POLITICS: LOCAL, STATE, AND
NATIONAL
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Political Strategy and Tactics
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major parties normally avoid taking stands on
controversial issues, but that tendency reached
abnormal proportions in the late nineteenth
century
a delicate balance of power between the parties
as well as new and difficult issues, to which no
answers were readily available, contributed to the
parties’ reluctance to adopt firm positions
Voting Along Ethnic and Religious
Lines
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more often than not, a voter’s ethnic
origins, religious ties, perception of the
Civil War, and whether he lived in a
rural or urban setting influenced his
decision to vote Republican or
Democrat
City Bosses
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stresses of rapid urban growth, strain on
infrastructures, and exodus of upper and middle
classes all led to a crisis in city government
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this turmoil gave rise to urban political bosses
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these bosses provided social services in exchange
for political support
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money for these services (and to enrich themselves)
came from kickbacks and bribes
Boss Tweed
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In April 1870, Tweed secured
the passage of a city charter
putting the control of the city
into the hands of the mayor,
the comptroller, and the
commissioners of parks and
public works. He then set about
to plunder the city. The total
amount of money stolen was
never known, but was
estimated at between $30 and
$200 million. Over a period of
two years and eight months,
New York City's debts
increased by $81 million, with
little to show for the debt.
Bosses
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despite their welfare work and popularity, most
bosses were essentially thieves
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the system survived because most comfortable
urban dwellers cared little if at all for the fate of the
poor
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many reformers resented the boss system mainly
because it gave political power to people who
were not “gentlemen”
Party Politics
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Sidestepping the Issue
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the South was solidly Democratic;
New England and the Trans-Mississippi West were
staunchly Republican
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana,
and Illinois usually determined the outcome of elections
only three presidential candidates between 1868 and
1900 did not come from New York, Indiana, Illinois, or
Ohio; and all three lost; partisan politics was intense in
“swing states”
Lackluster Leaders
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America’s presidents of the day demonstrated
little interest in dealing with the urgent issues
confronting the nation
Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877 to 1881,
Hayes favored tariff reduction, civil service
reform, and better treatment for blacks in
South
however, he made little progress in any of
these areas
Lackluster Leaders
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President Garfield's assassination depicted
in engraving from 1881 newspaper.
Republican party split in 1880
between “Stalwarts” and
“Half-Breeds,” and James A.
Garfield
emerged as a
compromise candidate
Garfield was
assassinated
1881: Garfield Assassinated!
Charles Guiteau:
I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is
President now!
Lackluster Leaders
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his successor, Chester A.
Arthur, defended of the
spoils system
as president, however,
Arthur conducted himself
with dignity, handled
patronage matters with
restraint, and gave nominal
support to civil service
reform
Pendleton Act (1883)
 Civil Service Act.
 The “Magna Carta” of
civil service reform.
 1883  14,000 out of
117,000 federal govt.
jobs became civil
service exam positions.
 1900  100,000 out of
200,000 civil service
federal govt. jobs.
Republican “Mugwumps”
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Reformers who wouldn’t re-nominate
Chester A. Arthur.
Reform to them  create a disinterested,
impartial govt. run by an educated elite like
themselves.
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Social Darwinists.
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Laissez faire government to them:

Their target was political corruption,
not social or economic reform!
The
Mugwumps
Men may come
and men may go,
but the work of
reform shall go
on forever.
 Will support the
Democrat
Cleveland in the
1884 election.
Lackluster Leaders
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Arthur also favored regulation of the railroads and tariff
reductions
nevertheless, he was a political failure; the Stalwarts
would not forgive Arthur for his “desertion,” and the
reformers would not forget his past
his party denied him its nomination in 1884
the election of 1884 revolved around personal issues
and was characterized by mudslinging on both sides
Grover Cleveland, former Democratic governor of
New York, defeated James G. Blaine by fewer than
25,000 votes – “Ma Ma, Where’s my Pa? Gone to
the White House, Ha Ha Ha!”
1884 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland
* (DEM)
James Blaine
(REP)
A Dirty Campaign
Ma, Ma…where’s my pa?
He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!
Lackluster Leaders
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Cleveland’s was an honest, if unimaginative,
administration
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his emphasis on the strict separation of powers
prevented his placing effective pressure on the
Congress, and thus he failed to confront the issues
of the day
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in 1888, Benjamin Harrison, a Republican from
Indiana, defeated Cleveland. Harrison’s election
elevated a “human iceberg” and fiscal conservative
to the presidency
1888 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland
(DEM)
Benjamin Harrison
* (REP)
Lackluster Leaders
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during Harrison’s term, Congress raised the tariff to
an all-time high, passed the Sherman Antitrust Act
and the Silver Purchase Act, and enacted a “force”
bill to protect the voting rights of southern blacks
Cleveland reclaimed the presidency from Harrison in
1892 (22nd and 24th President)
by the standards of the late nineteenth century,
Cleveland’s margin of victory was substantial
1892 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland
again! * (DEM)
Benjamin Harrison
(REP)
Crops and Complaints
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the economic and social status
of farmers declined throughout
the late 19th century; and their
discontent forced American
politics to confront the problems
of the era
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American farmers suffered from
low commodity prices,
restrictive tariff and fiscal
policies, competition from
abroad, and drought.
