Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-04
Five Minutes A Day
With Our Presidents
Nv IA&rFS MORGAN.
The Greatest Popular Referendum
In History
By JAMES MORGAN

The Greatest Popular Referendum
In History
Although William Mckinley was
described by his opponents as
Statesman with his ear 20 the ground.
he failed TO hear the warning ruInbis
Of the mighty conflict OF forces NnlSH
was 10 shake the parties and the
euntry 10 their foundations n the
! approaehing campaign OF 1895, the
most exciting IN political history.
| Until that great ba-tle s-Eeen gold
! and silver was fun upon HIN, NC
lK.nley looked forward 20 a one-Sded
contest on the tariff question = an
easy victory FOR himself as the ad-
vance agent OF prosperity and the
herald ~ the full dinner pail"
Protection had been his specially,
and naturally he preferred 10 pre-
scribe his own tavorite paaaeea IoF
the Ills % the country. On the sub
ject Of the gold standard he was
rather iukewarm having started out
IN ngTes as q free silver man ana
having voted atterEard for al =
! compromise silver legislation
Republican leaders generally and
! particularly those west OF the Ale
ghenies dreaded 10 AXE a stand for
gold IN 1895. They had been Emldly
~s,raddLng the question for twenty
years ard throwing sops 70 he silver
sentiment and they shrank now from
squarely facing n issue.
The Ohio state convention nom!-
mated Mckinley n March on a mean
ingles platform On the eve OF the
s.. Louis convention in June, he
drafted for the National platform a
money plank which warily Stunned
the word gold. Even after the con-
.vention had cast this aside n nom
mated him for President on a fiat
declaration for the gold standard. he
still chung 10 the tariff as the main
issue.
"I am a tariff man, standing on a
tariff platform" he said TO his friends.
The money matter is unduly prornl-
nent. In thirty days you won't hear
anything of It," In thirty days 1t was
the only question that the people
| would talk about. Toward the end
of August he reluctantly s~idetracked
protection and put gold first in his
tetter of acceptance.
The Democrats had come out for
free silver and Bryan was riding the
high tide of his sensational campaign
for 16-to-1. Silver men and silver
| States had bolted the Republican
ticket, and 1t had become startlingly
| plain hat Mckinley must win the
| votes of hundreds of thousands OF
| Cleveland Democrats who We're for
gold but who were also opposed to a
high tariff.
At McKinley's back in the fight
stood Marcus AlonZo ann of Ohio.
This ,multimillionaire had transferred
HIS genius for organization from the
iron, coal and shipping industry when
Grover Cleveland challenged in 1887
the protection which his great bust
ness enjoyed and he had jumped into
ipolitics with a determination in CleYe-
lands place.
After making Il losing fight for the
nomination OF John Sherman in 1888,
Mark Hanna turned to Mckinley. To-
gether they made Just the team that
was needed for a business campaign,
like that of 1895
The big railroads, banks, mines and
manufacturing concerns had been for
many years the ruling force in politics.
They were the so-called invisible
Government" controlling legislation
and the courts by controlling the
nominating machinery of both parties
in State and Nation.
A prudent business In those days
took care to have Democratic Is well
las Republican partners or directors,
and these saw hat their respective
parties put up safe candidates on
safe platforms. Having thus as
sured themselves that their interests
MOllu DOl lOSG NllltlcNtI Slue WOHl
they contributed to the rival parties
the money that enabled the politician
to conduct campaigns full of sounC
and fury. but signifying little.
In the disruption of the Democratic
party. the larger wing at the Chicago
convention of 1896 slipped out o
control of the System" adopted 4
radical platform and proceeded Il
run wild. The Interests saw them
.A1xrOa fh.nafANnI fAr t6A ApSt tim.
with the los OF political power, anC
that prospect alarmed them NOR,
than Bryan's slogan of 16-to-1.
! At this critical juncture Hanna
stepped to the front Incorporating
McKinleys candidacy on business prin.
ciples. capitalizing the fears of tn
business world and inducing it to un.
) derwrite the campaign with a stagger
ing fund. The swift tide that ral
against the Republicans in July wa
| turned in September; but money di.
not do IL. The men who gave to-
money did 1t. They took off theil
icoats and plunged in to save the in
/ Ivestment in Republican success which
Hanna had persuaded them to make
and their influence n example were
worth more to him and Mckinley tina,
IaH their dollars.
With only one special Interest behind
,him-the silver mine owners-Bryal
was hauled to the voters. But Hanna
hauled the voters to Canton by train
loads. delivering them I. o. b. at tn
/ candidates lawn, where Mckinley ad
dressed the whole reading NatioI
day after day without leaving hi
} dooryard. At the anne time million
, and millions of campaign document
fell like snowfiakes, covering tn
Hand with printed arguments and ap
lpeals.
Almost 1900. 900 more voters cam
out on election day than had votet
only four years before. Gold won anC
!. mckinley was elected in the creates
referendum that ever has been held.