The Politics of
Stalemate
No more Politics
than 1% of
popular vote
ofthe
Stalemate
separated the candidates in 4 of 5 elections
■The 5 presidential elections from
1876 to 1892 were the most
closely contested elections ever
■Congress was split as well:
Pendleton Civil
Interstate
Commerce
–Democrats
controlled
the
House
Service Act of 1883
Act of 1887
–Republicans
held
the
Senate
Sherman Antitrust
McKinley Tariff
■This
made
difficult
Act of“stalemate”
1890
Act of it1890
for any of the 5 presidents or
either party to pass significant
legislation for 20 years
Intense
Voter
Loyalty to
the 2
Parties
The Two-Party Stalemate
A TwoParty
Republicans & Democrats were Stalemate
closely
divided in New York, Ohio, & Indiana—these
3 states swung the 5 presidential elections
As a result, 16 of the 20 presidential & VP
candidates were from NY, Ohio, or Indiana
Well-Defined Voting Blocs
Democratic
Bloc
Republican
Bloc
“Waving the
Bloody Shirt”
continued:
Every state that seceded from the United
States
was
a
Democratic
State…every
man
that
Supported by white
Supported by
tried to destroy this nation was a Democrat.
southerners,
farmers,
Northern
whites,
Every
man that
loved slavery
more than
liberty
immigrants,
& the
blacks,
& nativists
was
a Democrat.
The man that
assassinated
workingwas
poor
Lincoln
a Democrat…Soldiers, every scar
you have got
on you heroic
bodies wasbig
given to
Supported
Favored
white
you
by
a
Democrat.
business & favored
supremacy &
—Col
Robert
Ingersoll
to
Union
veterans
anti-immigration
supported during
labor the 1876 presidential election
laws
unions
Civil Service Reform
■The most important political issue
of 1880s was civil service reform:
–Republicans were split among
Mugwumps
(supported
reform),
“I am a Stalwart, and Arthur is
Stalwartspresident
(opposed
reform), &
now!”
Half-Breeds (split on reform)
–Republican James Garfield was
elected in 1880 but was soon
killed by Charles Guiteau
–If the spoils system could kill a
president, it was time to end it
State & Civil
local governments
mirrored these
Service Reform
civil service reforms in the 1880s & 1890s
■President Arthur & Congress
pushed for the Pendleton Act
(1883) for competitive exams for
civil service jobs
■Republicans chose James Blaine
over Arthur as its nominee in
1884 against Grover Cleveland
■Cleveland won & became the 1st
Democrat to be elected president
in 28 years
Pendleton
Act
A Dirty Campaign
Ma, Ma…where’s my pa? He’s going to
the White House, ha… ha… ha…!
Tariffs & Trusts
■Cleveland sought to reduce gov’t
spending & lower the tariff
■Benjamin Harrison narrowly
defeated Cleveland in 1888 &
The
Tariff
of
Abominations
in
1828
Repubs took control of Congress:
–Passed the McKinley Tariff of
1890; highest tariff since 1828
–This “Billion-Dollar” Congress
expanded gov’t activities
“Coming Out” for Harrison
Tariffs & Trusts
■From 1870-1900, 28 state
commissions were created to
Supreme Court ruled: “private property
regulate
industry,
RRs:
affecting
public
interest” especially
can be “controlled
by
publicIllinois
for the common
good”
–Inthe1870,
declared
RRs to
be public highways; this was
upheld by Munn v. Illinois (1876)
–But was overturned in Wabash
v. Illinois (1886): only Congress
can regulate interstate trade
This was the 1st attempt by the
Tariffs
& Trusts
Thegov’t
ICC
became
the big
model
federal
to regulate
business
for future regulatory agencies
US v. E. C. responded
Knight Co (1895)
was the
■Congress
by creating:
1st test of antitrust law
Interstate
Commerce
The –The
Supreme
Court ruled
that manufacturing
monopoly
do not restrain
trade
Commission
in 1887
to because
regulate
making a good is not the same as selling it
the railroad industry
–The Sherman Antitrust Act in
1890 which made it illegal to
restrain trade (punishable by
dissolution of the company)
The Depression of 1893-1897
■Voters hated the Republican tariff:
–Voted for a Democratic majority
in Congress in 1890 & for
President Cleveland
& Congress
Cleveland
for president
in 1892
responded with the Wilson-Gorman
■In
1893,
a collapse
in the
stock a
Tariff
Act that
reduce tariffs
& created
slightspiraled
income tax
not help) into
market
the(did
economy
a severer 4-year depression:
–500 banks & 1,500 businesses
failed; 20% unemployment
The Depression of 1893-1897
■In 1894, there were 1,400 strikes led
by hordes of unemployed people
demanding gov’t relief:
–Jacob Coxey led an “army” from
Ohio to D.C.
