President on the Cross

Rstone4

Banned
Thinking about William Jennings Bryant and his 1896 Cross of Gold speech.

I am in the process of studying the time period, but many questions remain to be looked into. So Lets say he Wins. McKinley and Mark Hannah are defeated and He gets into the White House.

He would have to pick up 40 house seats and 6 senate seats from what happened for him to have any control.

What I am really thinking about is a POD where the populists pick up more steam and alliances out side of the farm zones. They need to bring on some urban support especially in the north east where the industrialists are strongest.

However he manages to pick up the extra votes, needed about 50 more, what would his populist economic and social programs have done to the country?

How would the effects be different than TR's progressive platform. Bryant was very charismatic, like TR, but I just don't know enough about the way he interacted with people to know if he could operate on a level similar of that of TR.

From what I've read of various populist platforms, I am sure he would repeal the act of 1873 and returned us to bimetallic standard. Would he manage to wrangle control over the banks, phone companies, rail roads, etc?
 
Banks, certainly not. He's forcing Morgan to tie himself to foreign institutions such as the Bank of England if he restores bimetallism, which will perhaps ironically make Morgan more capable of ignoring the wishes of the US government.

Assuming he's willing and able to work with the unions, though, he can break the railroads. The Pullman strike rolls around, and Bryan can charge Pullman with obstructing the mail and fraud: he is contractually obligated to carry the US Mail, and fighting with his employees over wages does not relieve him of this responsibility. His employees, even organized as a union, do not share this responsibility, as they have no contract with the government except through Pullman.The first time Pullman rejects a settlement with the union he finds himself escorted by soldiers to a federal cell.
 

Rstone4

Banned
Banks, certainly not. He's forcing Morgan to tie himself to foreign institutions such as the Bank of England if he restores bimetallism, which will perhaps ironically make Morgan more capable of ignoring the wishes of the US government.

Assuming he's willing and able to work with the unions, though, he can break the railroads. The Pullman strike rolls around, and Bryan can charge Pullman with obstructing the mail and fraud: he is contractually obligated to carry the US Mail, and fighting with his employees over wages does not relieve him of this responsibility. His employees, even organized as a union, do not share this responsibility, as they have no contract with the government except through Pullman.The first time Pullman rejects a settlement with the union he finds himself escorted by soldiers to a federal cell.

What was it that allowed TR to smack down Morgan that Bryant couldn't?

And what would stop him from taking tighter control of banks? They were already working on the post civil war banking reforms and the crashes of 73 and 93 were fresh in people's minds. And For him to win the needed north eastern states there would be a shift in the ideas of enough voters that They would be for stronger banking control. Just nationalize the banks. Create a Banking act of 1897 and push it through your new majorities. Of course it would go to court.

This thought lead me to look up Chief Justice White. He ruled that monopolies were ok if they weren't messing with trade. This might suggest he would oppose such a power grab. But would that lead to a court packing plan?
 
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