"FOR PRESIDENT WM. E. RUSSELL" CROSS OF GOLD SPEECH 1896 HOPEFUL BUTTON.
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Item Description
7/8" w/W&H back paper. A couple tiny dots in field just right of portrait. Otherwise clean. Extremely Fine. Rare. William Russell, then Gov. of Massachusetts, was one of the most vehement opponents of free silver during the 1896 campaign. He built a contingency in the Eastern states and at the convention delivered an impassioned speech in support of the gold standard. However, the very next speaker was William J. Bryan who delivered his now iconic Cross of Gold speech after which the convention crowd went berserk sweeping away policemen who accompanied Bryan off the podium where delegates lifted him atop their shoulders and carried him about the arena. The ensuing 25 minutes of pandemonium secured Russell's place as a footnote in history akin to Al Downing, the pitcher on the mound for Hank Aaron's 715th home run. Russell died some three months after the convention while on a fishing trip in Quebec. This is only the third example we can recall encountering in our 58 years.
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