benjamin harrison. in preparing speech in late august he made the decision i better do something about confronting thepr free silver issue it. he want today avoid it, down play it. he's telling everybody the issue is going to be protection, he tells one of his friends, in a month they won't be talking about this issue. and says, in a month they won't stop talking about it. >> host: but he is against silver. he's for gold? >> guest: in fact, one ofai the first big votes that he makes 1870, after election in 1876, 1878, the passage of the silver act. he does believe in honest money. he does oppose free silver. politicians like to avoid them. they like to emphasize the things that unifies people. labors who are working in the mines and this was an issue that brought those kind of people into the republican camp whereas silver split camp. montana, utah, nevada, idaho, colorado, they all walk out of the convention. one of the strongest sporters, the only republican senator from the south, jeter almost walks

benjamin harrison, he has a problem. by an mid august and preparing his speech to the acceptance of the republican nomination in late august she is finally made the decision, better do something about confronting the issue. he wanted to straddle it, when, when it, turn away from it, downplay, his tone people don't worry about it this free silver thing is going to dissipate. in a few weeks he calls his friend in a month it will not be talking about this issue. and his friend says in a month they will not be talking about anything else. in august he figures it out. he spends two thirds of us except in speech talking about free silver. >> host: he is against free silver his for gold. >> guest: he's for gold but he's been as straddle or congress. one of the first was he makes in 1878 is for the passage of the allison silver act witchery institutes the mid- insufficient for the free silverman but good for the goal. he tried to straddle it throughout the 18 eighties. he has a lot of farmers in his district. a district. a lot o

carnegie's castle in scotland and on a sunday morning is reiterated that he is not a candidate and benjamin harrison becomes the front runner. he was born in ohio and is a former senator from the state of indiana and his agent makes a deal. seemingly makes a deal with thomas collier plat that in return for the combine support that will be made secretary of treasury and receive all the customhouse patronage, the most valuable office in the country was the head of the customhouse, and this would ostensibly be his choice and all the patronage jobs connected would be connected to plat. which could make him not only the secretary of treasury but the next president. >> the process we now have which begins in iowa in january, new hampshire in february, it is starts before that, you are saying before 1896 it is all telescope at the convention. >> guest: and if you have got a favorite son, they gather together and unite behind him and instruct either by formally saying we are all for fill in the blank or by simply saying we are sending a delegation composed of sherman schism going to organize for the primary