Alternate US History (1788 onwards)

[West_Midlander]

December 28th, 1895: Fmr. Gov. Robert Pattison of Pennsylvania announces he will enter the primaries against the President.

December 31st, 1895: Congressman Joseph Blackburn, another Silver Democrat, announces in Washington, D.C. -- "I'm with Silver Dick for another term!"
January 7th, 1896: "I'm not running," says Grover Cleveland. Cleveland said in Albany today that he will support the eventual Democratic nominee, whoever it may be. Bland supporters are shocked at the lack of direct support for the President.
January 10th, 1896: "I'm running again. We can win this time!" -- Horace Boies, populist Democrat who ran in 1892.

[West_Midlander]

December 22, 1895: "The President is running again? Then so shall I! We need a strong nominee to defeat the Democratic power entrenched in Washington, from the Senate to the House to the White House, itself. I am that man, my friends. I am that candidate. I ask for your support today for a better America." -- major Republican, William McKinley

December 26, 1895: Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, Thomas Brackett Reed, announced today in DC that he is running for the nomination.

January 1, 1896: "On this first day of the new year, I say to you, my friends and prospective supporters. This is the beginning of a new era. The beginning of a new America. I'm a backroom politician, but today I say, I can no longer subject the American people to silence. I'm running for your vote, for your prosperity, for your livelihood!" -- Senator Matthew Quay

January 6, 1896: "Good day. While it is a great thing to have another man of Iowa in the field, [Boies] I know we truly need a leader for America who knows the tricks of the Bland administration. Who would know it better than a U.S. Senator in this Congress, as opposed to a former Governor of our great state?" -- Sen. William B. Allison of Iowa announced his candidacy and attacked Boies.

January 10, 1896: "We need a bold man to bring this country into a time of prosperity. We need expansion. We need action. I will provide it!" -- Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, leading Imperialist

[West_Midlander]

January 11, 1896: Governor James Weaver of Iowa announced his endorsement of Horace Boies for President. Weaver said the Populist Party would not contest the presidency in 1896, instead putting its efforts behind Boies (such efforts would be limited, since most Populists would be excluded on a partisan basis, from the Democratic primaries).

[West_Midlander]

really enjoying this!

Thank you so much!

[West_Midlander]

The campaigning did not begin until late February (around the end of Winter).

March 1st, 1896: President Bland saw a tough road to renomination. Allies told him privately that he stood behind Boies, with less than a third of the party behind him. He trailed Boies 30.2-27.8% with 30% of the party undecided. Pattison took just 12% but every point mattered when it was this close.

President Bland was further shaken by the state of the Republican race. Good sources said McKinley had united nearly half of the party behind him this soon, with his opponents mustering just a handful of states and less than 1/5th of the party.

April 5th, 1896: McKinley still lead most states, holding 48% of the Republicans in his camp. President Bland had made up the gap between himself and Boies but the two were now neck and neck. Bland was torn between wanting to continue for the hope of another term, or dropping out to avoid a divided party that would fail in November. These sentiments were only expressed to closest friends and allies.

April 12th, 1896: While Bland and Boies fought a tough campaign, now at exactly 30.6% both, Pattison had run up his totals to now 23.3% of the party with 15.4% undecided. Pattison was on the upward trend and if the election were held on April 12th, would win a plurality of delegates. The President would be in last place.

May 3rd, 1896: McKinley stood at 44% of the party with over 1/5th of Republicans still undecided. With the election more than six weeks away, McKinley led in all but 11/45 states. For the Democrats, the President had surpassed Boies in projected delegates, but had fallen behind by a full percentage point. Bland now stood on the decline, and just a few points behind the two leaders stood the party's delegate leader, Pattison. Bland knew a contested convention was inevitable. If he dropped out now, it would show weakness. Perhaps he was the only candidate for the Democrats possible of another victory, especially with such divisiveness in the party? Bland held on, determined, for if he dropped out, who knew whether Boies or Pattison would prevail, and how each would fare against McKinley.

