You have made your decision.
You walk across the schoolhouse grounds to Sam Watkins, the Republican party
representative. A large crowd walks away from his en masse as you approach,
and he turns and grins broadly.
"Voting for General Harrison, eh?"
"Yessir," you say, as he hands you a bright blue Republican ticket.
"Well, congratulations on your good choice, son. Come back and see me when you're done voting." This last bit is said with a sly wink as he pats his coat pocket. You smile quietly in return and walk up to the schoolhouse. As you drop your ticket into the ballot box, you look up and see Will Eckhart, the town mayor, give you a smile. He reaches down and clasps your hand, then gives it a firm shake.
"Congratulations, Nat." You know what he means. It's good to finally be a part of the town's political life. You've just taken a big step, one of the final steps, towards becoming an independent man. After giving Mr. Eckhart's hand two short pumps, you let go and turn to walk out.
"Nat!" Mr. Eckhart has stopped you. "Nat, if you're ever interested in stopping by, we'd love to have you over for dinner some night. I know Betsy would love to see you..." Betsy Eckhart is a very sweet and pretty girl of about your age, eight months younger. You hope you're not blushing as you thank him for his invitation, saying that yes, you think you will stop by, sometime soon. You grin foolishly as you step out of the schoolhouse and into the sun. You walk back to the sycamore and stop briefly as Sam Watkins places two crisp bills into your palm: a five and a ten. You tuck the newfound wealth into your pocket and look up to see your father beckoning for you to join him. He's standing with a crowd of his cronies, and he's holding two tankards of ale--one for you, and one for him. You hesitate to join him, though, as you're reflecting on the choice you've made. You're proud of your decision, glad you voted Republican. The rest of the day will be one big party, with plenty of beer and cider, good talks with friends, and even a few pickup games of baseball. Proudly, with your head held high, you walk over to join your family and your friends.
The End
In all, 263,366 Hoosiers voted for Benjamin Harrison in the 1888 election. Your vote is the 263,366th. You should be proud: Benjamin Harrison wins the election! You're a member of the winning team, both in this election and in the later 20th Century as a whole. From 1861 to 1900, the Republicans won every presidential election but two, losing both times to Grover Cleveland. Historically, Cleveland lost Indiana in 1888 by only 2,348 votes, and the overall presidential election by 65 electoral votes. The narrow Republican win in Indiana was highly unexpected: the Democrats managed to rally in the last few months of the election and won several urban votes to close the gap. Incidentally, the bribing by the Republican party depicted here actually did occur, especially in New York and Indiana, two key states. When it was revealed, shortly after Harrison was declared the winner, there was widespread controversy and cries of protest surrounding the corruption of the Harrison administration. Even though it is unlikely that Harrison had any prior knowledge of the bribery, his reputation was still tarnished, and he lost his 1892 bid for reelection to Cleveland, who became the first (and to this date, only) president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms. Still, Harrison went on to an eventful term in office, upholding the protective tariff and founding the Pan-American Council. Congratulations, and thanks for taking the time to cast your vote!