CHAPTER XXVII

Third Nomination of Grover Cleveland-His Election Over President Harrison in 1892-Democratic State Convention of that Year-Panic of 1893 and its Causes Special Session of Congress The Wilson Bill-The People's Party-The Democratic State Convention of 1893-Nomination of Lawrence T. Neal Against Governor McKinley-Election of McKinley— The Silver Question-Adjourned Sessions of the LegislatureThe Democratic State Convention of 1894—Apathy in Politics -State Conventions of 1895-James E. Campbell Defeated For Governor by Asa S. Bushnell.

The year of 1892 was a momentous one in the annals of the Democracy of the nation and also in the history of the Party in Ohio. In that year the Democrats elected Grover Cleveland to the Presidency for the second time, and the state Democracy came nearer to carrying the election than it did again for thirteen years. Twenty years were destined to elapse before the election of another Democratic President.

The Democratic State Convention met at Cleveland, June 15th, and made the following nominations: For Secretary of State, William A. Taylor of Franklin County; Judges of Supreme Court, John B. Driggs of Monroe and Thomas Beer of Crawford; Clerk of Supreme Court, William H. Wolfe of Fairfield; Member of Board of Public Works, John Myers of Clermont.

The Republican State Convention had met earlier in the year on April 15th and at Cleveland. The state nominations were: For Secretary of State, Samuel M. Taylor of Urbana; Judges of Supreme Court, William T. Spear of Trumbull and Jacob F. Burket of Hancock; Clerk of Supreme Court, Josiah B. Allen; Member of Board of Public Works, Edwin L. Lybarger.

The National Democratic Convention met at Chicago, June 1, 1892. There were three Presidential candidates, Grover Cleveland, and David B. Hill, both of New York, and Horace Boies of Iowa. David B. Hill was elected Lieutenant-Governor of New York in 1882 when Cleveland was elected Governor. In 1884 Cleveland ascended to the Presidency and Hill succeeded him as Governor of New York State and immediately came into control of the Democratic organization. When Cleveland was defeated for reelection to the Presidency by Benjamin Harrison, Hill aspired to be the next national Democratic candidate. He perfected his organization and entrenched himself solidly with the Democratic Party of New York, believing that a solid delegation from the Empire State would go far to bring him the nomination in the National Convention. In mid-winter of 1892 the Democratic State Convention met at Albany. It convened on February 22nd, and the object of holding the convention at such an early date was to enable Hill to carry out his plan of having the delegates to the National Convention named before the Cleveland forces could make a move. This was done and the delegates were all instructed for Hill. Because of its being held so early in the year and also because of the object in so holding it the convention became known as the "Snap Convention." Cleveland's adherents held what they called an "Anti-Snap Convention" in Syracuse on May 21st and also elected delegates to the National Convention. Tammany Hall was opposed to Cleveland and their orator of that day, Burke Cockran, made an anti-Cleveland speech in the National Convention at Chicago in the course of which he said: "Cleveland is the most popular man in the country on every day of the year except one election day," but the country did not agree with him nor did it like the idea of the Snap Convention. The result was that Cleveland was nominated on the first ballot, the vote standing: Cleveland 617 2-3; Hill 114; Boies 103; Gorman 36 1-2; Stevenson 16 2-3; Carlisle 14. Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for Vice-President.

The Republican National Convention met at Minneapolis, June 7th, and renominated President Harrison, placing Whitelaw Reid upon the ticket for Vice-President.

The Republicans of Ohio were not pleased with Harrison's administration. The first Billion Dollar Congress, which was Republican, had appeared in his regime and the press of all parties had cried out against national extravagance. There was a widespread feeling of unrest among the laboring classes which was greatly augmented by the Homestead Mills' Strike. The Democrats came very near carrying the state and did elect one Presidential Elector. That one was James P. Seward of Mansfield, and for the first and only time since the formation of the Republican Party, Ohio had the privilege of casting an electoral vote for a Democratic President.

The electoral vote stood, Cleveland 277; Harrison 145; James B. Weaver, People's Party, 22. The popular vote gave Cleveland 5,556,533; Harrison 5,175,577; Weaver 1,122,045; Bidwell, Prohibitionist, 279,191. The vote in Ohio stood, Benjamin Harrison, 405,187; Grover Cleveland, 404,115; James B. Weaver, 14,850; John Bidwell, 26,012. The Republicans elected their state ticket by a plurality averaging about 1,000, but the Democrats won in eleven of the twenty-one Congressional districts.

