ted audience.
In addition to this, the prevailing sentiment was one of cheerful
good-feeling; and while there had been several candidates before
the St. Louis Convention, including Speaker Reed, Senator Allison,
and Levi P. Morton, the convention left no bitterness--the party
was united, and every Republican did his full duty. Southern
Illinois was a little uncertain; but it finally came around, and
the full Republican vote was cast for McKinley and Hobart.

I took a very active part in this campaign. Mr. McKinley was
exceedingly polite to me and invited Senator Thurston and me to
open the campaign in Canton, which invitation I accepted, addressing
there a vast audience. It was said that some fifty or seventy-five
thousand people were assembled there that day. Subsequently I
spoke in Kentucky and Michigan, and made a thorough campaign in my
own State.

While the Republicans were united, the Democrats were hopelessly
divided. The so-called Gold Democrats held a convention and
nominated my colleague, Senator Palmer, and General Buckner as its
candidates for President and Vice-President respectively. They
did not receive a very large vote, because I believe they advised
the Gold Democrats to vote for McKinley. The Gold Democrats had
great influence in the election. General Palmer was thoroughly in
earnest on the silver question, more so perhaps than any Democrat
whom I knew. He believed strongly in the Democratic doctrine on
the tariff, and was a Democrat on every other issue; but he could
not follow his party in espousing free silver.

There was doubt all the time over the result of the election.
After the Democratic convention was held in Chicago, and in the
early Summer and Fall, the Democrats certainly seemed to have the
best of it; but later in the campaign, as the people became educated,
it began to look brighter. I was very much surprised at the result,
however. McKinley carried the election by a vote of 7,111,000 as
against 6,509,000 for Mr. Bryan, and the electoral vote by 271 as
against 176 for Mr. Bryan.

When Mr. McKinley was inaugurated I cannot forget the expression
of apparent relief in President Cleveland's face, as he accompanied
his successor to the ceremony. He seemed rejoiced that he was
turning his great office over to Mr. McKinley. The last days of
his Administration had been troublesome ones. Estranged from his
own party, war clouds appearing in the near distance,--I do not
wonde