in 1896, people around the Vanderbilts actually kicked in 3.5 million dollars
direct to Bill McKinley's run, and this is reflectively the why of his mailings and memorablilia.
some estimate that betwen the railroad discount rates for package tours to Canton, Ohio
and other expendatures, the McKinley people also had a 10 to 12 million dollars
sent their way. this 3.5 to possibly 16 million dollar figure is in 1896 dollars.
admittedly being a Union Army veteran, there was no need for these monies, the
republican party had an easy demographic to pitch their "golden boy" of the hour to!
when William Jennings Bryan is so effective at securing the democratic nomination,
this set off the financial centers. we see rather than having the 20 to 1 or 16 to one
ratio being a stuffy economics paper, it became a political wildfire of a grassfire debate!