Political Landscape 1880 – 1900



Political Landscape 1880 – 1900

Equilibrium

a) Intense party loyalty – gave individuals sense of identity in industrial society. Based on region, ethnicity, religion, social class.

b) Democrats attracted immigrants, poor and Catholics, tended to be big city machines. Republicans Protestant Anglo Saxons and northern middles class.

c) People tended to vote Republican in the north and west, Democratic in the South. Region decided most party loyalties. This is where the idea of “balancing a ticket” comes from.

d) very little variation in the parties. Both are mainstream, in favor of expansive economy, opposed to foreign ideas particularly of the radical or reformist variety, in favor of patriotism, motherhood and sound currency. Only real difference is immigration policy. Dems favored loose immigration policy and were wets. Republicans favored restrictions and were drys.

e) government was very restricted. Laissez Faire insured that government would not do much. Civil War Pension system (Dependents Pension Act) lays groundwork for reforms later to end Laissez Faire (Welfare State).

f) legislature is divided between Dems in House and Reps in Senate

g)) dispensing of patronage is the biggest issue. Roscoe Conkling, James G. Blaine, Mark Hanna all controlled patronage.

g) Stalwarts and Half-Breeds – status quo v. reform. Not much reform in these two.

2. Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland (Dem), Harrison, Cleveland,

3. 1884 Election – Rum, Romanism and Rebellion. Cleveland versus Blaine. Reform governor of New York v. slime bag from Maine.

Catholic vote in reaction to slander won presidency for Cleveland.

Cleveland administration is run of the mill but differed from the others in attempts to DO something. Cut costs “the people should support the government but the government should not support the people”

Attempted to reduce the tariff.

4. 1888 election. Cleveland v. Harrison – Cleveland wins popular vote but loses electoral vote. Harrison takes office and is a nonentity.

Economic Reform

1. States try to enforce antitrust legislation, but can’t really do anything.

2. Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. forbid formation of combinations and authorized Justice Department to break them up in court. Weakness was vagueness of definition of combination. Didn’t have much effect and was primarily used against labor.

3. United States v. E. C. Knight Co. – sugar company controlled manufacture of 98 % of sugar. Court struck the case down because manufacturing does not automatically involve interstate commerce.

4. McKinley Tariff – highest tariff yet. Led to annexation of Hawaii.

5. Wilson Gorman Tariff – was an insignificant bill but had a rider that called for a small federal income tax. This is significant because it shows pressure brought by new Peoples party. 2% on incomes over 4000.

6. Railroad regulation becomes an issue because of the militancy of farmers (Grangers, Alliances). This issue affects farmers most. Granger laws are enacted in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Struck down by Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois. Court said that states were trying to usurp interstate power of feds.

7. ICC – forces railroads to have consistent rates regardless of distance hauled, publish schedules, would not allow schedule changes after acceptance of contract and could set “reasonable and just” rates. The ICC was a useless commission that was harassed by the courts and railroad lawyers.

Grangers

Starts out as social organization. Oliver Kelley formed National Grange of the Patrons of Animal Husbandry. Fraternal organization to relieve loneliness on farming, but introduced scientific management techniques.

Depression of 1873 forces the Grange to be a self help group. Farmers Declaration of Independence “all lawful and peaceful means to free from tyranny of monopoly. First real declaration of class war in America since Bacon’s Rebellion.

The Granges institute changes:

a) marketing cooperatives

b) political alliances over issues. Single issue – railroad regulation. Elected legislatures in Midwestern states. Led to Granger laws.

c) purchasing cooperatives. Led to establishment of Montgomery Ward mail order company. All cooperatives were not to operate on credit because this is how the hated middlemen and eastern bankers operated. The problem was that farmers don’t have cash, so the cooperatives usually failed, but they set a precedent.

Couple of things doomed the Grange: independence of farmers, refusal to establish credit system in the purchasing cooperatives, single issue nature of reform parties and end of depression of 1873 (everybody stops reforming when the start to make money again).

Farmers Alliances

More radical and visionary than the Grange. Northwestern Alliance for the Plains and Southern Alliance for south (mostly Texas)

Set up cooperatives like Grange, but this time set up banks and wholesalers also.

What many in the Alliances envisioned was a form of Agrarian Socialism or Communism. They were more concerned with reform, particularly political reform for farmers than the Grange.

Women played a big role in the Alliances. Mary Lease. tend to support temperance and led to split in U.S. between city and country.

Alliances were more widespread but not any better run. 1889 saw merging of the two alliances. The Ocala Demands grew out of this. 1890 off year elections saw emergence of alliance candidates in 12 states, six governors, fifty House seats, 3 senators. A lot of these were opportunistic Democrats like Pitchfork Ben Tillman.

Populists

People’s Party was formed out of this. Leonidas Polk and Tom Watson were driving forces. Wanted to bring together forces from labor and agriculture opposed to monopoly and economic determinism.

1892 election candidate was James Weaver. Got a million votes and elected a lot of house candidates. This becomes the newest political force.

Ocala Demands –

a) Subtreasury System

b) abolition of national banks

c) direct election of Senators

d) regulation and government ownership of railroads

e) postal savings banks

f) graduated income tax

g) free silver

Populism as such did not fail, it evolved into Progressivism to some extent, but there were failure and strains. The southern wing of the party could not embrace black farmers who represented a majority of the farmers in the south. Anti Semitism aimed at “jew bankers” was widespread and this kept labor out. City/country jealousy linked with the issue of temperance and Protestant/Catholic split kept the Populists from achieving a complete victory. Depression of 1893 also played a huge role.

Depression of 1893

This was one more in the cycle of boom and bust but its timing was significant. It spurred the recommitment of the Populists and spawned Coxey’s Army (public works projects for the unemployed and a march on Washington)

Election of 1896

Republicans are for “sound currency” and nominate McKinley. Republicans from western and Midwestern states bolt the party for a fair democrat.

Democrats are feeling pressure of Populists. Try to take control of party from eastern interests. Use populist ideas to get groundswell of support. Nominate William Jennings Bryan, dumbest man in American politics. Cross of Gold Speech.

McKinley wins.

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