6.13 Poltics in the Gilded Age

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain the similaries and differences between poltical parties during the Gilded Age

INTRODUCTION

• Congress enacted ambitious reform program during Civil War & Reconstruction

  • Compromise of 1877—→ era of government stalement and inactivity

    - era of ¨forgettable¨ presidents (didnt last long and ignored issues)

    - both major parties avoided taking stands on controversial issues

    - rarely debated political ideology (ethicial ideas, policies, principles)

POLITICAL STALEMATE

• Several factors accounted for complacency & conservatism of era:

  - Way parties conducted campaigns

  - Importance of party patronage

  - Belifs about political stragety

POPULAR POLTICS

• Election campaigns were characterized by buttons, flags, & crowd-pleasing

  • Both parties had strong organizations

    - Republicans were more state-level

    - Democrats were more city-level

  • 80% of eligible voters voted in presidental elections

    - higher turnout was a function of stong part indetification & loyalty (connected with relgional, religious, & ethnic ties)

PARTY PATRONAGE

• Neither party had an active legislative agenda

  • Politics was winnlng, holding office, & providing jobs to party faithful

    - those who received patronage jobs becam important than any policy

    - reform minded politicals were ridiculed as ¨mugwumps¨

    - failure to address pressing policy issues—>era of low point in politics

REPUBLICANS

• North Republican politicans kept memories of Civil war (¨Bloody Shirt¨)

  • Reminded union their wounds came from southern democrats

• Republicans kept strength from:

  • Reformers & African Americans (anti-slavery past)

  • Men in business & middle-class

  • Anglo-saxon protestants

    - argued for temperance

• Followed Hamilton/Whig tradition

  • supported pro-economic high protective tariffs

DEMOCRATS

• Democrats kept strength from:

  • “Solid South”/former states of the Confederacy

  • Northern big-city poltical machines & immigrants voters

  • Cathloics, Lutherans, & Jews

    - objected temperance & prohibition crusades of republican protestants

• Followed Jeffersionian tradition

  • supported states rights & limited federal gov

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

• Closeness of elections—→ Republicans & democrats avoiding strong positions

  • Democrats won two presidental contest in electoral college

    - controlled the house of representatives after 8 general elections

    - result divided government

  • Main objective for polticians was to hold office by offering patronage

RISE OF THE POPULIST

• Politics was disrupted by argarian discontent in west and south

  • Farmers’ Allinances elected US senators, representatives & governors in four state legislatures in the west

OMAHA PLATFORM

• Alliance movement provided foundation of new political party

  • The People’s/Populist Party

    - delegates from different states met in Omaha, Nebraska

    - drafted political platform and nominated caditates for new party

    - targeted concentration of economic power held by trust & bankers

• Omaha Platform called for both political & economic reforms

  • Poltically

    - demanded direct popular elections of US senators

    - use of procedures that would allow citizens to vote directly on laws

  • Economically

    - advoated for unlimited coainage of silver to increase money supply

    - graducated income tax (rich pay higher tax on thier income)

    - government ownership of railraods, telegraphs, & telephones

    - loans & federal warehouses for farmers to stabalize prices

    - 8-hour work day for indsutrial workers

• Populist movement attacked laissez-faire & called for unifcation of poor black and white farmers alike

  • Thomas Watson

    - encouraged poor farmers of both races to join the People’s party

ELECTION OF 1892

• James Weaver (Populist candidate for president) only won 22 electoral votes

  • Populist party’s economic demands did not overcome other concerns

    - failed to attact urban workers in the North

    - lost badly in the south (fear of uniting all poor—→ conservative democrats using techniques to disfranchise African Americans)

• Grover Cleveland won solid vicotry in popular and electoral votes

  • Unpopularity of high-income McKinley Tariff—→ victory

    - first and former president to run 2 non-consecutive terms

DEPRESSION POLITICS

• After Cleveland took office—→ country suffered worst & longest depression

PANIC OF 1893

• Stock market crashed in 1893 due to overspeculation & overbuilding

  • Depression continued for almost four years

    - farm forclosure increased to highs

    - unemployed reach 20% of workplace (many relied on soup kitchens or riding on rails as hoboes)

  • President Cleveland supported gold standard & hands-off policy

GOLD RESERVE AND THE PULLMAN STRIKE

• Decline in silver prices—→ investors trading silver dollars for gold

  • Gold reserve (bar of gold bullion stored by US treasury)

    - fell to dangerously low levels

  • Celeveland repealed Sherman Silver Pruchase Act

    - action still failed to stop gold drain

    - president turned to JP Morgan to borrow $65 million to support gov (convinced Americans that gov was a tool to rich eastern bankers)

    - Workers further became discontent by injunctions & federal troops sent by Cleveland at the Pullman strike

