CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
1)Theodore Roosevelt and the Modern Presidency
a)The Accidental President
i)VP Theodore Roosevelt assumed presidency September 1901after Pres
McKinley assassinated. Reputation as an independent and wild man; became
champion of cautious an moderate change, reform to protect society against
more radical changes
b)Government, Capital, and Labor
i)Roosevelt saw fed govt as mediator of the public good. Not opposed to
industrial combinations but realized potential for abuse of power
ii)Supported regulation of trusts- created Department of Commerce and Labor
1903 to publicly investigate corporations. Did make effort to break up some
trusts- used Sherman Antitrust Act to break up Northern Securities Company
monopoly over RRs in Northwest
iii)Saw govt as impartial regulator for labor as well- 1902 strike by United Mine
workers led Roosevelt to ask labor and management to accept impartial
federal arbitration, threatened to seize mines if management balked
c)“The Square Deal”
i)Reform not priority during first years as president, more concerned w/ winning
reelection by not alienating conservative Republicans, winning support of
businessmen and using patronage—won 1904 election
ii)First targeted RR industry by asking Congress to increase fed power to oversee
rates- Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906 restored some govt
regulatory power
iii)Supported Congress passing Pure Food and Drug Act, after Upton Sinclair’s
1906 The Jungle supported Meat Inspection Act. Also favored 8 hour work
day for labor, workmen’s compensation, and inheritance and income taxes
d)Roosevelt and Conservation
i)Concerned w/ unregulated exploitation of resources and wilderness- used
executive power to restrict private development on govt land, saw goal of
“conservation” to carefully manage development and to apply same scientific
method of management being used in cities
ii)President supported public reclamation and irrigation projects- 1902 Newlands
Act funded dam construction, reservoirs, canals in West to open new lands for
irrigation, cultivation and power development
e)Roosevelt and Preservation
i)Pres also sympathized w/ naturalists who wanted to protect land, wildlife from
human intrusion- expanded National Forest System for “rational” lumbering,
but also grew National Park System to protect lands from any development
f)The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
i)Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite seen as beautiful land by naturalists, but San
Francisco residents + Roosevelt’s head of National Forest System Gifford
Pinchot wanted land to build dam + reservoir for city’s growing water needs
ii)Pinchot saw needs of city more important than claims of preservation; issue
placed in 1908 referendum, dam approved by large margin in election
g)The Panic of 1907
i)Despite reforms govt still had little control over industrial economy; in 1907
production outgrew domestic + foreign demand, speculation + poor
management led to panic.
ii)JP Morgan pooled assets of NY banks to prop up banks, made deal with Pres to
allow US Steel to purchase Tennessee Coal and Iron Company shares
iii)B/c of Panic of 1907 and promise made in 1904 to step down four years later,
did not seek renomination and reelection for 1908 bid
2)The Troubled Succession
a)Taft and the Progressives
i)During early administration called on Congress to lower tariff (a progressive
demand), refused to oppose Repub Old Guard. Result was Payne-Aldrich
Tariff - reduced tariffs little, raised others- progressives resented inaction
ii)1909 Ballinger-Pinchot Dispute in which Head of Forest Service Gifford
Pinchot was told that Sec of Interior Richard Ballinger had sold public lands
in Alaska for personal profit. Taft thought charges groundless, Pinchot leaked
info to press-- Taft fired Pinchot, progressives alienated
b)The Return of Roosevelt
i)Roosevelt upset w/ Taft and believed only he was capable of reuniting
Republican Party; 1910 outlined “New Nationalism” that moved away from
conservatism + argued only effort of strong fed govt could bring social justice
c)Spreading Insurgency
i)In 1910 Congressional elections many conservative Repub candidates lost and
progressives reelected; Dems gained maj in House, seats in Senate
ii)Reform sentiment on the rise, but Roosevelt claimed he only wanted to pressure
Taft into action; Roosevelt decided to run, however, after Taft charged US
Steel acquisition of Tennessee Coal and Iron Company had been illegal and
reform candidate Robert LaFollette’s campaign collapsed
d)Roosevelt versus Taft
i)Taft had support of conservative Repubs and party leaders, Roosevelt supported
by progressives- at convention Republican National Committee gave
nomination to Taft. Roosevelt left Repub Party and established own
Progressive Party w/ himself as nominee (nicknamed Bull Moose Party)
3)Woodrow Wilson and The New Freedom
a)Woodrow Wilson
i)Reform support growing in Democratic Party as well as Repub Party; Dems
chose progressive Woodrow Wilson as 1912 Presidential election nominee
ii)Wilson supported “New Freedom”- held that bigness was unjust and wanted to
destroy, not regulate monopoly (whereas Roosevelt’s New Nationalism
believed in govt regulation of concentration)
iii)Roosevelt and Taft split Repub vote, Wilson elected
b)The Scholar as President
i)Wilson bold and forceful- used position as leader of Dems to build coalition to
support his program (Dem majorities existed in both houses)
ii)Greatly lowered tariff in Underwood-Simmons Tariff in order to introduce
competition into market + breakup trusts; to make up for revenues past
graduated income tax
iii)1913 Congress passed Federal Reserve Act- regional Fed banks made up of
regional banks + issued loans at “discount” rate, issued Fed Reserve notes
backed by govt, shifted funds to meet credit demands + protect banks.
Supervising Federal Reserve Board members selected by Pres
iv)1914 Wilson began to deal w/ monopoly, Congress passed Federal Trade
Commission Act and Clay Antitrust Act
(1)FTC was regulatory agency to help business determine whether their
actions were legal, also power to prosecute “unfair trade practices”
(2)Clayton Antitrust Bill to allow break up of trusts weakened by conservative
opposition; ultimately administration decided that government supervision
and regulation by FTC sufficient
c)Retreat and Advance
i)Pres believed New Freedom accomplished, therefore didn’t support progressive
suffrage movement and efforts to halt segregation in federal agencies after
Dems had heavy losses in Congress in 1914 elections to Repubs (who won
support from Progressive party) Wilson began new reforms
ii)Wilson supported appointment of progressive Louis Brandeis to Supreme
Court; supported measured expanding role of federal govt 1916 KeatingOwen Act regulated child labor (struck down by Sup C b/c relied on interstate
commerce clause in Const), 1914 Smith-Lever Act to help agricultural
extension education
NOTES END PREMATURELY
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