Campaign Trail Results: Game #855695
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1896
- Player Candidate: William Jennings Bryan
- Running Mate: Claude Matthews
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- William Jennings Bryan | 366 | 7,798,051 | 55.45 |
| ---- William McKinley | 81 | 6,145,935 | 43.70 |
| ---- John Palmer | 0 | 120,090 | 0.85 |
Answers:
- Which of the following most closely matches your overall campaign message?I am 100% committed to the coinage of silver. It's important however, that we strike a moderate tone on other issues to expand our appeal as widely as we can.
- What do you have to say about William McKinley's campaign, at a high level?McKinley's insistence on the gold standard has alienated many prominent Republicans from his own party, such as Henry Teller.
- Can you respond to rumors that you would seek to abolish the Supreme Court if elected, due to their recent decisions on the income tax and antitrust issues?This is an unfounded rumor that the McKinley campaign has disseminated to discredit my candidacy.
- 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?New York is a traditional Democratic stronghold, and I'm confident that the people of that state will support my message. We will campaign there extensively. - Critics have said that you wrap yourself in religious imagery too much for a presidential candidate. What is your response? The word of the Lord demands that we give our attention to the poor, the sick, and the feeble. This campaign is not about me -- I am a mere servant of Christ.
- 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?We will respect the rights of the states. I call for greater understanding, but certainly not for an overthrow of the natural order. - 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.
- You are making a big speech in Chicago today. What points will you touch on?I am a moderate who supports the free coinage of silver. I am not a radical as so many claim. It is McKinley's antiquated insistence on the gold standard that is truly radical.
- Even though Ohio is William McKinley's home state, it is also more competitive than any state further to the east. There is also a good mix of farmers and industrial workers. Will you go to Ohio on this campaign?Let's forget about winning McKinley's home state. We can't be everywhere at once.
- The respectable city newspapers are unanimously pro-McKinley. As such, William Randolph Hearst senses that supporting you would be a terrific business opportunity.
Can you reassure him that there are limits to your pacifist ideals, particularly in regards to Cuba?New York and California are important states, and of course I support the uplift of primitive peoples with American influence. What's not to like in this arrangement? - Without compromising on the silver issue, what can you say about McKinley to Bourbon Democrats to try and bring them back into the fold?With the new perspectives I bring, I will be in a unique position to ensure clean, honest government at the federal level. McKinley, on the other hand, is a Republican hack who will continue the status quo.
- Do you have any comments to make about the candidacy of John Palmer, a Gold Democrat and splinter candidate who is currently campaigning?Good riddance. On the issue of silver coinage, you are either with us or you're with the industrialists. Palmer has shown his cards.
- Can you state your definitive position on the American monetary system?I support the free, unlimited coinage of silver at the current market price of 30-to-1 against gold. This ratio should be frequently adjusted to match actual prices in order to avoid another run on the Treasury's gold supply.
- What is your definitive position on the tariff issue?In limited areas where we have new industries forming, tariffs can be higher. They should be low on most products.
- 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?The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them. We need to help our farmers and our workers by allowing the coinage of silver.
- 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?Governor Altgeld was working to mediate the dispute between the Pullman Company and the strikers when Cleveland interfered. There should have absolutely been more time given for these sides to reach an accommodation.
- What is your opinion on measures that would aim to restrict the sale or production of alcohol?Perhaps if our goal is to prevent drinking on Sunday, or public drunkenness, I am all for those measures. But a blanket temperance law is a different story.
- What are your thoughts on the Cleveland Administration in general?Everyone agrees that Grover Cleveland is an honorable man. Our issue is with the results of his policies. Cleveland is deeply unpopular right now for a reason, and that is because his Administration caused a panic.
- Would you support a program to compensate workers who are injured on the job? Is this a proper responsibility of the federal government?We absolutely need a federal program for this purpose. The Bible says that we must love all people -- even those who have been cast aside by our Darwinian industrial machinery.
- Do you believe that immigrant labor is undermining the American worker? Should there be some restrictions put into place on immigration?We live in an open society, but that should never serve as an excuse for business to undermine the American worker by paying pauper wages to new arrivals.
- Do you agree with the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate accommodations for the races can be legally required by certain states?I will repeat my firmly held conviction that we should not politicize the decisions of the Supreme Court.
- Do you think that local jurisdictions should be allowed to use hanging or other forms of capital punishment for crimes?I have sought the guidance of our Savior on this issue, and I cannot support the execution of our lost souls in good conscience.
- Should the federal government make an effort to build a canal through Nicaragua to more efficiently link trade in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans?This could be a fantastic method of creating work for our idle workers. What better way is there to implement a massive public works project?
- 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?Let's make one last general tour of the Midwest. Starting in Ohio, we will travel west and end in North Dakota, before moving down to Nebraska on Election Day.