. A history of the United States of America, its people, and its institutions. tle-cries of thetwo parties. Silver had depreciated in value until a dollarin silver was worth little more than a half-dollar in Republicans, therefore, held that the adoption of theDemocratic policy would be ruinous. The Democrats, onthe other hand, maintained that silver, if freely coined,would regain its former value, and that the country wassuffering for lack of currency. The South and much of the West favored the Demo-cratic views; the North and East, the Republican. Therefollowed an unusually active a
. A history of the United States of America, its people, and its institutions. tle-cries of thetwo parties. Silver had depreciated in value until a dollarin silver was worth little more than a half-dollar in Republicans, therefore, held that the adoption of theDemocratic policy would be ruinous. The Democrats, onthe other hand, maintained that silver, if freely coined,would regain its former value, and that the country wassuffering for lack of currency. The South and much of the West favored the Demo-cratic views; the North and East, the Republican. Therefollowed an unusually active and exciting campaign, whichended in a victory for the Republicans, McKinley receivingtwo hundred and seventy-one, Bryan one hundred andseventy-six electoral votes. 8. /IDclkinleys HMntntstration, The Needs of the Government.—On the 4th of March,1897, William McKinley was formally inaugurated Presidentof the United States. A few days afterward he called Con-gress together in extra session for the purpose of consider-ing the financial condition of the country, which was the. McKINLEYS ADMINISTRATION. 451 reverse of satisfactory. For several years the country hadbeen running into debt, the revenue not being sufficient tomeet the annual expenses of the govern-ment, so that more than one hundredmiUion dollars had been added to thepublic debt of the United States. Con-gress was asked to provide new sourcesof revenue, which the President be-lieved could be best done by aid of ahigher tariff on imported goods. Healso thought that this would aid in over-coming the business depression, which 11 i- 1 !• 1 A William McKinley. had contmued lor several years. Anew tariff bill, with higher rates of duty than those of theWilson Tariff, was prepared and passed, becoming law bythe signature of the President in July, 1897. The Overflo-w of the Mississippi.—Meanwhile, a greatdisaster had taken place in the West. The winter had beensevere and deep snows covered the ground. Under theinfluence
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