Clement 's speech resembled a standard Tennessee stump speech , with a strong evangelical , sermon-like tone . He derided the Republican Party as the " party of privilege and pillage , " referred to Vice President Richard Nixon as the " vice hatchet man , " and accused President Eisenhower of staring down the " green fairways of indifference " ( a reference to Eisenhower 's love of golf ) . He stated that Democrats would not " crucify the American farmer on a Republican cross of gold , " recalling the Cross of Gold speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the party 's 1896 convention . Clement 's speech is often remembered for his repeated use of the phrase , " How long , America , O how long ? " Clement 's speech received raucous applause from convention delegates , and was well received by Democrats in general . '' Washington Post '' columnist Colbert I. King recalled watching the speech as a teenager and thinking afterward that Eisenhower and Nixon had no chance of winning . Future president Bill Clinton , then 9 years old , watched the speech from his parents ' living room , and later described it as a " rousing " address in his memoir , '' My Life '' . Future Georgia governor Zell Miller , who would later deliver speeches at the 1992 Democratic convention and the 2004 Republican convention , missed the birth of his son to see Clement 's speech
1896 convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
Frank G. Clement