Part 46

We therefore call upon the wage-workers of the United States, and upon all other honest citizens, to organize under the banner of the Socialist Labor party into a class-conscious body, aware of its rights and determined to conquer them by taking possession of the public powers; so that, held together by an indomitable spirit of solidarity under the most trying conditions of the present class struggle, we may put a summary end to that barbarous struggle by the abolition of classes, the restoration of the land, and of all the means of production, transportation, and distribution to the people as a collective body, and the substitution of the co-operative commonwealth for the present state of planless production, industrial war, and social disorder; a commonwealth in which every worker shall have the free exercise and full benefit of his faculties, multiplied by all the modern factors of civilization.

With a view to immediate improvement in the condition of labor, we present the following demands:

1. Reduction of the hours of labor in proportion to the progress of production.

2. The United States to obtain possession of the mines, railroads, canals, telegraphs, telephones, and all other means of public transportation and communication; the employés to operate the same co-operatively under control of the Federal Government and to elect their own superior officers, but no employé shall be discharged for political reasons.

3. The municipalities to obtain possession of the local railroads, ferries, water-works, gas-works, electric plants, and all industries requiring municipal franchises; the employés to operate the same co-operatively under control of the municipal administration and to elect their own superior officers, but no employé shall be discharged for political reasons.

4. The public lands to be declared inalienable. Revocation of all land grants to corporations or individuals, the conditions of which have not been complied with.

5. The United States to have the exclusive right to issue money.

6. Congressional legislation providing for the scientific management of forests and waterways, and prohibiting the waste of the natural resources of the country.

7. Inventions to be free to all; the inventors to be remunerated by the nation.

8. Progressive income tax and tax on inheritances; the smaller incomes to be exempt.

9. School education of all children under fourteen years of age to be compulsory, gratuitous, and accessible to all by public assistance in meals, clothing, books, etc., where necessary.

10. Repeal of all pauper, tramp, conspiracy, and sumptuary laws. Unabridged right of combination.

11. Prohibition of the employment of children of school age, and the employment of female labor in occupations detrimental to health or morality. Abolition of the convict labor contract system.

12. Employment of the unemployed by the public authorities (county, city, state, and nation).

13. All wages to be paid in lawful money of the United States. Equalization of women’s wages with those of men where equal service is performed.

14. Laws for the protection of life and limb in all occupations, and an efficient employers’ liability law.

15. The people to have the right to propose laws and to vote upon all measures of importance, according to the _referendum_ principle.

16. Abolition of the veto power of the executive (national, State, and municipal) wherever it exists.

17. Abolition of the United States Senate and all upper legislative chambers.

18. Municipal self-government.

19. Direct vote and secret ballots in all elections. Universal and equal right of suffrage without regard to color, creed, or sex. Election days to be legal holidays. The principle of proportional representation to be introduced.

20. All public officers to be subject to recall by their respective constituencies.

21. Uniform civil and criminal law throughout the United States. Administration of justice to be free of charge. Abolition of capital punishment.

The great battle of 1896 is yet fresh in the memories of the people. Its most notable feature was the unexampled campaign made by Bryan, the Democratic candidate for President. He covered a larger portion of territory and delivered more speeches during the campaign than had ever before been accomplished by any man in our political history, and he enthused his followers to a very remarkable degree. Considering the complications which confronted him, resulting from the internal feuds of his own household, and an open split on the Vice-Presidency, he made the most memorable Presidential campaign of the Republic and swept every State west of the Mississippi, with the exception of California, Oregon and North Dakota. Even Kansas and Nebraska, two rock-ribbed Republican States, gave Bryan large majorities, but Bryan did not carry a single electoral vote east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio and the Potomac. The following tables exhibit the popular and electoral votes of 1896:

POPULAR VOTE.

