The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-18
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKN. Director.
Washington, d. G.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.

The McKinIey-Bryan Race OF 1856.
Washington, Oct. 1.-THE hardest
fought political battle of American
history was the campaign of 1896 in
which William Mckinley of Ohio, van
! quished William Jennings Bryan of
Nebraska. The fact that Mckinley
was reelected with ease in his second
campaign against Bryan, and that the
Republican majorities OF 1895 look
| SO great on paper. has caused many
| men of short memory to believe that
Mckinley won his first election with
| out great difficulty.
In that year the Democratic nomi-
| nee, Mr.. Bryan, made the most re-
markable speaking campaign ever I'M
dertaken by any man. In the same
year, the Republican campaign man
sger, Mr.. Hanna, spent five times as
much money as had ever been spent
before in presidential race. The Re
with such consummate skill that the
name of Mark Hanna will live for
years as that of the best political
general the country has produced.
The year 1896-was a year of politi-
cal revolution. Both of the leading
parties underwent great changes, and
the number of Independent voters was
increased a thousand fold. Mr.. Cleve-
lands second administration began
with the country on the verge of a fl
nancial crash. The blow descended
and the panic of 1893 was on. The
money question, which both parties
had so carefully side-stepped for so
many years was presented in such a
way that the administration could not
avoid taking a position. Mr.. Cleve-
land and his cabinet decided to place
the country squarely on the gold
standard, and to disregard. the petty
sops which had been thrown to silver.
The treasury regulations accomplished
their purpose long before the Nc
Kinley administration came in. \
Democrats in Control.
For the first time since the first
part of Buchanan's administration the
government was in the control of the
Democrats, that party having-the pres
| ident and a majority in both houses
| of congress. Mr.. Cleveland called
congress together and urged the re-
| peal of the silver purchasing clause of
| the Sherman Act, which would finally
"demonetize" silver. His party diu not
| agree with him on that subject, and it
was with the greatest difficulty that
his purpose was accomplished.
President Cleveland had been an
exemplar of civil service reform, and
was opposed to 'pernicious activity
| in politics, but he went to the extreme
Of the use of patronage as a club to
drive the repeal bill thru congress.
Even then, it was done only by the
| help of eastern Republican votes. 1t
| left his party hopeIessly divided.
The Democratic landslide which re-
elected Cleveland was the result of
popular dfsapproval of the Mckinley
tariff bill of 1890. After the terrific
fight on the silver purchasing clause
repeal, the Democratic congress en-
| deavored to enact Democratic tariff
bill. The party was already torn
asunder and could act with no una
! the Wilson bill, which Mr.. Cleveland
| permitted to become a law without
his signature.
| AS the people had condemned the
Mckinley bill six months after it was
passed and before its effect could pos
sibly have been felt, by the election
of the Democratic house in 1890, so
the Wilson bill, charged with RESPONSE
| bility for a panic which was on be-
fore the bill was written, resulted in
| the overwhelming Republican con-
gressional victory of 1894.
A Year OF Split Parties.
All thru the three years Of the Cleve-
land administration leading up to cam
paign. of 1895 there was strife in both
parties. For a time it seemed that the
Republicans would declare for free sill
yer and that the Democrats would fol-
| low their president in advocacy for the
gold standard. Then 1t seemed that
both parties would declare for the
gold standard and the silver hosts
would enroll under the banner of
Populism. The Republicans felt GER
tain that they could win on the pros
perity issue, and by denouncing the
Cleveland administration for it's issue
of 1852 ,000,0 900 of bonds in time oil
profound peace" But they didn't
1 Al, a.. hU x
| ing sides in the money fight.
| Mr.. Mckinley and Speaker Thomas
1 B. Reed were the leading candidates
| for the Republican nomination fol
| president. Mr.. Mckinley had the good
| fortune to have Mark Hanna for his
political captain. Hanna organized
the states and took even New England
away from Reed long before the con-
lyention met. Mr.. Hanna was afraid OF
the money question and Mr.. McKinleS
was committed by his record to |"bi-
| metalIism." So the Ohio leaders at
more. The Ohio state platform con-
tanned a delphic utterance on the
money question which said nothing.
But when the national convention
met at st. Louis Mr.. Hanna found
that the question was one which was
too big to be straddled. Senator
Thomas c. Platt of New York forced
Hanna to accept gold standard plat
form. 1t was later modified by g
pronouncement in favor of interna-
tional bimetallism. which permitted
Republicans who had been shouting
for silver to come down gracefully
Senator Plat may not be regarded as
a great statesman, but in 1895 and
| 1900 he did thiags that left marks or
the history of the country.
| Westerners Bolted.
When the gold plank was adopted
thirty western Republican dele
gates, Headed by Senator Teller OF
Colorado, Senator Cannon of Utah
and Senator Dubois of Idaho, walked
out of the convention and into the
Democratic party. All over the
country there were Republicans who
loudly proclaimed the fact that the,
had bolted the nomination of McKin
ley. national silver Republican
convention was called. Mr.. Hanna
Chosen chairman of the national com
mittee, knew that he had a great jol
/ al Of hi Il h