Populism & the Election of 1896

the major farming regions Where were the major farming regions of the United States?

The base of the party was among the debt-ridden farmers of the cotton growing regions of the old Confederacy and the wheat-growing areas of the great plains

What were some of the major problems facing farmers during the Gilded Age ??

Mother Nature – droughts, floods, grasshoppers, boll weevil High Taxes Tariffs did not protect farmers from foreign competition One-Crop economy Deflation – not enough dollars to go around causes lower prices Railroad Corp. – controlled trans. of crops and the rates Debt from purchasing new equipment disorganized

Price Indexes for Consumer & Farm Products: 1865-1913 Enormous western grain crops drove down the price of food. Southern cotton farmers had to compete with the low prices of Egyptian and Indian cotton, which you may remember was the backbone of the British Empire’s economy at this time. Became frustrated because in our economy the buyers dictated the prices of farm goods while in the purchase of farm equipment the seller dictated the price. The farmer was disadvantaged in both.

Keeping up with the Competition Couldn’t repay creditors because of the deflation causing farm product prices to decrease. Farmers had to purchase new equipment to increase production in order to compete

Faced disadvantages in the shipping of farm goods Shipping prices were high and storage prices were high. Local monopolies controlled the grain storage elevators and the railroads. Frank Norris’ The Octopus: The Octopus was the railroad companies that wrapped its tentacles around and smothered those that relied on it.

Populism: An Agrarian Revolt That Reaches Out

Founder of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (1867)

The Grange Movement ; The Rural Modernizes First organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. Set up cooperative associations. Social and educational components. Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws.” Rapidly declined by the late 1870s.

The Grange Preaches for Change The grange set up “posts” where meetings were held that took on a religious revival atmosphere – Used the power of Christian moralism to motivate critics of an unethical status quo Farms were “isolated prisons” of dismal life – build associations to breakdown that lonely life

Supreme Court Decisions Munn vs. Illinois (1877) Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois (1886) Shipping prices were high and storage prices were high. Local monopolies controlled the grain storage elevators and the railroads.

The Farmers Alliances Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first  the Southern Alliance; then in the Midwest  the Northern Alliance). Built upon the ashes of the Grange. More political and less social than the Grange. Racially integrated Ran candidates for office. Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47 representatives in Congress during the 1890s.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall In 1889 both the Northern and Southern Alliances merged into one—the Farmers’ Alliance.

St. Louis Convention Unites the “Victims of Conspiratory Forces” Central Credo of: “We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin.” Ignatius Donnelly

Platform of Lunacy

The Populist (Peoples’) Party James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate Founded by James B. Weaver and Tom Watson. Omaha, NE Convention in July, 1892. Got almost 1 million popular votes. Several Congressional seats won. James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate & James G. Field, VP

Women Find Place to breakdown Barriers Populists pushed for economic independence of women Mary Lease – fiery eloquent lawyer/speaker “Raise less corn, and more Hell!” Women used Populist Party to push for suffrage in the states

Omaha Platform of 1892 System of “sub-treasuries.” (provided farmers with loans and warehouse to store goods until prices were better) Govt. ownership (Nationalizing) of RRs, telephone & telegraph companies. Re-monitization of silver. Direct Election of Senators Graduated Income tax Free farmers from dependence on the banks, from dependence on selling at low prices and from the extortionate middlemen. Only those business (services) that were necessary for the general welfare of the whole. Put more money into circulation creating more inflationary conditions and raising prices for farm goods. Return power more directly to the people More accurately tax those who could most afford it

Govt.-Owned Companies

Bi-Metallism Issue 16 1 Fixing the Crime of ‘73 Legislation in 1873 removing silver from circulation as backing of currency. Fixing the Crime of ‘73

1892 Election Rep. and Dem. Maintained party loyalty by reminder voters of their civil war loyalties.

The Panic of 1893

Causes of the 1893 Panic Begun 10 days after Cleveland took office. Several major corps. went bankrupt. Over 16,000 businesses disappeared. Triggered a stock market crash. Over-extended investments. Bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit [nearly 500 banks closed]. By 1895, unemployment reached 3 million. Americans cried out for relief, but the Govt. continued its laissez faire policies!! This was the original Great Depression.

Here Lies Prosperity

Written by a Farmer at the End of the 19c When the banker says he's broke And the merchant’s up in smoke, They forget that it's the farmer who feeds them all. It would put them to the test If the farmer took a rest; Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds them all.

Coxey’s Army, 1894 Demands pensions be paid to veterans Jacob Coxey & his “Army of the Commonweal of Christ.” March on Washington  “hayseed socialists!”

Result of Election Returns Populist vote increased by 40% in the bi-election year, 1894. Democratic party losses in the West were catastrophic! But, Republicans won control of the House. Don’t forget that silver mines were often in the west.

The 1896 Election Democrats, monitoring the feedback from the people adopted several of the Populist ideas, like the silver issue. They began to argue for inflationary practices.

Gold / Silver Bug Campaign Pins

William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) “The Boy Orator of the Platt.” The “Great Commoner”

William Jennings Bryan Prairie avenger, mountain lion, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Gigantic troubadour, speaking like a siege gun, Smashing Plymouth Rock with his boulders from the West. Revivalist style of oratory.

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! Suggested he was fighting on behalf of democracy and in a holy struggle.

Bryan: The Farmers Friend (The Mint Ratio) 18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops.”

Democratic Party Taken Over by the Agrarian Left “The Populist and Silver Convention Will Be Friendly to Bryan.” Democratic Party Taken Over by the Agrarian Left A riff forms in the Populists Party as the Democrats began to support some of their issues. Should they support Bryan and the Democrats? They select Bryan as their candidate as well, but pselect Tom Watson as his VP. Bryan did not want the Populist nomination. Platform  tariff reductions; income tax; stricter control of the trusts (esp. RRs); free silver.

William McKinley (1843-1901)

Mark Hanna: The “Front-Porch” Campaign Pres. of Republican National Committee Campaign Manager Raised $16 million Trickle Down Theory “Belly Vote”

The Seasoned Politician vs. The “Young” Newcomer

Into Which Box Will the Voter of ’96 Place His Ballot?

1896 Election Results

Why Did Bryan Loose? His focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters. (consumers did not want inflationary policies) He did not form alliances with other groups. McKinley’s campaign was well- organized and highly funded.

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

1964: Henry Littlefield’s “Thesis”?

What Are the Metaphors? Dorothy  ? Kansas  ? Wicked Witch of the East  ? Tin Woodsman  ? Scarecrow  ? Cowardly Lion  ? Yellow Brick Road  ? Silver Slippers  ? Emerald City  ? Oz  ? The Wizard  ? Munchkins  ? Wicked Witch of the West  ? Flying Monkeys  ?

Legacy Federal Income Tax – 15th Amendment Direct Election of Senators – 16th Amendment Hepburn Act 1906 – More Federal control of the railroads and strengthens ICC Flexible Currency – no gold standard – after Depression Progressive push for Initiative, Referendum, and Recall