The year 1893 will always be remembered as the date of one of the great commercial panics in this country. It was caused directly by the calamity campaign of the Republican newspapers of the country, and indirectly by vicious legislation of the Republican Party. Cleveland found a depleted treasury caused by the extravagance of a Republican Congress the first billion dollar Congress of which the country can boast. Silver legislation enacted by the Republican Party in Congress had started the agitation of that question which finally became a campaign issue in 1896. Also nearly six hundred millions of fiat money had been put in circulation by the Republicans and this along with three hundred and fifty millions of legal tender notes issued during the Civil War had given the country a tremendously inflated currency. Great inflation is as bad, if not worse, than too much contraction of the circulating medium. The balloon that bursts is more dangerous than an empty one. It was the unreasonable expansion of credit which had no foundation of business basis, accelerated by nearly a billion dollars of fiat money with nothing in the treasury back of it, which placed President Cleveland in a difficult position immediately

after his inauguration. The bursting of the credit balloon was inevitable and could not be avoided by Cleveland or the Democratic Party.

The hard times had commenced before the election of Cleveland and as it was well known into what position the Republicans forced the country through an unwise financial policy and the depletion of the treasury, the Republican Press of the country began to prophesy disaster and to preach ruin with an energy that has never been equalled since the days of Habakuk. They based their attack upon the ground that Cleveland and the Democratic Party were in favor of a low tariff, completely ignoring the true condition of affairs. The assault was kept up against Cleveland and the Democratic Party until the desired result, namely, the undermining of public confidence, was accomplished. They sowed the wind and the whole country reaped the whirlwind. Five hundred national banks closed their doors and the money stringency was felt all over the land. It should be added that failure of crops and labor troubles further aggravated the situation. On June 30th Grover Cleveland called a special session of the Fifty-third Congress to convene on August 7th. His reason for issuing this call was set forth as follows:

"The distrust and apprehension concerning the financial situation which pervade all business circles have already caused great loss and damage to our people and threatened to cripple our merchants, stop the wheels of manufacture, bring distress and privation to our farmers and withhold from our workingmen the wages of labor.

"The present perilous condition is largely the result of a financial policy which the Executive branch of the Government finds embodied in unwise laws which must be executed until repealed by Congress.'

At the special session of Congress Wilson of West Virginia introduced a bill to repeal the silver purchase act, known as the BlandAllison Bill. Bland of Missouri offered a provision to authorize the free coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 to 1, which was defeated. Other proposals for the coinage of silver at ratios ranging from 17 to 1 to 20 to 1 were also made but all were rejected. The Wilson Bill finally passed.

The People's Party held a State Convention at Massillon, August 17th, and nominated a complete state ticket with Solon C.

Thayer for Secretary of State, and named candidates for Presidential electors in all districts except two. That party also held a National Convention at Omaha, Nebraska, July 2nd, and nominated James B. Weaver of Iowa for President and James G. Field of Virginia for Vice-President.

The People's Party came into existence in 1891. It was formed of the Farmers' Alliance and kindred organizations. This party was different in some respects from the People's Party formed in 1884. The greenback idea was dropped and the silver question became prominent instead. The last formed party was generally known as the Populist Party. In 1892 it had twenty-two Presidential elecWilliam Jennings Bryan was called a Populist for some years, and at one time he gave it some support.

tors.

The Democratic State Convention met at Cincinnati, August 9, 1893, and nominated Lawrence T. Neal of Ross County for Governor and William A. Taylor of Franklin County for Lieutenant-Governor. The ticket was completed as follows: For Judge of the Supreme Court, John W. Sater of Darke County; Treasurer of State, Brisbane C. Blackburn of Coshocton; Attorney-General, John P. Bailey of Putnam; Member of Board of Public Works, Louis B. Wilhelm of Summit; Dairy and Food Commissioner, Patrick McKeown of Hamilton.

LAWRENCE T. NEAL was a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and was born September 22, 1844. He was educated in the Asbury Academy of Parkersburg and after leaving school became a clerk in a general store. Deciding to become a lawyer he moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, and entered the law office of W. H. Safford, with whom he studied until he was admitted to the bar, February 23, 1866. Immediately after his admission to practice he was elected City Solicitor of Chillicothe by the Democrats, with whom he had affiliated. He served one term and declined a reelection. In 1868 he was elected to the Fifty-eighth General Assembly from Ross County. He at once became prominent in the Assembly and although the youngest man in the House took a very active part in the general public business of the Legislature. He refused to serve more than one term and returned to the practice of his profession. In 1879 he was elected