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It is fair to argue that the average Catholic immigrant voter would be reluctant to vote for a Socialist ticket at the best of times, especially given the anti-Socialist bias in his religion, 92 but he would be even more reluctant to do so if the short-term result might be to elect to office some avenging fundamentalist like Bryan. While the electorally crucial majority of potential Socialist voters were frightened off by this prospect, there is plenty of evidence that numerous old Populists found their way into the Socialist Party, especially in the South.

While, as has been pointed out, the American political system had a high degree of stability, it would be a mistake to imply that it was totally static. During the I 8gos, and culminating in the Presidential election of 1 8g6, the political system underwent a substantial electoral realignment, at least at the Presidentiallevel. 84 Although this of course occurred before Editor's Introductory Essay XXXV the Socialist Party of America was formed as a viable political force, it is instructive to explore the possibility that this realignment had some subsequent effect on the Party's failure.

Anyone who has ever been in Newport, the Baiae of New York,17 will have picked up the impression that in America having a million is commonplace. There is certainly no other place in the world where the princely palace of the very grandest style is so obviously the standard type of residence, while anyone who has wandered once through Tiffany's department store in New York will always sense something akin to the odour of poverty in even the most splendid luxury businesses of large European cities.