Campaign Trail Results: Game #1243749
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1896
- Player Candidate: William Jennings Bryan
- Running Mate: Adlai Stevenson
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
aobrien56
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- William McKinley | 354 | 7,909,779 | 56.11 |
| ---- William Jennings Bryan | 93 | 6,027,011 | 42.75 |
| ---- John Palmer | 0 | 160,088 | 1.14 |
Answers:
- Which of the following most closely matches your overall campaign message?Silver coinage is just one part of my platform. Let's not forget the struggles of the urban worker in his efforts to unionize and obtain fair wages.
- What do you have to say about William McKinley's campaign, at a high level?We may have our disagreements, but William McKinley is an honorable man. Our campaign will focus on the issues, not on the opponent.
- The novelty of a personal visit from the "Great Commoner" could probably swing the West Coast states in your direction. However, it will take two weeks to travel and return via train.
Will you divert your attention from the Midwest long enough to visit California, Oregon, and Washington?There is no time for that diversion. Heaven knows what rumors McKinley will spread while I am gone, and winning the Midwest should be our primary focus. - You have very little chance of winning New York this fall, and nearly all of that city's newspapers are anti-Bryan. That doesn't mean you couldn't draw a frenzied crowd in New York City.
Perhaps the media attention would be beneficial in building excitement for your campaign on a national scale?Let's not waste our time in a hostile state. We must sow our seed upon the good earth where it will multiply. - New York politics are dominated by a highly corrupt, patronage-based outfit known as Tammany Hall. Their boss, Richard Croker, has so far been indifferent to your campaign. Are you willing to make concessions to arouse his enthusiasm?Corrupt organizations such as Tammany Hall drag the good name of the Democrats through the dirt. I would never debase my Christian ideals for their support.
- Critics have said that you wrap yourself in religious imagery too much for a presidential candidate. What is your response? The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error.
- You have alluded to the need for less prejudice between the races. Senator "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman, of South Carolina, privately seeks your clarification.
Can you reassure him that the federal government will respect the rights of the states under your Administration?Tillman and others have nothing to fear from me. It is the sacred duty of the white man to properly instruct and civilize the black man and other inferior races. Greater understanding must occur within this context. - What do you think of leaving the Midwest for a week and making a circuit of the crucial upper South states? (i.e. Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky)We need to keep it simple. Our primary goal in this campaign is to win the critical states of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.
- Do you have any comments to make about the candidacy of John Palmer, a Gold Democrat and splinter candidate who is currently campaigning?I'm very concerned about John Palmer. If he is gaining support maybe it means there is a valid criticism we must face up to.
- Can you state your definitive position on the American monetary system?I support a strict adherence to the gold standard, which is fundamental to American prosperity.
- What is your definitive position on the tariff issue?We need high tariffs on a variety of products and commodities to stimulate American manufacturing.
- The United States is in the midst of a financial calamity, with masses of unemployed men on the streets. What will you do to revive business in this country?We need to reaffirm our commitment to non-intervention in business affairs. Companies need stability before they will have the confidence to expand.
- Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to Illinois to end the Pullman Strike without the request of Governor Altgeld. Was this an overreach on his part?Bargaining for wages is the business of a man and his employer. Collective bargaining has no place in American society, and I commend Grover Cleveland for having the courage to act decisively.
- What is your opinion on measures that would aim to restrict the sale or production of alcohol?It is my dream to see a Prohibition Amendment passed before I die.
- Would you ever consider government ownership of the railroads?Absolutely not. It frightens me for the future of our country that radical Populist policies like this one can even be a subject for debate.
- Would you support a program to compensate workers who are injured on the job? Is this a proper responsibility of the federal government?It is the responsibility of the worker to put aside such funds as are necessary to protect them from these events. This is why we have mutual aid societies in place.
- What are your thoughts on the Women's Christian Temperance Union? Is this group a positive force in American life?This group is Exhibit A in the dangers of allowing women to become politically active. They are engaged in a naive quest to purify American life from an imagined evil.
- Was it an appropriate intervention of the federal government to attach U.S. mail cars to Pullman trains during the strike in 1894? (Thereby making it a federal crime to interfere with the passage of these cars)The entire city of Chicago and half of the Midwest was blocked to rail traffic. It was impossible for this fracas not to interrupt U.S. mail.
- Do you believe that America has a duty to civilize the lesser nations of the earth?This isn't something that we should be making an active effort to do. There are enough problems within our own country for us to worry about the state of civilization in some far-off, primitive land.
- What is your opinion on the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by the Dole group? Do you support the annexation of Hawaii into the United States?We will never recognize or annex the so-called Hawaiian government while I am President.
- Would you support federal "Blue Laws" to protect the sanctity of Sunday?At the very least, a federal law prohibiting the sale of alcohol of Sunday seems appropriate.
- Do you believe that the federal government has any right to issue interest-bearing bonds, such as those sold to J.P. Morgan in 1895?The federal government has every right to issue interest bearing bonds. Of course, under a solvent Administration there would be no cause for doing so. This whole episode reflects more poorly on the performance of President Cleveland than it does on any great legal issue.
- Are you pleased with the recent defeat in Congress of the Pacific Railroad Funding Bill, which would have provided federal support to the Southern and Central Pacific railroads.It is my firm position that we need to nationalize the railroads of this country. Their power has stood beyond reproach for too long.
- Is it generally appropriate for federal courts to issue injunctions against striking unions?The Pullman Strike of 1894 disrupted half of the nation's rail traffic and threatened to throw our society into complete turmoil. A small group of radicals should never have the power to disrupt the lives of millions.
- There is one week left until election day. Every state is important, but where will you give an extra push with your personal campaigning to swing the final results?Indiana has always been the critical swing state. Let's spend most of our time there while also crossing over into Illinois and Kentucky.