 McKinley soothed ruffled feathers of party bigwigs by mail and in person . Though former president Harrison refused to tour , he gave a speech in New York where he railed against free silver , stating , " the first dirty errand that a dirty dollar does is to cheat the workingman " . The public was closely following the campaign , and the Republican efforts had their effect . In September , polls showed the midwestern states leaning Republican , though silver @-@ supporting Iowa was still close . McKinley 's running mate , Hobart , continued to look after his law practice and business interests , and was apparently a major contributor to the Republican campaign . He helped to run the New York office , gave some speeches from his own front porch in Paterson , and in October went on a short campaign tour of New Jersey , though he was a reluctant public speaker . Hobart was much stronger for the gold standard than was McKinley , and made clear his views in his speeches . 
