from stalemate to crisis politics in the glided age
TRANSCRIPT
Politics of Equilibrium
Period of remarkable political stability YET, pretty high voter turnout
Almost 80% of voters participated in Pres. Elections from 1860-1900
Party loyalty shaped primarily by: Regional diff., ethnicity, religion Dems: recent immigrants in North, strong
Southern base Reps.: tended to favor limiting immigration; strong
with “old stock” Americans
Political Inaction
Gov’t did relatively little during this period
Exceptions: Subsidies to RRs (esp. land grants) Intervention in several labor disputes
1894 Pullman Strike Massive pension system for Civil War vets
Some attempt to convert this to old age pensions, but never really panned out
Lots of corruption & party patronage
2. Intense 2. Intense Voter Loyalty Voter Loyalty
to theto theTwo MajorTwo Major
Political PartiesPolitical Parties
2. Intense 2. Intense Voter Loyalty Voter Loyalty
to theto theTwo MajorTwo Major
Political PartiesPolitical Parties
3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs
DemocraticBloc
DemocraticBloc
RepublicanBloc
RepublicanBloc
White southerners(preservation ofwhite supremacy)
Catholics
Recent immigrants(esp. Jews)
Urban working poor (pro-labor)
Most farmers
Northern whites(pro-business)
African Americans
Northern Protestants
Old WASPs (supportfor anti-immigrant laws)
Most of the middleclass
4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.
From 1870-1900 Govt. did verylittle domestically.
Main duties of the federal govt.:
Deliver the mail.
Maintain a national military.
Collect taxes & tariffs.
Conduct a foreign policy.
Exception administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension.
5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office
Party bosses ruled.
Presidents should avoid offending anyfactions within theirown party.
The President justdoled out federal jobs.
1865 53,000 people worked for the federal govt.
1890 166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “
Senator Roscoe Conkling
The Presidency & Party Politics Presidency at this time really about giving out gov’t patronage
for party supporters
Republicans split into 2 factions STALWARTS: supporters of traditional machine politics HALF-BREEDS: reformers (but really wanted a larger part of
the patronage “pie”
Civil Service Hayes tried to create a more honest & capable civil service Garfield assassinated by a frustrated office seeker (July 1881) Arthur: Had been a Stalwart, but became a more independent
president 1883: pushed through the Pendleton Act Required competitive written exam system for some key federal
jobs
1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential Election: RepublicansElection: Republicans
1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential Election: RepublicansElection: Republicans
Half BreedsHalf Breeds StalwartsStalwarts
Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York)
James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur (VP)
compromise
1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential Election: DemocratsElection: Democrats1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential
Election: DemocratsElection: Democrats
Inspecting the Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Democratic Curiosity
ShopShop
Inspecting the Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Democratic Curiosity
ShopShop
1880 1880 Presidential Presidential
ElectionElection
1880 1880 Presidential Presidential
ElectionElection
1881: Garfield 1881: Garfield Assassinated!Assassinated!1881: Garfield 1881: Garfield Assassinated!Assassinated!
Charles Guiteau:I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!
Chester A. Arthur:Chester A. Arthur:The Fox in the Chicken Coop?The Fox in the Chicken Coop?
Chester A. Arthur:Chester A. Arthur:The Fox in the Chicken Coop?The Fox in the Chicken Coop?
Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)
Civil Service Act.
The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform.
1883 14,000 out of117,000 federal govt.jobs became civilservice exam positions.
1900 100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs.
Republican Republican “Mugwumps”“Mugwumps”
Republican Republican “Mugwumps”“Mugwumps” Reformers who wouldn’t re-
nominateChester A. Arthur.
Reform to them create a disinterested, impartial govt. run by an educated elite like themselves.
Social Darwinists.
Laissez faire government to them:
Favoritism & the spoils system seen as govt. intervention in society.
Their target was political corruption, not social or economic reform!
TheTheMugwuMugwu
mpsmps
TheTheMugwuMugwu
mpsmpsMen may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever. Will support
Cleveland in the1884 election.
