The bitter controversy concerning the matter of the free coinage of silver is proving critical to where the votes will fall in this year's (1896) campaign. On one side, there is William Jennings Bryan who believes that the free coinage of silver is decisive if all the people of the United States wish to prosper from the wealth that it is generating. On the other hand, there is the Republican McKinley who deems that the U.S. must retain the gold standard if it is to cope with and engage in international trade, especially with Britain. Both parties are claiming that either the free coinage o…
