Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-02
PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGNS
By FREDERIC J. HASKlN
XIX. MCKINLEY-BRYAN
RACE OF 1896
vYvASHINGTON. D. c., Oct. g.
w The hardest fought political
" battle of American history
was the campaign of 1896 in

w battle of American history
was the campaign of 1896 in
which, William Mckinley, of Ohio
vaaquished William Jennings Bryan.
Of Nebraska. The fact that McKin-
ley was reelected with ease in his
second campaign against Bryan, and
that the Republican majorities of
1895 look so great on paper, has
to believe that Mckinley won his
first election without great difficulty
In that year the Democratic nomi-
nee, Mr.. Bryan, made the most re-
markable' speaking campaign ever un-
dertaken by any man. In the same
year, the Republican campaign man
1 ager, Mr.. Hanna, spent five times as
much money as had ever been spent
before in presidential race. The
Republican campaign was conducted
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 1898 was year of polit-
ical revolution. Both of the leading
parties underwent great changes, and
the number of independent voters
was increased thousand fold. Mr..
CleVeland's second administration be-
gan with the country on the verge
of a financial crash. 1.-THE blow de-
scended and the panic OF 1898 was on.
The money question, which both par
80 many years was presented in such
way that the administration could
not avoid taking position. Mr..
Cleveland 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 &C
complished this purpose long before
the Mckinley 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 president and majority in both
called congress together and 'r urged
the repeal Of the silver purchasing
clause of the Sherman act, which
would finally "demonetiEe" silver
HIS party did not agree with him on
g aas sao1dejGs1T' ,o ana i vas with the
was accomplished. -.
President. Cleveland had been an
exemplar Of civil service reform and
was opposed, to ''pernicious activity"
treme Of the use of patroaage as a
club to drive the repeal bill through
congress-. Even then, it was done
only by the help of eastern RepuhIi-
can votes: It left his party hope
1SSSIy ulVlQeQ.
The Democratic landslide which
reelected Cleveland was the resnit
OF popular disapproval of the NC
Kinley tariff bill of 1890. After the
terrific fight on the silver purchasing
ciause repeal, the Democratic con-
cratic f fapiff 6i1i to TO-. enact Demo-
ready torn asunder and could act
with no unanimity. The result was
me passage of the Wilson bill, which
mr.. Cleyeland permitted to become a
iaw without I'm his signature.
McKin ,ne People i,I had condemned the
was passed and before its Effect dI #
could possibly have been felt, by
On the , e eoo Of the Democratic house
IN toSo, so the Wilson bill. charged
with responsibility for panic which
was on before the bill was written,
resulted in the. overwhelming Repub-
lican congressional victory of 1894.
"A Year Of Split Parties
-, All through the three years of the
Cleveland administration leading up
to the campaign of 1896 there was
constant strife in both parties. For
a time 1t seemed that the Repuh-
and that the Democrats would follow
their president in advocacy for the
gold standard. Then it seemed that
both both pa parties .EI4a - would declare for the
would enroll under the banner of Pop
ulism. The Republicans felt certain
that they could win on the prosperity
issue, and by denouncing the Cleve-
land land oadmndinaistration for its issue Of
$262,oOO,IOOO of bonds in time Of
want to split their own forces by
taking sides in the money fight.
Mr.. Mckinley and Speaker Thomas
p. Reed were the leading candidates
good fortune to have Mark Hanna
for his, political captain. Hanna Or
ganized the states and took even New
England away from Reed long be-
fore the convention met. Mr.. Hanna
and Mr. Mckinley was committed by
| his record of "bimetalIism, So the
Ohio leaders attempted to "straddle"
the issue once more. The Ohio state
platform contained delphic utter
anc s on the money question which
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
Hanna to accept a gold standard
platform. 1t was later modified by
pronouncement in favor of inter-
national bimetallism, which permitted
Republicans who had been shouting
for silver to come down gracefully.
as great statesman, but in 1895 and
1900 he did things that left marks
on the>history of the country.
westernerE Bottled
When the gold plank was adopted,
thirty-four western Republican dele.
gates, headed by Senator Teller. OF
Colorado; Senator Cannon of Utah.
and Senator Dubois, of Idaho. walk d
out of the convention and into the
Democratic party. All over the coun-
try there were Republicans VINO
loudly proclaimed the fact that they
ley. A national silver Republican
convention was called. Mr.. Hanna,
chosen chairman of the national COM
mittee, knew that he had great
lob ahead Of him and he set to work.
The Democratic convention met IN
Chicago. The Cleveland wing of the
party controlled the national COM
mittee, but the recommendatlons o.
that body were swept aside on me
first vote and it was clear that i Inc
A resolution commencing the then
present Democratic convention was
voted down with vengeful boots. n
man was ever hated more than the
Democratic national C connen110n the Se
nomocratic president of the United
| States. L,-ao+os lilo
Richard P. Bland, OF missouri anu
tasting for the nomination: The
story of their defeat is a most IF "a a
m S bit Of political history, VII
liam Jennings Bryan, who mad re- re,
ported the st. Louis c0hVs En-. .
X TGbra ao't newspaper, came to Chi
49, - +ha baad of conteSting dele
came the great debate on the !pda
form the eastern p. pem noo aritv lisG n
nat thg deb debate, Mr.. Bryan, then only
thirty-six years old, slim Of fig13Tree
wild wide fame in moment. The "a ia
nous "crown of thorns ana ei cross
| nf Hn1dm sneech whether the flgure