Ugly Campaigns, Few Issues
1884: Cleveland vs. Blaine Lots of slurs thrown around Protestant minister (Blaine supporter) calls Dems party of
“rum, Romanism, and rebellion” Cleveland: gov’t should play a limited role Opposed protective tariffs (caused size of gov’t to grow
unnecessarily)
1888; Tariffs play a key role in campaign Cleveland loses to Harrison One of closest election in US history 1st time since CW that Reps and Dems differed
significantly on economic issues
1884 Presidential 1884 Presidential ElectionElection
1884 Presidential 1884 Presidential ElectionElection
Grover Cleveland James Blaine * (DEM) (REP)
A Dirty A Dirty CampaignCampaign
A Dirty A Dirty CampaignCampaign
Ma, Ma…where’s my pa?He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!
Rum, Romanism & Rum, Romanism & Rebellion!Rebellion!Rum, Romanism & Rum, Romanism & Rebellion!Rebellion! Led a delegation of
ministers to Blaine inNYC.
Reference to the Democratic Party.
Blaine was slow torepudiate the remark.
Narrow victory forCleveland [he wins NYby only 1149 votes!].
Dr. Samuel Burchard
1884 1884 Presidential Presidential
ElectionElection
1884 1884 Presidential Presidential
ElectionElection
Cleveland’s First TermCleveland’s First TermCleveland’s First TermCleveland’s First Term The “Veto Governor” from New
York.
First Democratic elected since 1856.
A public office is a public trust!
His laissez-faire presidency:
Opposed bills to assist the poor aswell as the rich.
Vetoed over 200 special pension billsfor Civil War veterans!
The Tariff IssueThe Tariff IssueThe Tariff IssueThe Tariff Issue After the Civil War, Congress raised
tariffs to protect new US industries.
Big business wanted to continue this;consumers did not.
1885 tariffs earned the US $100 mil. in surplus!
Mugwumps opposed it WHY???
President Cleveland’s view on tariffs????
Tariffs became a major issue in the 1888presidential election.
Filing the Rough Filing the Rough EdgesEdges
Filing the Rough Filing the Rough EdgesEdges
Tariff of 1888
1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection
1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection
Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison (DEM) * (REP)
The Smallest The Smallest Specimen YetSpecimen YetThe Smallest The Smallest Specimen YetSpecimen Yet
1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection
1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection
Changing Public OpinionChanging Public OpinionChanging Public OpinionChanging Public Opinion Americans wanted the federal govt. to
dealwith growing soc. & eco. problems & to curbthe power of the trusts:
Interstate Commerce Act – 1887
Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890
McKinley Tariff – 1890
Based on the theory that prosperityflowed directly from protectionism.
Increased already high rates another 4%!
Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (evenMcKinley lost his House seat!).
Things start to heat up again
Harrison: Pretty passive overall BUT… July 1890: Sherman Anti-trust Act
Forbids “combinations in restraint of trade” Largely ineffective until new enforcement mechanisms
were added in 1900s October 1890: McKinley Tariff
High protective tariffs Resulted in big midterm losses in Nov. 1890
1892: Cleveland vs. Harrison AGAIN Cleveland wins, and Dems get both houses Focused mostly on tariff reform
Senate weakened his proposal into the Wilson-Gorman tariff of 1894
Some Increasing Public Support for Reform
1886: Wabash case SC overturns laws regulating RRs as an
unconstitutional attempt to control interstate commerce
1887: Interstate Commerce Act Reaction to court rulings Very loosely enforced until Teddy Roosevelt
Agrarian Revolt
Individualistic yet frequently organized National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (the
Grange) 1867
Started as social and educational organization, but changed in Depression of 1873 Formed marketing cooperatives
1870s: Grange politicians took hold of several Midwestern legislatures But lost power when economic prosperity returned & SC
overturned some Granger laws
Agrarian Revolt
Mid-1870s: Farmers’ Alliances Mostly regional but some move to more action Mary Ellen Lease “raise less corn & more hell!”
1889: Ocala demands Sets stage for more organized demands Competed well in off year elections
1892: create the People’s Party Weaver gets 8.5 percent in the 1892 Pres.
Election
Populism Appealed mostly to farmers May have felt “culturally marginal” Failed to attract industrial labor
“Free silver”
Some dispute over allowing Blacks in the South into the mvmt.
Omaha Platform (1892) Create “subtreasuries” where farmer’s could store grain until prices rose Direct election of Senators Regulation & gov’t ownership of RRs, telephones & telegraphs Graduated income tax Currency inflation
A challenge to the laissez-faire orthodoxy of the time