Alternate US History (1788 onwards)

[West_Midlander]

June 19, 1894
The Treaty of Toronto

The Undersigned Parties do hereby agree to the following conditions:
I. The disputed territory of Alberta will hence forth be the territory of and within the jurisdiction of the Dominion of Canada.
II. The disputed territory of Yukon will hence forth be the territory of and within the jurisdiction of the United States of America.
III. The disputed territory of Columbia will hence forth be the territory of and within the jurisdiction of the United States of America.

[West_Midlander]

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(After the US Senate approved the treaty by a vote of 71-5, the treaty was signed and put into effect).

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Sir John Thompson

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Prime Minister of Canada
John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair

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Governor General of Canada
Her Majesty Queen Victoria

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By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India

[West_Midlander]

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The United States of America

Thomas Francis Bayard

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United States Secretary of State
His Excellency Richard Parks Bland

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President of the United States of America

[West_Midlander]

I couldn't find signatures for Hamilton-Gordon and Bland so I made those two with https://fontmeme.com/cursive-fonts/.

[West_Midlander]

The United States of America in 1894

US States
US Territory
Federal District

[West_Midlander]

The Ramsey Court (1864-) (As of 1893)
27. Rep. Alexander Ramsey (R-PA)* (1843-1902)
35. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California Stephen Johnson Field (R-CA) (1865-1899)
39. Fmr. Rep. William Strong (R-PA) (1874-1895)
40. Fmr. Kentucky A.G. John Marshall Harlan (R-KY) (1877-1911)
41. Gov. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II (D-GA) (1877-1893)
42. Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Horace Gray (R-MA) (1886-1902)
43. Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit David Josiah Brewer (R-KS) (1888-1910)
44. Mr. Melville Fuller (D-ME) (1890-1910)
45. Mr. George Shiras Jr. (R-PA) (1892-1924)
46. Sen. Edward Douglass White (D-LA) (1893-1921)
*denotes Chief Justice
1893: White is nominated by President Bland and is quickly confirmed by the Democratic Senate.

[West_Midlander]

The US House of Representatives (elected 1894)
Democrats: 179 (-15)
Republicans: 137 (+7)
Populists: 41 (+9)
[DEMOCRATIC HOLD]
The Greenbacks, hoping to be the king makers of the House don't gain much added influence, the Democrats stand at exactly a majority, 179 seats.

The US Senate (elected 1894)
Democrats: 48 (+8)
Republicans: 30 (+1)
Populists: 10 (+5)
[DEMOCRATIC HOLD]

[West_Midlander]

The Ramsey Court (1864-) (As of 1895)
27. Rep. Alexander Ramsey (R-PA)* (1843-1902)
35. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California Stephen Johnson Field (R-CA) (1865-1899)
39. Fmr. Rep. William Strong (R-PA) (1874-1895)
40. Fmr. Kentucky A.G. John Marshall Harlan (R-KY) (1877-1911)
42. Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Horace Gray (R-MA) (1886-1902)
43. Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit David Josiah Brewer (R-KS) (1888-1910)
44. Mr. Melville Fuller (D-ME) (1890-1910)
45. Mr. George Shiras Jr. (R-PA) (1892-1924)
46. Sen. Edward Douglass White (D-LA) (1893-1921)
47. Mr. Rufus Wheeler Peckham (D-NY) (1895-1909)
*denotes Chief Justice
1895: After the midterms and significant gains in the Senate, Bland nominates Peckham who is approved by a healthy 85-3 majority.

[West_Midlander]

December 5th, 1895: William Jennings Bryan offers a spirited endorsement of the President for a second term.

December 20th, 1895: President Richard Bland announces he will run again.

[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).

[Bidenworth2020]

really enjoying this!

[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.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

*I didn't want Bland to have 666 delegates.

Sad!

[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.