After the Civil War, farming expanded to the West and the South. The supply of crops grew faster than their demand. Farmers began to organize in an effort to solve their problems. They formed the National Grange to offer education and even social gatherings to farmers. The Grange tried to encourage economic self-sufficiency by establishing cash-only cooperative stores. Farmers' Alliances were networks of organizations that sprang up in the West & the South in the 1880s. In 1880, Alliance formed the Populist Party to appeal to the common people. This group wanted to replace U.S. currency based on free silver - the unlimited production of silver coins. The Populist Party also supported a number of political and labor reforms. Although they backed their own candidate in the 1892 election - Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland won that election. William McKinley was elected U.S. President in 1896. Although Populists were not a lasting political party, they influenced changes in the early 1900s such as the eight-hour work day, ian income tax and the direct election of senators.