The Map of Bryanism
- Title:
- The Map of Bryanism
- Alternate Title:
- The Map of Bryanism
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Pulitzer, Joseph
- Other Creators:
- The New York World, publisher
- Date:
- 1908
- Posted Date:
- 2017-04-14
- ID Number:
- 2279.01
- Collection Number:
- 8548
- File Name:
- PJM_2279_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1900 - 1919
- Subject:
- Politics & Government
- Measurement:
- 70x 11 on page 23 x 15 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- In the Fall of 1907, William Jennings Bryan made it clear that he intended to seek the Democratic nomination for the third time in the 1908 Presidential election. The publisher of The New York World, Joseph Pulitzer, was a Democrat with a long record of crusading against privilege and corruption and in support of the working man, but he was adamant that the Democratic Party should not again nominate Bryan. The "Map of Bryanism" first appeared in The World on November 11, 1907, and the message was instantly apparent: Bryan had led the Democrats to defeat twice before, and if he were the nominee in 1908, the Party would suffer a crushing electoral setback. The map was "devised by Mr. Pulitzer himself," although he was nearly blind at this point in his life. Heaton 1913, 249. "For months the map was repeated in every form the ingenuity of the cartoonist could devise," and eventually led to the publication on February 1, 1908 of this "vigorous pamphlet, which was widely circulated." Ibid.
The cover page of the pamphlet contains the Map of Bryanism, and the essential message: "Twelve Years of Demagogy and Defeat. An Appeal to Independent Democratic Thought." Four maps in the pamphlet show the electoral map in 1892 (before Bryan's first campaign), 1896, 1900 and 1907, and they show a steady growth of the ominous states colored black (Republican), followed by the statement, "These maps speak for themselves." P.5. After a detailed, devastating, 30-page dissection of Bryan's career and character, The World concludes, "You cannot possibly be elected. Why then should you be nominated?" In a lengthy Appendix, The World supports a candidate whom it argues might be able to win in 1908: Governor John A. Johnson of Minnesota. Other alternatives are suggested elsewhere in the pamphlet: Woodrow Wilson; Judge Gray of Delaware; former Governor Douglas of Massachusetts; and Chief Judge Cullen of New York. P.8. On June 19, 1908, the morning after the Republicans nominated Taft and a month before the Democratic Convention, The World wrote bluntly, "Bryan's nomination means Taft's election." Heaton 261.
In the end, Pulitzer was right. Taft won a crushing victory, 52-43 percent in the popular vote, with a margin in the Electoral College of nearly 2 to 1. And the Map was a remarkably accurate prediction: Bryan won only three states that Pulitzer had considered Republican, the mining states of Colorado and Nevada, and his home state of Nebraska.
For other persuasive maps concerning Bryan's political career, Search > Bryan.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Source:
- The New York World. 1908. The Map of Bryanism. Twelve Years of Demagogy and Defeat. An Appeal to Independent Democratic Thought. New York: The New York World.
- Cite As:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography, #8548. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
- Repository:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
- Archival Collection:
- P.J. Mode collection of persuasive cartography
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.