The last presidential campaign of the nineteenth century was remarkable in a number of ways.
-It marked the beginning of the use of the news media in a modern manner.
-It saw the Democratic Party shift toward the more liberal position it occupies today.
-It established much of what we now consider the Republican coalition: Northeastern, conservative, pro-business.
It was also notable for the rhetorical differences of its two candidates. In what is often thought of as a single-issue campaign, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous "Cross of Gold" speech but lost the...