36.
Chicago Nomination
Source:
Southern Mercury (Dallas, TX), August 6, 1896
Populists,
and previous third parties, had wrestled with how to deal with mainstream
parties for decades by 1896. Those
who advocated coalition with one of the mainstream parties were known as
fusionists. Those who advocated a
straight third party approach were called middle-of-the-roaders (they opposed
veering off the road to reform for expedient coalition victories).
Populists split badly at their 1896 convention into fusionists, who
supported Bryan's nomination, and mid-roaders, who wanted a straight third party
ticket. Democrat's nomination of
Arthur M. Sewall, a Maine banker and capitalist, for vice president provided a
major obstacle to nominating Bryan. In
the end, Populists nominated Bryan for president and Populist Thomas E. Watson
for vice president. This pleased
almost no one. Only special
negotiations prevented separate Democratic and Populist Bryan tickets from
appearing in most states. In the
end, Bryan lost anyway. He carried
the South and most western states, but failed to carry any state in the
Northeast or Midwest. Free silver
had little appeal to northeastern urban laborers who feared inflation would raise
the price of necessities.
For
more on the 1896 Populist national convention and subsequent campaign, see:
Goodwyn, Lawrence C. Democratic Promise: The
Populist Moment in America. New York, Oxford U P, 1976.
Abridged as The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian
Revolt in America. New York, Oxford U P, 1978.
Durden, Robert F. The Climax of Populism: The
Election of 1896. 190 p. Lexington: U of Kentucky P, 1965.
Middle-of-the-roader Henry Demarest Lloyd of Chicago gave the following assessment of the 1896 Populist National Convention.
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