Reformers of the Gilded Age AIM: How successful were reformers during the Gilded Age?

Russell Cromwell, “Acres of Diamonds” 1915 Money is power, and you ought to be reasonably ambitious to have it. You ought because you can do more good with it than you could without it. Money printed your Bible, money builds your churches, money sends your missionaries, and money pays your preachers, and you would not have many of them, either, if you did not pay them. I say, then, you ought to have money. If you can honestly attain unto riches in Philadelphia, it is our Christian and godly duty to do so. It is an awful mistake of these pious people to think you must be awfully poor in order to be pious. Some men say, “Don’t you sympathize with the poor people?” of course I do, or else I would not have been lecturing these years. I wont give in but what I sympathize with the poor, but the number of poor who are to be with is very small. ..While we should sympathize with God’s poor-that is, those who cannot help themselves-let us remember that is not a poor person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings, or by the shortcomings of some one else. It is all wrong to be poor, anyhow. .

I. Government Laissez Faire??? Government Assistance Government Assistance

II. Opposition to the “Evils” of Industrialism A. Henry George, Progress and Poverty, 1879 B. Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 1888

C. Jane Adams, Settlement Houses 1892

1. Goals of the Settlement House

D. Walter Rauschenbusch on the Social Gospel

1. Goals

III. Factors leading to Change in Government Policy Lagging national economy Growing criticism Increase in grassroots pressure

How does Nast explain the difficulty in getting RR laws passed?

Wabash v. Illinois Facts: RR charged more for a short haul vs. a long haul Issue: Can a state regulate RR rates that cross state lines? Decision: Only Congress can regulate interstate trade

A. Granger Cases Munn v. Illinois, 1877 Facts: IL passed a law to fix rates RR could charge Issue: Can a state regulate RR rates? Decision: Movement of grain is in the public interest and can be regulated

Interstate Commerce Act 1887 Sought to regulate railroad abuses such as pools, rebates Ineffective for many years

Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890 Act prohibited monopolies. Business found loopholes to get around Used against LABOR UNION Set precedent for future enforcement Made illegal “every contract, combination in the form of trust, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states or with foreign nations.”

D. Organized Labor and the Courts Lochner v. New York: 1905 Found a NY law limiting bakers work hours to 60 a week as a violation of freedom of contract.

Coppage v. Kansas: 1915 An employer forced his worker to sign a “yellow dog contract” (KS Law) prohibiting him from joining a union.

E. Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914 Strengthened governments ability to fight monopolies. Declared labor unions not subject to anti-trust laws Prohibited use of Federal Injunctions in labor disputes Declared “Magna Carta of Labor” by Samuel Gompers