From Stalemate to Crisis Politics in the Glided Age.

From Stalemate to CrisisPolitics in the Glided Age

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

1. A Two-Party Stalemate1. A Two-Party Stalemate

Two-Party “Balance”Two-Party “Balance”

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…!

Little Lost Little Lost MugwumpMugwumpLittle Lost Little Lost MugwumpMugwump

Blaine in 1884

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!

Bravo, Señor Bravo, Señor Clevelando!Clevelando!Bravo, Señor Bravo, Señor Clevelando!Clevelando!

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)

Coming Out for Coming Out for HarrisonHarrison

Coming Out for Coming Out for HarrisonHarrison

The Smallest The Smallest Specimen YetSpecimen YetThe Smallest The Smallest Specimen YetSpecimen Yet

1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection

1888 Presidential 1888 Presidential ElectionElection

Disposing the Disposing the SurplusSurplus

Disposing the Disposing the SurplusSurplus

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

Crisis of the 1890s

Worst depression in US history (so far) Failure of Philadelphia & Reading RR Triggers stock mkt collapse Panic of 1893

Shows interdependence of Am. Economy

Protests Coxey’s Army

Precipitates debate over currency in US