He traveled over eighteen thousand miles, speaking at nearly every stopping place to great assemblages.
McKinley, on the contrary, stayed at home, although he delivered an effective series of speeches to visiting delegations.

The outcome seemed doubtful, but the intense anxiety which was prevalent was promptly dispelled when the election returns began to arrive.

By going over to free silver, the Democrats wrested from the Republicans all the mining States, except California, together with Kansas and Nebraska, but the electoral votes which they thus secured were a poor compensation for losses elsewhere.

Such old Democratic strongholds as Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia gave McKinley substantial majorities, and Kentucky gave him twelve of her thirteen electoral votes.

McKinley's popular plurality was over six hundred thousand, and he had a majority of ninety-five in the electoral college.
The nation approved the position which Cleveland had maintained, but the Republican party reaped the benefit by going over to that position while the Democratic party was ruined by forsaking it.