══════════════╤═════════╤═════════╤═══════════╤═════════╤═════════╤══════════╤══════════ │ William │ William │ Bryan │ John M. │ Joshua │Charles E.│Charles H. STATES. │McKinley,│J. Bryan,│ and │ Palmer, │Levering,│ Bentley, │Matchett, │ Ohio. │Nebraska.│Watson.[31]│Illinois.│Maryland.│Nebraska. │New York. ──────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼────────── Alabama │ 54,737│ 131,226│ 24,089 │ 6,462 │ 2,147 │ ―― │ ―― Arkansas │ 37,512│ 110,103│ ―― │ ―― │ 839 │ 893 │ ―― California │ 146,688│ 144,766│ 21,730 │ 2,006 │ 2,573 │ 1,047 │ 1,611 Colorado │ 26,271│ 161,269│ 2,389 │ 1 │ 1,717 │ 386 │ 160 Connecticut │ 110,285│ 56,740│ ―― │ 4,336 │ 1,806 │ ―― │ 1,223 Delaware │ 20,452│ 16,615│ ―― │ 966 │ 602 │ ―― │ ―― Florida │ 11,257│ 31,958│ 1,977 │ 1,772 │ 644 │ ―― │ ―― Georgia │ 60,091│ 94,672│ 440 │ 2,708 │ 5,716 │ ―― │ ―― Idaho │ 6,324│ 23,192│ ―― │ ―― │ 181 │ ―― │ ―― Illinois │ 607,130│ 464,523│ 1,090 │ 6,390 │ 9,796 │ 793 │ 1,147 Indiana │ 323,754│ 305,573│ ―― │ 2,145 │ 3,056 │ 2,267 │ 324 Iowa │ 289,293│ 223,741│ ―― │ 4,516 │ 3,192 │ 352 │ 453 Kansas │ 159,541│ 171,810│ 46,194 │ 1,209 │ 1,921 │ 630 │ ―― Kentucky │ 218,171│ 217,890│ ―― │ 5,114 │ 4,781 │ ―― │ ―― Louisiana │ 22,037│ 77,175│ ―― │ 1,915 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― Maine │ 80,461│ 34,587│ 2,387 │ 1,866 │ 1,589 │ ―― │ ―― Maryland │ 136,978│ 104,746│ ―― │ 2,507 │ 5,922 │ 136 │ 588 Massachusetts │ 278,976│ 105,711│ 15,181 │ 11,749 │ 2,998 │ ―― │ 2,114 Michigan │ 293,582│ 237,268│ ―― │ 6,968 │ 5,025 │ 1,995 │ 297 Minnesota │ 193,503│ 139,735│ ―― │ 3,222 │ 4,363 │ ―― │ 954 Mississippi │ 5,123│ 63,793│ 7,517 │ 1,071 │ 485 │ ―― │ ―― Missouri │ 304,940│ 363,652│ ―― │ 2,355 │ 2,169 │ 293 │ 599 Montana │ 10,494│ 42,537│ ―― │ ―― │ 186 │ ―― │ ―― Nebraska │ 103,064│ 115,999│ ―― │ 2,797 │ 1,243 │ 797 │ 186 Nevada │ 1,938│ 8,377│ 575 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― New Hampshire │ 57,444│ 21,650│ 379 │ 3,520 │ 779 │ 49 │ 228 New Jersey │ 221,367│ 133,675│ ―― │ 6,373 │ 5,614 │ ―― │ 3,985 New York │ 819,838│ 551,369│ ―― │ 18,950 │ 16,052 │ ―― │ 17,667 North Carolina│ 155,222│ 174,488│ ―― │ 578 │ 676 │ 245 │ ―― North Dakota │ 26,335│ 20,686│ ―― │ ―― │ 358 │ ―― │ ―― Ohio │ 525,991│ 477,497│ 2,615 │ 1,858 │ 5,068 │ 2,716 │ 1,167 Oregon │ 48,779│ 46,662│ ―― │ 977 │ 919 │ ―― │ ―― Pennsylvania │ 728,300│ 433,230│ 11,176 │ 10,921 │ 19,274 │ 870 │ 1,683 Rhode Island │ 37,437│ 14,459│ ―― │ 1,166 │ 1,160 │ 5 │ 558 South Carolina│ 9,313│ 58,801│ ―― │ 824 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― South Dakota │ 41,042│ 41,225│ ―― │ ―― │ 683 │ ―― │ ―― Tennessee │ 148,773│ 166,268│ 4,525 │ 1,951 │ 3,098 │ ―― │ ―― Texas │ 167,520│ 370,434│ 79,572 │ 5,046 │ 1,786 │ ―― │ ―― Utah │ 13,491│ 64,607│ ―― │ 21 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― Vermont │ 50,991│ 10,607│ 461 │ 1,329 │ 728 │ ―― │ ―― Virginia │ 135,388│ 154,985│ ―― │ 2,127 │ 2,350 │ ―― │ 115 Washington │ 39,153│ 51,646│ ―― │ 1,668 │ 968 │ 148 │ ―― West Virginia │ 104,414│ 92,927│ ―― │ 677 │ 1,203 │ ―― │ ―― Wisconsin │ 268,135│ 165,523│ ―― │ 4,584 │ 7,509 │ 346 │ 1,314 Wyoming │ 10,072│ 10,655│ 286 │ ―― │ 136 │ ―― │ ―― ──────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼────────── Totals │7,111,607│6,509,052│ 222,583 │ 134,645 │ 131,312 │ 13,968 │ 36,373 ══════════════╧═════════╧═════════╧═══════════╧═════════╧═════════╧══════════╧══════════

