Politics in the Gilded AgeChapter 15Section 3Life at the Turn of the 20th CenturyRiddlebarger

Political Machines

● Part-time city politicians before Civil War

● Growing cities bring bigger challenges

● Need for professionals results in political

machines● Informal group of professional politicians

that control local government

● Corrupt methods

Immigrant/Working Class at the bottom

Immigrants and political machines

● Political Machines control most major cities by late 1800’s

● Make special point of connecting with immigrants○ Help with jobs, housing; coal in winter; turkeys on

holidays○ Helped with gaining citizenship

● Expected their vote in return

Corruption

● While it’s appropriate to help constituents and ask for help many went too far.

● Use of illegal tactics to maintain control○ Jobs and favors in return for votes○ Election fraud○ Hired men to vote several times

■ “Vote early and vote often”

Corruption cont.

● Graft: using political position to gain money and power dishonestly

● Popular among politicians of the time

● Demand bribes and payoffs for contracts or jobs

● Business leaders will just see it as a part of doing business

The Tweed Ring

● Most notorious machine was Tammany Hall○ Ran Democratic Party in New

York City● William Marcy Tweed was the boss● Used graft to enrich himself and

friends

Tweed Ring cont.

● Tweed controlled elections, corrupt judges, and big business in the city

● He ran the city from 1863-71 and seemed unbreakable● Revelations by Tweed bookkeeper bring corruption to

light● Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, publishes regular

criticisms● Tweed convicted of fraud and extortion in 1873

○ 12 year sentence (died in jail, 1878)○ (Escaped but found in Spain because people

recognized his image from cartoons)

Tweed:

“I don’t care so much what the papers write about me- my constituents can’t read, but they can see...pictures.”

Federal Corruption

● Smoke-filled back room is the image of late 1800’s government○ Clubs & parlors where

politicians and businesses made deals to enrich themselves

● Out of public view

Scandals of the Grant administration

● Ulysses S. Grant became president in 1869● His presidency is marred by scandal● Credit Mobilier Scandal

○ Union Pacific overcharged for Transcontinental Railroad by $23 millions■ Money went into pockets of UP officials■ Revelations that Congressmen & VP involved

Grant administration cont.

● The Whiskey Ring was another scandal that involved members of Grant’s administration & whiskey industry officials stealing taxpayer money○ Bribes had been paid to

government officials○ Whiskey officials kept liquor

taxes that should have gone to federal treasury

President Hayes and reform

● Scandals will inspire reform efforts● Pres. Rutherford Hayes, elected in 1877, pushes for

reform○ Exec. Order prohibits gov. Employees from managing campaigns or

parties (reform of Civil Service)

● Hayes fires top officials who ignore the order● Reformers v. Stalwarts within Republican Party

James Garfield

● Hayes only serves one term & steps down

● James Garfield (Rep.) wins election

● Angers Stalwarts by not giving boss a job

● Refuses “Spoils”● Garfield shot 4

months into term○ Dies 2 months later

Chester Arthur

● Garfield killed by a man who had been denied a job in the Garfield administration

● He believed killing Garfield would help the stalwart cause○ The opposite happened,

instead.● Chester A. Arthur, a former

stalwart, becomes President

Civil Service Reform

● Arthur will surprise many by turning against the spoils system

● Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883) ○ requires promotions in government jobs be based on merit, not

politics

● Important 1st step in ending corruption in federal government.

The Populist Movement

● Calls for reform also come from farmers

● Will challenge both major parties

Farmer’s Hardships

● Crop prices falling; farmers in desperation○ Many were in debt from buying new equipment and

more land to grow more crops○ Oversupply cause further drop in prices

24 acres of cotton (1894) < 9 acres of cotton (1873)

Farmer’s Hardships cont.

● Growing debt makes it harder to pay on loans○ Increasing railroad fees

make situation worse○ Smallest farmers had to

pay higher fees● Farmers feel everyone is

profited but them

Farmer’s Organize

● Farmers organize to help each other; begin local but expand to be national● National Grange campaigns to unite farmers across nation

○ Membership expands greatly ● Decide to focus on political reform to achieve goals

○ Interstate Commerce Act (1887): 1st time US government regulated an industry

● The Alliance Movement is similar to Grange and seeks political change○ Southern segregation leads to separate Colored Farmers’ Alliance

Explain this motto

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty.”

The Money Supply Issue

● Farmers’ Alliance wants to expand the money supply○ Create better economic conditions○ Need government to print more money

■ Hoped for inflation (causing crop prices to rise and easing their debt)

● Government went on the Gold Standard in 1873○ Paper money can only be exchanged for gold (not silver, too); print only as much money as

there is gold in the treasury.

● Gold Standard reduces number of dollars in circulation so farmers want silver brought back

● Support candidates for office who back silver and will have successes

The Populist Party

● With their successes, they decide to form their own political party

● People’s Party (1892) better know as the Populist Party● Calls for:

○ Income tax○ Bank regulation○ Government owned railroad and telegraph○ Unlimited coinage of silver (Free Silver)

Populists

“We seek to restore the government of the Republic to the hands of the ‘plain people’, with which class it originated. We assert our purposes to be identical with the purposes of the National Constitution… We believe that the power of government- in other words, of the people- should be expanded… to the end that oppression, injustice, and poverty shall eventually cease in the land.”

-Preamble to Populist 1892 platform

Who do the populists claim to speak for?

● Populists nominate James Weaver as Presidential candidate

○ Grover Cleveland (Dem.) and Benjamin Harrison (Rep.)

● Cleveland wins○ Populists win seats in Congress and state legislatures

The Panic of 1893

● Soon after Cleveland’s election, the country falls into an economic depression

● The failure of a leading railroad company sets off the Panic of 1893○ 3 million lost jobs; business failures○ Strikes & protests around the country

● Blame is put on (falling price of) silver and the rush to exchange paper $ for gold

○ Strains nation’s gold reserves

● Pres. Cleveland keeps country on Gold Standard as a result

Election of 1896

● Silver continues to be an issue● Unpopularity of economy leads to Cleveland not being renominated

○ Republicans: William McKinley (Ohio)○ Democrats: William Jennings Bryan

● Bryan supports Free Silver as key to prosperity○ Causes Populists to support Democrats○ Business leaders pour money into McKinley

● McKinley wins and Populist Party fades away○ They paved the way for future reforms