claimed the recognition of the chairman. The confusion being very great, he had some difficulty in being recognized. A message was sent to chairman Richardson and he recognized Mr. McLean, who said: "Ohio withdraws the name of John R. McLean and casts forty-six votes for William J. Bryan." This announcement caused great confusion and enthusiasm and was decisive of the result.

Ex-Governor Stone, of Missouri, then hastened to the platform and made the following speech: "Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the convention: Two or three days since I received this note (holding up a letter), which I will now read in your hearing, from Richard Parks Bland." The letter was as follows:

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire the nomination unless it is the judgment of the free silver delegates that I would be the strongest candidate. If it should at any time appear that my candidacy is the least obstruction to the nomination of any candidate who is acceptable to the free coinage delegates in the convention, or one more acceptable to a majority of those delegates than myself, I wish my name at once unconditionally withdrawn from further consideration. I am willing to wave the state instructions for me if need be, and let the free silver delegates decide the whole matter. The cause must be put above the man.

"I came to this great city," said Governor Stone, “as one of the delegates from Missouri, voicing the sentiment of the democracy of that state, to present for your deliberate consideration the name of the illustrious commoner for whom many of you have expressed preference by your votes in this convention. To those who have been our friends in the struggle, I desire now to return my grateful appreciation. But, following the directions of Mr. Bland himself, that whenever a majority of the silver delegates in this convention shall have expressed a preference for another, he desires his name unconditionally and peremptorily withdrawn, I now, in the name of Mis

souri, lower the standard under which we have fought throughout this convention, and in its place I lift that of the gifted and glorious son of Nebraska.

We will not only nominate him, but I believe, with as much confidence as I can believe anything in the future, that we will elect him by an overwhelming majority in November, and that we will inaugurate not only a democratic administration at Washington, but one which at its close will be set down as among the purest, and ablest and the most illustrious of American history.

"So, now, gentlemen, I withdraw the name of Richard Parks Bland, and cast the thirty-four votes of our state for William J. Bryan of Nebraska."

At the close of Governor Stone's remarks the convention broke into the wildest excitement. Iowa withdrew Boies' name and cast its vote for Bryan.

The chair then recognized Senator Jones, the chairman of the Arkansas delegation, who said: "The name of Richard P. Bland having been withdrawn, the State of Arkansas desires to change her vote from Bland to Bryan.'

A motion to make the nomination unanimous was answered by a storm of ayes and a roar of "no." The nomination was declared unanimous, and the convention adjourned until eight o'clock in the evening.

It was expected the Vice-Presidential nomination would be made at the evening session, but the leaders got together and fearing another stampede, this time to McLean, of Ohio, they forced an adjournment until 10 o'clock the next morning, by which time the delegates would have had an opportunity to cool off; Mr. Bryan consulted as to his wishes regarding a running mate, and most important, to allow the silver "steering" committee to get together and see what was the best thing to do.

The convention met July 11th, at 1 o'clock in the morning, and it was evident that there would be a struggle. Among the names considered and presented were McLean, of Ohio; Sewall, of Maine; Sibley, of Pennsylvania; Thurman, of Ohio; Matthews and Shively, of Indiana; Blackburn, of Kentucky; Daniel, of Virginia; Bland, of Missouri; Williams, of Massachusetts, and Harrity, of Pennsylvania. Amid great excitement the names were presented, and balloting commenced. On the first ballot McLean was ahead, and his friends predicted his nomination on the second or third ballot, or just as soon as the "complimentaries" were disposed of. At the conclusion of the third ballot the names of Sibley, Pennsylvania, McLean, of Ohio, and Bland, of Missouri, were withdrawn and Arthur Sewall, of Maine, forced to the front. On the fifth ballot he received the necessary number of votes; his nomination was then made unanimous, and the convention adjourned after a series of the most sensational meetings of the century.

A large body of the Democratic party, especially at the East, was dissatisfied with both the platform and the nomination of the National Democratic convention that assembled at Chicago in July, and no sooner had the convention adjourned than steps were taken to call another convention, and place in nomination candidates in opposition to Bryan and Sewall, upon a platform committed to a gold standard. A call was issued, stating the differences of the party.

Pursuant to this call the convention assembled at Indianapolis, Ind., on the 2d day of September, 1896, and was called to order by Senator John M. Palmer, of Illinois. There were present 824 delegates, representing forty-one states and three territories.

Ex-Governor Roswell P. Flower, of New York, was

made temporary chairman, and Senator Donald Cafferty, of Louisiana, was elected permanent chairman.

The platform reported by the committee was unanimously adopted on the following day; it stated that the declarations of the Chicago convention attacked individual freedom, the right of private contract, the independence of the judiciary, and the authority of the President to enforce federal laws, principles they could not accept; it denounced protection and its ally, free coinage of silver, as schemes for the personal profit of a few at the expense of the many; affirmed the historic Democratic doctrine of tariff for revenue only; insisted upon the maintenance of the gold standard, and the parity there. with of every dollar issued by the government, and are firmly opposed to the free and unlimited coinage of silver, and to the compulsory purchase of silver bullion. Advocated currency reform, commended the administration of President Cleveland, favored arbitration for the settlement of international disputes, liberal policy of pensions for deserving soldiers and sailors of the United States.

Condemned all efforts to defame or impair the confidence of the Supreme Court, favored the inviolability of contracts and the obligations of all good citizens to resist every illegal trust, combination, and attempt against the just rights of property and the good order of society, in which are bound up the happiness of our people.

Nominations for President were called for, and John M. Palmer, of Illinois, and E. S. Bragg, of Wisconsin, were placed in nomination. One ballot only was taken, which resulted as follows: Total vote, 882. John M. Palmer, 7572; E. S. Bragg, 124%.

Simon B. Buckner, of Kentucky, was nominated by acclamation for Vice-President, and at 4:32 p. m. the convention adjourned sine die.

CHAPTER XV.

THE ELECTION RETURNS.

When necessity no longer spurred me to exertion, I began to feel the effects of long continued labor and sought rest in bed. As soon as the polls were closed the representatives of the press, drawn by friendliness and enterprise, assembled in the library below to analyze the returns, while Mrs. Bryan brought the more important bulletins to my room-her face betraying their purport before I received them from her hand. As the evening progressed the indications pointed more and more strongly to defeat, and by eleven o'clock I realized that, while the returns from the country might change the result, the success of my opponent was more than probable. Confidence resolved itself into doubt, and doubt, in turn, gave place to resignation. While the compassionless current sped hither and thither, carrying its message of gladness to foe and its message of sadness to friend, there vanished from my mind the vision of a President in the White House, perplexed by the cares of state, and, in the contemplation of the picture of a citizen by his fireside, free from official responsibility, I fell asleep.

Later reports justified, in a measure, the expectation that the news from the country would be more favorable, but the changes were not sufficient to affect the result. During Wednesday and Thursday I was in communication with Chairman Jones, ready