Election of 1896 Candidates and Issues

The Gold Standard, Protective Tariffs, and Law and Order

Aug 16, 2009

William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech did little to sway American voters that supported the gold standard and higher tariffs as a means to greater prosperity.

The presidential election of 1896 was pivotal because of the key issues that dominated the campaign. Republicans used the campaign to attack the low tariff schedules recently passed by the Democrats, asserting that the tariff helped exacerbate already depressed economic times. The gold and silver monetary issue also figured prominently and emerged as the chief point of contention between the parties. Finally, recent violence related to the economic downturn and the proliferation of strikes prompted one British observer to note that the Democratic Party had been “captured by Anarchism.”

William McKinley’s Front Porch Campaign

William McKinley’s selection as the Republican candidate had much to do with the indefatigable efforts of Mark Hanna, his friend and close advisor. Hanna was the “money man” whose adroit abilities among industrialists and bankers filled Republican coffers with a substantial “war chest” to fight the Democrats.

Although McKinley never left his front porch in Canton, Ohio, Hanna ensured that the message went out to every American. Herbert Croly, Hanna’s biographer, wrote that, “Cartoons, posters, inscriptions and buttons were manufactured by the carload – the most popular poster being the five-colored, single-sheet lithograph bearing a portrait of McKinley with the inscription underneath, ‘The Advance Agent of Prosperity.’”

Well respected Republicans like the venerable Carl Schurz wrote essays and speeches on behalf of McKinley. Significantly, most major newspapers supported McKinley on the basis of the gold standard. Yet it was not until October that it became apparent to Hanna that the tide had turned and McKinley would win in November. It also helped that the price of wheat rose just before the election.

Bryan had been acclaimed the Democratic standard bearer at the Chicago convention following his riveting “Cross of Gold” speech, a moment he attempted to replicate many times over during his 18,000 mile trek through the nation during the campaign.

But the pro-silver Democrats found little sympathy in large sections of the country. Bryan’s economics were ridiculed by the intelligentsia and his speeches reflected a lack of conviction and knowledge. Mark Hanna had correctly assessed that this would be “a campaign of education.” In this, the Republicans did a better job.

Literature of the Democrats frequently attacked Britain. England dictated “the money of the world,” an attempt to link the hard money men to London banks. Even some prominent Democrats like John Palmer, called “Gold Bugs,” defected from Bryan and formed a third party.

The Tariff Issue in 1896

Tariffs had separated Democrats and Republicans for twenty years. Republicans favored high tariffs as a form of protectionism. Industry and business fully supported high tariffs. High tariffs were sold to the American public as a means to achieve greater prosperity and eliminate unemployment. Historian Paul Glad states that the protective tariff was “A legislative extension of the myth of the self-made man.”

After McKinley’s victory, the Democratic tariff of 1894 was revised. Subsequent tariffs, even during the Progressive Era, kept schedules high. Tariff reform would not be accomplished until the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. In addition, the McKinley administration officially endorsed the gold standard.

The Election of 1896 and Transition to World Status

Significantly, it was the in-coming McKinley administration that embraced imperialism on a large scale following the defeat of Cuba in the Spanish-American War. Bryan, who did not support imperialism but leaned toward the views of the Anti-Imperialist League, would again challenge McKinley in 1900 on the issue of imperialism and the subsequent occupation of Cuba and the Philippines.

The Election of 1896 was important because it took Americans out of the Gilded Age and into the 20th century as a modern, global power. The old issues were buried even as the nation emerged as a viable contender on the world stage.

The copyright of the article Election of 1896 Candidates and Issues in Modern US History is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Election of 1896 Candidates and Issues in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.