[West_Midlander]

The Prohibition Party assembled on June 1st, 1896. Levering was nominated unanimously. He was the only man on the ballot for his party's primary.

June 14th, 1896: William McKinley is nominated for President on the Republican ticket. He secured 736 delegates. With a united party, McKinley has major momentum, despite already leading considerably against the Democrats for the General Election.

516 delegates to win

William McKinley, 49.7% PV, 736 delegates (71.5% of delegates)
Henry Cabot Lodge, 17.4%, 98 delegates (9.5%)
Thomas Brackett Reed, 13.3%, 86 delegates (8.3%)
Matthew Quay, 10.7%, 76 delegates (7.4%)
William B. Allison, 8.9%, 34 delegates (3.3%)

**Notes: Reed won Colorado with 27.3% of the vote, the state is colored as 30+%. Reed won Idaho with 26%, the state is colored as 30+%. Quay won Pennsylvania with 66.7% of the vote. Black text (Quay) denotes the gray state, Pennsylvania. Lodge's name is in orange for readability, his states are shown in yellow.

[West_Midlander]

516 delegates to win

1st Ballot
Robert Pattison, 26.9%, 364 delegates (35.3% of delegates)
Richard Bland, 36.5%, 360 delegates (35%)
Horace Boies, 36.6%, 306 delegates (29.7%)
As the primary results were read off at the Democratic National Convention, it became clear to President Bland that his campaign was in a dire state. He had been wiped out along the entire Eastern Seaboard. He had failed to win the popular vote. Boies held that title, yet was the first to be eliminated. He had failed to sweep the Mountain-West, with populists and Silverites splitting between himself and Boies. Now the nomination was in Boies' hands. Would Boies be confident in the President's ability to lead and win another four years for the Democrats? Would Boies strike back at Bland, endorsing Pattison, a recompense for the infighting between the two camps?

[West_Midlander]

Democratic National Convention, 1896
2nd Ballot
Richard Bland, 36.5%, 665 delegates (64.6%)
Robert Pattison, 26.9%, 364 delegates (35.3% of delegates)
Horace Boies, 36.6%
Write-in*: James Weaver, 0%, 1 delegate (0.1%)
*I didn't want Bland to have 666 delegates.

[West_Midlander]

The Presidential Tickets
Fmr. Gov. William McKinley (R-OH) / Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
Pres. Richard Bland (D-MO) / Fmr. Rep. William Jennings Bryan (D-NE)
Mr. Joshua Levering (Prohibition-MD) / Mayor Hale Johnson (P-IN)
Despite Boies and Pattison supporters' objections, neither were given the running mate slot. Bland decided that he needed Bryan's charisma and stamina in order to defeat McKinley's extensive political machine. Weaver's Populists decided not to contest the presidency, despite Boies losing. They would focus on congressional races and would not clash with Bland on the campaign trail.

[West_Midlander]

Under the promise of major cabinet posts, Horace Boies, Robert Pattison and Vice President David Hill stumped extensively, across the country, for President Bland.
In the beginning of the campaign, Mr. McKinley led the electoral vote and trailed slightly in the popular vote. McKinley and Lodge won the first few debates and the Republicans' lead expanded. Scandals emerged on McKinley and Bland decisively won the final debate. The result? It could not have been closer.

United States Presidential election, 1896

Bland managed to hold the entire Old South, with the exception of Maryland. The President expanded his base into Indiana and stormed the whole West, with the major exception of Wyoming, which was an extreme upset for the Republican campaign. Several newspapers went on to project an incorrect result for the election, as a few Western states flipped back and forth, tipping the balance of who would triumph.

[West_Midlander]

The US House of Representatives (elected 1896)
Republicans: 166 (+29)
Democrats: 139 (-40)
Populists: 52 (+11)
[REPUBLICANS TAKE PLURALITY]
Republicans downballot outperformed Governor McKinley. The populists saw gains, taking 11 more seats. A good number of voters who went for Bland didn't vote Democratic downballot, instead opting for favorable local Republicans or Populists.