TARIFF REFORM AND AN INCOME TAX

• Democrats enacted a more popular measure

  • Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff

    - provided moderate reduction in tariff rates

    - included a 2% income tax on incomes more than $2000 (average American income of the time was $500)

    - conservative Supreme Court declared tax was unconstitutional

JOBLESS ON THE MARCH

• Number of jobless grew—→ conservatives feared class war (Pullman strike especially alarmed nation)

  • March to Washington (1894)

    - led by Populist Jacob S. Coxey (“Coxey’s Army”)

    - unemployed wanted funding for public work programs to create jobs

    - Coxey & other protest leaders were arrested or dejected

  • Coin’s Financial School

    - written by William H. Harvey

    - presented lessons in economics to offer answers to end depression

    - taught discontented that their troubles were caused by rich bankers & prosperity would return if gov coined unlimited silver

TURNING POINT IN AMERICAN POLITICS: 1896

• National politics was in transition

  • Repeal of Silver Purchase Act & Cleveland’s handling of depression

    - discreditied conservative leadership of Democratic party

    - Democrats were buried in congressional election by Republicans

    - Populist continued to gain both votes & legislative seats

THE 1896 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

• Election of 1896 was most emtional in US history

  • Party alignments reflected Cilvil War

    - Republicans strong in the North & Midwest, Democrats south

    - issues remained similar to those of previous 20 years

  • Republicans

    - advoated for high tariffs against silver coinage

    - attacked Democrats for representing urban party bosses

  • Democrats

    - called for lower tariffs and divided on currency issues

    - attacked republicans for their ties to trust & big-money interest

BRYAN, DEMOCRATS, AND POPULIST

• Democrats were divided between "gold” democrats & pro-silver democrats

  • William Jennings Bryan

    - gave speech criticizing gold-standard (Cross of Gold speech)

    - supported unlimited silver coinage at inflationary 16:1

  • Democratic platform alligned with populist party

    - Populist nominated Bryan & conducted joint “free silver” campaign

    - supported free silver to help farmers & workers stuggling financially

  • “Gold Bug” Democrarts were unhappy with free silver

    - included Pesident Celeveland

    - formed separate National Democratic Party or voted Republican

MCKINELY, HANNA, AND REPUBLICANS

• Republicans nominated William McKinely for president

  • Known for his support of high protective tariff & labor

    - Marcus (Mark) Hanna was financial power behind McKinley

• Republicans offered American people promise of strong industrial nation

  • upheld platform of high protectivve tariffs & gold standard

THE CAMPAIGN

• Defection of Gold Bugs gave Republicans an early advantage

  • Bryan turned Democratic-populist campaign into nationwide crusade

    - covered 18,000 miles and gave more than 600 speeches

    - his positive attitude, & oratory convinced farmers & debtors for silver

  • Mark Hanna ran campaign for McKinley & Republican party

    - raised millions from business leaders who feared “silver lunacy”

    - used money to sell McKinley through mass media

    - McKinely stayed home conducting front-porch campaign

  • McKinely carried Northeast & Upper Midwest and won election

    -rising wheat prices & threaters from employers against employees hurt Bryan’s campaign in final weeks

MCKINLEY’S PRESIDENCY

• McKinley took office as economy began to revice

  • Gold in Alaska—→ increased money supply under gold standard

    - resulted in inflation silver advocates wanted

  • Farm prices, factory production, & stock market all increased

    - Dingley Tariff (increased the tariff to 46% & made gold official standard US currency)

  • McKinely was well-liked, well-traveled & brought interest together

    - helped make US a world power during the Spanish-American War

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ELECTION OF 1896

• Election had short-term & long-term consequences

  - Marked end of stalement & stagnication during politics of Gilded Age

POPULIST DEMISE

• Populist party declined and ceased to exist after 1896

  • Thomas Watson & other Populist leaders stopped efforts of uniting

    - racism was stonger than common interest

  • much of Populist reform was adopted during progresive era

    - includued popular elections & graduated income tax

BEGINNING OF MODERN POLITICS

• Defeat of Bryan & Populist free-silve movement—→ Republican dominance

  • Elected 6/7 next presidents & controlled both houses of congress

  • “Free soil, free labor, & free men”—→ party of business & industry

    - continued to advocate for stong national government

  • Mark Hanna created models for organzing & financing campaign

    - focused on winning favorable publicity in mass media (newspapers)

URBAN DOMINANCE

• Election of 1896 was victory for business, urban centers, conservative economics, and moderate middle-class values

  • Became last hope for rural America dominance

    - triumph of values of industrial ideals over rural

  • McKinely became first modern president

    - shifted US from isolated to player in international affairs

    - US position changed during the Spansih-American War