in a field of fifteen. Among
these fifteen were four who had
commended with Bryan for first
place. Bland led the second and
third ballots (just as he had done
in the preceding presidential vot-
ing). Joseph r. Mclean of Ohio
led the fourth ballot. But Arthur
Sewall of Maine led the fifth and
last ballot, with the necessary two
thirds vote.
Two weeks later the Populists
also nominated Bryan, but linked
Thomas E. Watson of Georgia with
him for second place. The national
silver party, however, adopted both
Bryan and Sewall. Then, on Sep
TENDER 2 the revolving gold Dem
ocrats" gathered in Indianapolis
with forty-one states and three ter
ritories represented-and nominal
ed John M. Palmer of Illinois for
president. on a single ballot, and
General Simon B. Buckner of Ken
lucky for vice president by accla-
nation.
The result of this campaign was
the first election of President Nc
Kinley.