The US Senate (elected 1896)
Democrats: 44 (-4)
Republicans: 34  (+4)
Populists: 12 (+2)
[DEMOCRATIC HOLD]
The Democrats lost four seats to the Republicans in the 1896 realignment. The populists swept the state legislature of newly-admitted Utah, the 45th state, taking both Senatorial seats for that state.

[West_Midlander]

Reed is kept out of the Speaker's chair, as the Populists ally with the Democrats for a count of 191 to the Republicans' 166. Joseph Weldon Bailey (D-TX) is elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Freshman Congressman John Edward Kelley (P-SD) is the Deputy Speaker.

Bland's cabinet coming soon.

[West_Midlander]

Correction: Earlier in this timeline, I referred to Bishop Leonidas Polk of Louisiana (b. 1806, d. 1864) instead of Leonidas Lafayette Polk (Populist-NC), the 1st NC Commisioner of Agriculture (b. 1827, d. 1892).

EDIT: Corrected.

[West_Midlander]

I also overlooked that Sec. Polk died in 1892.
He would serve until his death as the Populist vice presidential nominee. Rev. Charles H. Martin (Populist-NC) would replace him on the ticket and go on to serve as Bland's Secretary of War.

[West_Midlander]

President Richard Bland's Second Cabinet

Vice President William Jennings Bryan
(pictured, being carried by supporters after giving his Cross of Gold Speech following President Bland's acceptance speech in 1896.)

Secretary of State
SoS Thomas F. Bayard resigned the day after Election Day in order to return to private life. Governor Robert E. Pattison, the delegate leader in the primaries and major surrogate for President Bland, is appointed to fill the vacancy. He is approved by the Congress in late November 1896 by a margin of 68-20.

Governor Robert E. Pattison (D-PA)
Attorney General
Sitting Attorney General Horace Boies is confirmed 87-3 in February.

Attorney General Horace Boies (D-IA)
Secretary of the Treasury
Representative James Gunn is appointed Treasury Secretary as a thank-you to the Populists for giving the Democrats the Speakership in the House. He is confirmed 50-40 with all Republicans and a few Democrats voting against, citing a "corrupt bargain" on the House Speakership.

Congressman James Gunn (P-ID)
Secretary of the Army
Incumbent Secretary of War Charles H. Martin is kept in his current position. If not for the Democratic-Populist affiliation in the House, he might've been removed in favor of one of Bland's Democratic allies. He is confirmed 60-28.
(No image available)
Secretary of War Charles H. Martin (P-NC)
Secretary of the Navy
Herbert stays on for another four years. He is confirmed 86-4.

Secretary of the Navy Hilary A. Herbert (D-AL)
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary Francis is confirmed for the second time by the Senate, with a large majority of 85-2.

Secretary of the Interior David R. Francis (D-MO)
Secretary of Agriculture
Bland keeps his Agriculture Secretary on for his second term. Morton is confirmed 88-0.

Secretary of Agriculture Julius Sterling Morton (D-NE)
Postmaster General
Spooner is confirmed for another term, 72-0, with many not bothering to show to vote at all.

Postmaster General John Coit Spooner (R-WI)

[West_Midlander]

Major Ambassadorships
United States Ambassador to Spain
The imperialist Senator and former Republican running mate is tapped to serve as the country's chief diplomat to Spain. His aims certainly don't help when tensions rise with Spain in 1898. At the time, Lodge will be confirmed 90-0.

Senator Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
As promised, the former Vice President under Bland (1893-1897) is given the country's chief ambassadorship. Hill is confirmed 90-0.

Former Vice President David Hill (D-NY)

[West_Midlander]

January 8th, 1898
Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, overthrown by the United States, forms a government in exile in Spain.

[West_Midlander]

January 15th, 1898
Ambassador to Spain, Henry Cabot Lodge, pushes Washington for action.
February 1st, 1898
US ships depart from Washington, D.C. for Cuba. The USS Maine departs from Cuba for Florida, to wait for the rest of the American Fleet to arrive.
February 8th, 1898
Already under American control, Queen Liliuokalani's Iolani Palace is stormed by American troops and occupied. Queen Liliuokalani is not in the palace, having fled to Spain months earlier. The American flag is raised at the palace. The United States officially annexes Hawaii.