[31] Bryan and Watson’s vote is included in the vote for W. J. Bryan.

ELECTORAL VOTE.

═══════════════╤══════════════════╦═══════════════════════ │ PRESIDENT. ║ VICE-PRESIDENT. STATES. ├─────────┬────────╫───────┬───────┬─────── │McKinley.│ Bryan. ║Hobart.│Sewall.│Watson. ───────────────┼─────────┼────────╫───────┼───────┼─────── Alabama │ ―― │ 11 ║ ―― │ 11 │ ―― Arkansas │ ―― │ 8 ║ ―― │ 5 │ 3 California │ 8 │ 1 ║ 8 │ 1 │ ―― Colorado │ ―― │ 4 ║ ―― │ 4 │ ―― Connecticut │ 6 │ ―― ║ 6 │ ―― │ ―― Delaware │ 3 │ ―― ║ 3 │ ―― │ ―― Florida │ ―― │ 4 ║ ―― │ 4 │ ―― Georgia │ ―― │ 13 ║ ―― │ 13 │ ―― Idaho │ ―― │ 3 ║ ―― │ 3 │ ―― Illinois │ 24 │ ―― ║ 24 │ ―― │ ―― Indiana │ 15 │ ―― ║ 15 │ ―― │ ―― Iowa │ 13 │ ―― ║ 13 │ ―― │ ―― Kansas │ ―― │ 10 ║ ―― │ 10 │ ―― Kentucky │ 12 │ 1 ║ 12 │ 1 │ ―― Louisiana │ ―― │ 8 ║ ―― │ 4 │ 4 Maine │ 6 │ ―― ║ 6 │ ―― │ ―― Maryland │ 8 │ ―― ║ 8 │ ―― │ ―― Massachusetts │ 15 │ ―― ║ 15 │ ―― │ ―― Michigan │ 14 │ ―― ║ 14 │ ―― │ ―― Minnesota │ 9 │ ―― ║ 9 │ ―― │ ―― Mississippi │ ―― │ 9 ║ ―― │ 9 │ ―― Missouri │ ―― │ 17 ║ ―― │ 13 │ 4 Montana │ ―― │ 3 ║ ―― │ 2 │ 1 Nebraska │ ―― │ 8 ║ ―― │ 4 │ 4 Nevada │ ―― │ 3 ║ ―― │ 3 │ ―― New Hampshire │ 4 │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― New Jersey │ 10 │ ―― ║ 10 │ ―― │ ―― New York │ 36 │ ―― ║ 36 │ ―― │ ―― North Carolina │ ―― │ 11 ║ ―― │ 6 │ 5 North Dakota │ 3 │ ―― ║ 3 │ ―― │ ―― Ohio │ 23 │ ―― ║ 23 │ ―― │ ―― Oregon │ 4 │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― Pennsylvania │ 32 │ ―― ║ 32 │ ―― │ ―― Rhode Island │ 4 │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― South Carolina │ ―― │ 9 ║ ―― │ 9 │ ―― South Dakota │ ―― │ 4 ║ ―― │ 2 │ 2 Tennessee │ ―― │ 12 ║ ―― │ 12 │ ―― Texas │ ―― │ 15 ║ ―― │ 15 │ ―― Utah │ ―― │ 3 ║ ―― │ 2 │ 1 Vermont │ 4 │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― Virginia │ ―― │ 12 ║ ―― │ 12 │ ―― Washington │ ―― │ 4 ║ ―― │ 2 │ 2 West Virginia │ 6 │ ―― ║ 6 │ ―― │ ―― Wisconsin │ 12 │ ―― ║ 12 │ ―― │ ―― Wyoming │ ―― │ 3 ║ ―― │ 2 │ 1 ───────────────┼─────────┼────────╫───────┼───────┼─────── Totals │ 271 │ 176 ║ 271 │ 149 │ 27 ═══════════════╧═════════╧════════╩═══════╧═══════╧═══════