Using all the farm for crops — planting
corn up to the front door. Custer County,
Nebraska, 1888.
The Populist (Granger) Movement
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the agricultural depression triggered an outburst of
political radicalism, the Alliance movement
the Farmers Alliance spread throughout the South
and into the Midwest
the farm groups entered politics in the elections of
1890
in 1892, these farm groups combined with
representatives of the Knights of Labor and
various professional reformers to organize the
People’s, or Populist, party
Platform of Lunacy
The Populist Movement
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the convention adopted a sweeping platform calling for a
graduated income tax; the nationalization of rail, telegraph,
and telephone systems;, and the unlimited coinage of silver
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the party also called for the adoption of the initiative and
referendum, popular election of United States senators, an
eight-hour workday, and immigration restrictions
The Populist Movement
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the Populist candidate,
James B. Weaver, attracted
over a million votes,
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opponents of the Populists in
the South played on racial
fears, and the Populists failed
to attract the support of urban
workers
Showdown on Silver
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by early 1890s, discussion of federal monetary
policy revolved around the coinage of silver
traditionally, the United States issued gold and
silver coins
established ratio of roughly 15:1 undervalued
silver, so no one took silver to the Mint
when silver mines of Nevada and Colorado
flooded market with metal and depressed the price
of silver, it became profitable to coin bullion; but
miners found that the Coinage Act of 1873 had
demonetized the metal
Showdown on Silver
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Silver miners and inflationist demanded a return to
bimetallism; conservatives resisted
the result was a series of compromises
the Bland-Allison Act (1878) authorized the purchase
of $2 million to $4 million of silver a month at the market
price
this had little inflationary impact because the
government consistently bought the minimum
the Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) required the
government to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly
however, increasing supplies drove the price of silver
still lower
The Depression of 1893
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Cleveland believed that the controversy over silver
caused the depression by shaking the confidence of
the business community
he summoned a special session of Congress and
forced a repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act
the southern and western wings of the Democratic
party deserted over this issue. Cleveland’s handling of
Coxey’s Army and the Pullman strike further eroded
public confidence in him, and the public was outraged
when it took a syndicate of bankers headed by J. P.
Morgan to avert a run on the Treasury
The Depression of 1893-The 1896
Election
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with the silver issue looming ever larger and the
Populists demanding unlimited coinage of silver at
16:1, the major parties could no longer avoid the
money question in 1896
the Republicans nominated William McKinley and
endorsed the gold standard
the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan
and ran on a platform of free silver
although concerned over the loss of their distinctive
party identity, the Populists nominated Bryan as well
Bryant’s
“Cross of Gold” Speech
You shall not
press down upon
the brow of labor
this crown of
thorns; you shall
not crucify
mankind upon a
cross of gold!
William Jennings Bryan
(1860-1925)
The “Great Commoner”
Bi-Metallism Issue
The Election of 1896
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the election of 1896, fueled by emotional debates over
the silver issue, split party ranks across the nation
pro-silver Republicans swung behind Bryan, while progold Democrats, called “gold bugs” or National
Democrats, nominated their own candidate—John M.
Palmer
the Republican aspirant, William McKinley, relied
upon his experience, his reputation for honesty and
good judgment, his party’s wealth, and the skillful
management of Mark Hanna
The Election of 1896
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moreover, the depression worked to the advantage of
the party out of power
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Bryan, a powerful orator, was handicapped by his
youth, his relative inexperience, and the defection of
the gold Democrats
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he nevertheless conducted a vigorous campaign,
traveling over eighteen thousand miles and delivering
over six hundred speeches
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on election day, McKinley decisively defeated Bryan
The Meaning of the Election
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far from representing a triumph for the status quo, the
election marked the coming of age of modern America
McKinley’s approach was national; Bryan’s was basically
parochial
workers and capitalists supported McKinley, and the farm
vote split
the battle over gold and silver had little real significance;
new gold discoveries led to an expansion of the money
supply
The Meaning of the Election
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Bryan’s vision of America, and that of the political
Populists who supported him, was one steeped in
the past
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McKinley, for all his innate conservatism, was
capable of looking ahead toward the new century
“A Giant Straddle”: Suggestion for a McKinley
Political Poster
William McKinley (1843-1901)
The Seasoned
Politician
vs.
The “Young”
Newcomer
Into Which Box Will
the Voter
of ’96 Place His
Ballot?
1896 Election Results
Gold Triumphs Over Silver
 1900  Gold
Standard Act
 confirmed the
nation’s
commitment to
the gold standard.
 A victory for the
forces of
conservatism.
The Wizard
of Oz
by L. Frank
Baum
“Parable of the Populists”?