In the first year of his second adminis tration, Mr. Cleveland called a special session of Congress for the purpose of repealing the law compelling the monthly purchase of silver by the government; and this was accomplished against the determined opposition of many prom inent Democrats. Dissension soon there fore arose in the party over the tariff, centering around the so-called Wilson Bill. The opponents of the administra tion, led by Gorman of Maryland, Brice of Ohio, and others, succeeded in amend ing the bill to an extent deemed so un democratic that the President could give it but a qualified approval, and it became a law without his signature. The necessity of issuing bonds for the pur pose of maintaining the gold reserve, thus increasing the public debt, and the adoption of silver free coinage in the plat form of 1896 overthrew the party, its presidential candidate, William J. Bryan, being defeated by William McKinley, for whom many Democrats in favor of sound money and the gold standard voted.
In 1904 Alton B. Parker, a conserva tive democrat, was nominated. Theodore Roosevelt was chosen by the Republicans and elected, having obtained 336 elec toral votes to Judge Parker's 140. In
1908 William J. Bryan and William H. Taft were the contestants. Taft won, re ceiving 321 Electoral votes to Bryan's 162. Taft was again chosen by the Re publicans in •912. The Democratic con vention held at Baltimore, June 25, after several days' balloting nominated Wood row Wilson, Governor of New Jersey. The new Progressive party, in conven tion assembled at Chicago, August 5, nominated Theodore Roosevelt. The re sult of the election showed, Wilson 435, Roosevelt 88, and Taft 8. At the Demo cratic convention held at St. Louis, June, 1916, Woodrow Wilson and Thomas Marshall were nominated by acclama tion. Charles E. Hughes of New York and C. W. Fairbanks of Indiana were nominated by the Republicans. The re suit of the election was a plurality vote for Woodrow Wilson of 581,941. In 1920 the Democrats nominated J. M. Cox, Gov ernor of Ohio, who was defeated by War ren G. Harding, the Republican nominee, by a vote of 16,132,914 to 9,142,438.