to convince
Congress to
create jobs
by spending
$500 million
on new roads
The Depression of 1893-1897
■When the Pullman Car Co cut
wages & laid off workers, the
This was
clever application
American
RRaUnion,
led by
of the Sherman Antitrust Act
Eugene V. Debs, joined the strike:
re Debs made
the crippled
Sherman rail
–TheInPullman
Strike
Act
a
great
anti-labor
tool
traffic & western farmers
–Cleveland issued an injunction &
sent US troops; led to violence
–In re Debs in 1895, the Supreme
Court upheld the injunction since
the strike restrained US trade
The Farmers’
Movements & the
Rise of the Populists
The Farm Problem
■By the 1870s, discontent among
farmers was growing due to:
–Harsh farming conditions
–Declining grain & cotton prices
–Rising RR rates & mortgages
–Government deflation policies
■Farmers lashed out at banks,
merchants, railroads, & the US
monetary system
Price Index for Consumer &
Farm Goods (1865-1915)
Credit & Money
■Grant’s decision to reduce the #
of greenbacks after the Civil War
deflated the money supply:
–By 1879, the US was restored to
the international gold standard &
stabilized the US economy
–But this policy made money
more scarce & limited credit
which hurt western farmers
This
would lead &
to inflation
& someone
Greenback
Silver Movements
would consistently buy silver from miners
■Many farmers supported the “free
In
1878,
Congress
passed
the
silver”
movement:
Bland-Allison Act to coin between
–The $2-4
US minted
gold
million insilver
silver&coins
coins
at a 16:1
ratio,
In 1890,
Congress
passed
the but
stopped
in 1873 Act
duetoto an
Sherman
Silver Purchase
increase
silver coinage
but not to
oversupply
of gold
16:1 (the act was repealed in 1893)
–But western miners found huge
lodes of silver & wanted “free
silver”—the gov’t should buy all
silver from miners & coin it
Bi-Metallism
Issue
The Farmers’ Alliance
■In 1890, the Nat’l Farmers’
Alliance was formed to establish
farm cooperatives & provide
social gatherings
■In 1890, made Ocala Demands:
–Allow farmers to store crops in
gov’t silos when prices are bad
–Free-coinage of silver, a federal
income tax, & no national bank
–Direct election of US senators
–Tighter regulation of RRs
The Populist Party
■In 1890, the Peoples’ Party
(Populists) was formed & elected
several state & national legislators
■By 1892, the Populists ran James
Weaver for president; his platform
was the Ocala Demands
■Populists were not happy with the
results
Even Midwestern Southern Democrats used
farmers did
not Election
racismof
& intimidation
to
The
1892
vote Populist
remind whites of the
“bloody flag”
Upon his election, Cleveland called for and
received the repeal of the Sherman Silver
Purchase Act which alienated Southern &
Western Democrats from the party
Black farmers voted Republican &
did not support the Populists
What does
each character
represent?
Populist
Allegory—The
Wizard
of Oz
What about the “Yellowbrick Road” and
the “Ruby Slippers”?
Good Witch of North?
Bad Witch of the East?
“Emerald City”?
“Oz”?
The Wizard?
Platform
of Lunacy
The Election of 1896
“Having
behind us the producing
masses…we
■A Populist-Democrat
merger
will answer
their
demand
for
the
gold
standard
looked
possible
in
1896
when
‘You shall not press down upon the brow of
William
Jennings
Bryan
received
labor
this crown
of thorns,
you shall
not
crucify
mankind uponnomination
a cross of gold.’”
the Democratic
against Repub William McKinley:
–Called for free silver & income
tax; attacked trusts & injunctions
–Bryan visited 26 states on his
whistle-stop campaign to
education Americans on silver
The Election of 1896
■Advised by RNC chairman, Mark
Hanna, McKinley waged a “front
porch” campaign from Ohio
■Aided by the press, McKinley’s
message reached as many voters:
–Advocated economic, urban, &
industrial growth
–Aroused fear that a “free silver”
victory would result in 57¢ dollar
Bryan: The Farmers’ Friend
18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops”
The election of 1896 killed the Populist Party,
although key
platform
ideas
(income
tax,
The
Election
of
1896
secret ballot, direct election of Senators) would
be enacted by other parties
The McKinley
Administration
The McKinley Administration
■Republicans benefited from an
improving economy, better crop
production, & new discoveries of
gold:
–Election of 1896 cemented
Republican rule for 30 years &
became party of prosperity
–From 1860-1890, Republicans
had promoted industry; by 1900,
it was time to regulate it
The McKinley Administration
■McKinley was an activist
president and perhaps was the
first “modern” president:
–He communicated well with the
press
–The Spanish-American War
brought the USA respect as a
world power
–The Gold Standard Act (1900)
ended the silver controversy
Conclusions:
A Decade of Dramatic
Changes
Conclusions: A Decade of Changes
■The economic hardships of the
Depression of 1893 forced people
to rethink industry, urbanization, &
the quality of American life
■Many embraced the need for
reform; Led to the beginning of
the Progressive Era