President
of the United States in 1896.

But to return to the Mills Bill. It passed the House by a substantial
majority and came to the Senate, where a substitute was prepared
by the Finance Committee and reported by Senator Allison early in
October. I remember the discussion on it in the Senate very well.
We all thought it incumbent upon us to make speeches for home
consumption, for campaign use, showing the iniquities of the Mills
Bill, and of the Democratic tariff generally, although we knew it
was impossible for either bill to become law.

The Congressional session continued until about the middle of
October with nothing done in the way of practical legislation.

This was the situation when the National Republican Convention
assembled in 1888.

CHAPTER XVII
CLEVELAND'S DEFEAT AND HARRISON'S FIRST TERM
1888 to 1891

At the time the delegates gathered, Cleveland's Free Trade message
of 1887 was before the country, interest in it having been augmented
and enlivened by the passage of the Mills Bill and the renowned
tariff debate of that year. The issue was clear. It was Protective
Tariff _versus_ Free Trade. After a rather strenuous contest in
the convention in which nineteen candidates were voted for, for
the nomination for President, including the leading candidates,
John Sherman, of Ohio, Walter Q. Gresham, of Indiana, Harrison, of
Indiana, and Allison, of Iowa, Benjamin Harrison finally was chosen
on the eighth ballot.

In his autobiography Senator Hoar affirms that William B. Allison
came nearer being the nominee of the party than any other man in
its history who was a candidate and failed to secure the endorsement.
According to Senator Hoar, it was the opposition of Senator Depew,
angered by the agrarian hostility toward himself, that prevented
Senator Allison's nomination. I have no personal knowledge that
might refute this statement, but I have been disposed to question
its correctness.

President Cleveland was of course renominated. The campaign came
on, and he was defeated squarely on the Tariff issue, and the
Republicans were again in the ascendancy in both branches of the
Government, the Senate being composed of forty-seven Republicans
and thirty-seven Democrats, while the House contained one hundred
and seventy Republicans and one hundred and sixty Democrats, Mr.
Reed being elected Speaker.

President Harrison was inaugurated with a great civic and military
display, equalling, if not