[West_Midlander]

February 19th, 1898
The Government of Spain calls out American aggression.
February 20th, 1898
Amb. Henry Cabot Lodge speaks in Madrid in an official address to the Government of Spain: "Why does the Spanish nation stand for this hypocrisy? For preventing another civilized nation from joining the ranks of the world's great expansionist nations, of which Spain is a member?"
February 22nd, 1898
Amb. Henry Cabot Lodge is now considered a Persona non grata in Spain.
February 23rd, 1898
The United States Government evacuates the Madrid embassy, closing it.
March 17th, 1898
An official declaration of war is submitted to the Spanish embassy in Washington, D.C. After receiving the declaration and sending it to Madrid, the diplomats are to leave the United States in American custody, and to be delivered to the British consulate in Canada.

[West_Midlander]

June 2nd, 1898

Spain Surrenders. The United States occupies Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.

[West_Midlander]

June 15th, 1898 -- following the death of President Richard Parks Bland
I, William Jennings Bryan, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God.

June 18th, 1898
Newly confirmed (90-0) Vice President Arthur Sewall takes office.

[West_Midlander]

The Treaty of Paris, 1898
Ratified by the Senate 47-40 on June 19th, 1898
Signed June 20th, 1898
I. The Kingdom of Spain shall do the following effective immediately.
     1. Cede the island of Cuba to the United States.
     2. Cede Puerto Rico and all other Caribbean possessions to the United States of America.
     3. Cede the island of Guam to the United States.
     4. Cede the Philippine Islands to the United States
II. The Kingdom of Spain shall be made a payment of twenty million dollars.
III. A state of peace shall henceforth exist between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain.


President of the United States of America, William Jennings Bryan

Robert Emory Pattison
Secretary of State of the United States of America, Robert Emory Pattison

Alfonso XIII
King of Spain, Alfonso XIII


Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo


President Bryan announced the treaty signing, and gains secured in that document. He also said he would keep on President Bland's cabinet for the remainder of the current term. (Note: The treaty proposal passed the Senate with a thin majority due to nationalists fervor that prevented many from voting for an agreement that would have the United States giving anything to Spain (money in Article II)).

[West_Midlander]

Bland dies a year earlier ITTL?

I think the stress of the Presidency and war could do it. He had been moderately sick for a few years iirc and left office in 1895 IOTL.

EDIT: Thought I did mistake that 9 for an 8, intending for him to die when he did IOTL, originally (1899). Now I kind of like the drama of political turmoil and a new president while peace negotiations are ongoing.

[West_Midlander]

In order to calm some of the Imperialist sentiments in the nation, President Bryan moves to and succeeds in annexing Wake Island and Samoa (later American Samoa) before the close of the year. (Wake Island was acquired in 1899 IOTL and the first cessions of part of American Samoa began in 1900 IOTL).

[West_Midlander]

The US House of Representatives (elected 1898)
Republicans: 205 (+39)
Democrats: 128 (-11)
Populists: 24 (-28)
[REPUBLICANS TAKE MAJORITY]
Bryan allies are worried about 1900. The Republican party leaders slammed Bryan saying "He's a good man, but he can't lead. Don't elect another Congress to help him." The Populists lost more than half their House seats due to a growing sentiment pushed by the Republicans that the Populists subverted the will of the people by partnering with the smaller party (the Democrats) from 1897-1899 for control of the House. The Republicans cite the extra major cabinet position Bland gave the Populists. A major argument is made that Populists are Democrats-in-all-but-name.
The US Senate (elected 1898)
Democrats: 40 (-4)
Republicans: 40 (+6)
Populists: 10 (-2)
[NO MAJORITY, DEMOCRATS LOSE CONTROL]
Democrats and Greenbacks do decent in holding on due to the non-direct election of Senators. The Greenbacks refuse to caucus with either party in order to minimize losses in the next elections.