No mere party contest in the history of the country, and indeed no other contest, with the single exception of the issue of secession and civil war, ever exhibited so large a measure of political independence as is shown in the vote for President in 1896. While the Democrats had a sound-money national ticket with such acceptable candidates as Palmer and Buckner, a very small proportion of the sound-money Democratic vote of the country was cast for that ticket. McKinley certainly received 500,000 Democratic votes, cast for him directly to assure the defeat of Bryan, and Bryan certainly received not less than 250,000 Republican votes.

It was not until six weeks before the election that the Republicans felt confident of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The first canvass of the Republican State committee made in Ohio indicated the defeat of McKinley, but as the business and industrial interests of the country faced the question of cheap money, and the business convulsion it must produce, the Republican ranks were steadily increased, and the States which were regarded as doubtful in September gave large majorities for McKinley in November.

This campaign gave a most impressive illustration of the true independence of American journalism. A number of the leading newspapers of the country which had supported Cleveland in his three contests, repudiated the Chicago platform and its candidate, and they stood in the forefront of American journalism, embracing such journals as the Boston _Herald_ and _Globe_, the Hartford _Times_, the New York _World_, _Sun_, _Herald_, _Times_, and _Evening Post_, the Philadelphia _Times_ and _Record_, the Baltimore _Sun_, the Louisville _Courier-Journal_, and others. These journals were all strongly owned and entirely independent in their political action. Not one of them ever had conference or communication with the McKinley leaders, or received or proposed any terms for their support, or ever sought, accepted, or desired favors from the McKinley administration. Some of them suffered pecuniary sacrifice, but they performed a heroic duty, and it was the inspiration they gave to the conservative Democratic sentiment of the country that made McKinley President by an overwhelming majority.

On the other side, especially in the West, and to some extent in the South, scores of thousands of the Republicans who had always voted the national ticket gave enthusiastic support to Bryan, as he carried some of the strongest Republican States of the West, while losing a large fraction of the Democratic vote. This struggle settled the financial policy of the country, as Congress has recently distinctly established the gold standard by statute, in accord with the financial policy of all the great civilized nations of the world; and while the money issue may play some part in the national struggle of the present year, it will be wisely subordinated to other issues and probably be eliminated from the future political battles of the nation.

SUMMARY OF POPULAR VOTES FOR PRESIDENTS

I was surprised, after careful examination of the various political handbooks, to find no table of the popular vote for President prior to 1824, and I made exhaustive effort to obtain official records in the archives of the nation and of the different States, to supply something approaching an intelligent table of the popular vote cast for the early Presidents; but I learned that the failure of others to supply such tables was not because of negligence, but because there are no records to furnish them. In Pennsylvania the vote returned to the Capitol was less than 5000 for Washington, and the vote of record for his second election but little exceeds 5000. The returns, however, are fragmentary and valueless. I was compelled to abandon the purpose of giving tables of the popular vote for Presidents prior to 1824, because all that could be obtained would be confusing rather than instructive.

I have also found much difficulty in trying to reconcile the conflicting returns of every Presidential election since 1824. After a very full and careful examination of these conflicting figures, I have adopted the tables prepared by Mr. Stanwood in his admirable work entitled “A History of the Presidency,” and I regard them as more nearly accurate than any other tables presented. The entire accuracy of these election tables is not a matter of vital importance, as in none of the many conflicting returns of different States would the result have been changed by the variations in the returns as stated in the many publications which for some years past have annually given them. The following summary of the popular vote for Presidents since 1824, with the electoral vote cast at each election, is taken from the New York _World Almanac_ for 1900, the figures of which, as will be seen, usually vary from those presented in the tables I give with each chapter of this volume:

ELECTORAL AND POPULAR VOTES.