Tariff Controversies
nominated John M. Palmer of Illinois and Simon B. Buckner of Kentucky. There were also conventions and nominations by the Prohibitionists; by the National party which had split from the Prohibitionists, and by the Socialist-Labor party. The campaign was fought with extraordinary zeal and spirit, almost exclusively on the monetary issue, and resulted in a great Republican victory. That party had 271 electoral and 7,107,304 popular votes; the Democrats had 176 electoral and 6,287,352 popular votes; the Populists polled 245,728 votes, the Prohibitionists 130,753, the National party 13,955, the Socialist Labor party 33,545 and the National Democratic party 133,542. These figures, reported in each quadrennium, suggest the insignificance and futility of such party organizations. The Republicans secured a strong majority in Congress, which was repeated in the next Congress, elected in 1898.
Resuming full control of the government in 1897, the Republicans proceeded promptly to the enactment of a new protective tariff, known by the name of its chief author Nelson Dingley. This was a considerably modified version of the former McKinley tariff, adapted to the altered conditions of the country and so judiciously devised as to give general satisfaction and to suffer no demand for revision for many years. The Democratic platform in 1900 denounced it in general terms and called for an enlargement of the free list as a means of combatting trusts, but abandoned the old cry of “tariff for revenue only” and obviously treated the issue as of only minor importance. On this platform they renominated Mr. Bryan, with Adlai E. Stevenson for Vice-President.
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