Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/230

194 The convention was called to order and the platform adopted. Then the different candidates' names were brought forward. When the name of William McKinley was mentioned, there was a perfect roar of applause and a waving of flags and banners which lasted fully twenty minutes. When the voting began, McKinley was nominated on the first ballot, receiving more than three times as many votes as all the other candidates combined. Then his opponents arose to make the nomination unanimous, and this was done amid greater enthusiasm than ever.

The campaign to follow was one which is not easily forgotten. For the time being the tariff was almost totally dropped, and "Sound Money," as it was called, became the main issue. The Nation's finances were on a gold basis,—that is, all public obligations were payable in gold,—and the Republicans wished to maintain this standard. On the other hand, the Democrats contended that it was wrong to keep silver out of circulation and that our standard should be gold and silver both. Arguments were exceedingly hot and often bitter, and to