This had been an important objective of the Populist Party in the election of 1892, and in 1896 the Democrats, despite strong opposition from President Grover Cleveland, made unlimited coinage of silver the principal plank in their platform., Populists hoped to win the 1896 election and supplant the Democrats as one of the nation’s two major national parties. Their strategy relied on convincing silverites from the Democratic Party to vote with the Populists rather than for the expected Democratic nominee, President Grover Cleveland, who supported the gold standard, as did the , viewed things too simply in the populist party. Supported silver in the election of 1896. supports a bi-metallic standard. Ends up being candidate for democrats in 1896. Becomes secretary of state and a lawyer., By 1896, following the Panic of 1893, the party had become almost exclusively identified with the free silver movement. The inclusion of Populist positions in the Democratic Party's platform caused a split in the Populist Party. Some Populists, called "fusionists," wanted to join the Democrats., An agrarian-focused party, the Populist Party was a short -lived but significant third party. Their support of unlimited silver coinage, a progressive income tax, and greater workers’ rights were all designed to increase the power of farmers and bring them economic parity with business and industry., The central issue during the 1896 presidential campaign was the debate over the gold standard. The Democratic Party, led by William Jennings Bryan, advocated for the unlimited coinage of silver, which would increase the money supply and help struggling farmers and workers..