Tillman believed that the nation was on the verge of major political change , and that he could be elected president in 1896 , uniting the silver supporters of the South and West . He was willing to consider a third party bid if Cleveland kept control of the Democratic Party , but felt the Populists , by allowing African Americans to seek office , had destroyed their credibility among southern whites . The stinging oratory of the South Carolina senator brought him national prominence , and with the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago likely to be controlled by silver supporters , Tillman was spoken of as a possible presidential candidate along with others , such as former Missouri representative Richard P. Bland , Texas Governor James Hogg , and former Nebraska congressman William Jennings Bryan
1896 Democratic National Convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
Benjamin Tillman