Chapter 10 Section 3 Reform Under Taft

Taft Takes Office  In 1908 President Roosevelt threw his support behind William Howard Taft his secretary of war  Taft urged Congress to pass the Mann-Elkins Act extending the ICC to telephone and telegraph  Taft also approved Congress’ creation of a separate {Department of Labor to enforce labor laws}  {Under William Taft, Congress passed legislation that established an 8 hour work day for workers on federal gov. contracts}  The Taft administration was partly responsible for the adoption of the {Sixteenth Amendment which permitted Congress to authorize a federal income tax on personal income}

William Howard Taft

Taft Angers the Progressives  Despite the reforms, Taft lost the support of the progressive Republicans after the signing of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff  Progressives also attacked Taft for sabotaging Roosevelt’s conservation program by firing Gifford Pinchot for not ceasing to ridicule Taft’s secretary of the interior Richard Ballinger  The Ballinger-Pinchot affair also gave Taft one more dangerous enemy- Theodore Roosevelt

America’s first Conversationalist

The Republican Party Divides  In the Congressional elections of 1910, Roosevelt campaigned on behalf of progressive Republicans who opposed Taft  Roosevelt proposed a program called {New Nationalism- a program that primarily hoped to pass laws to protect workers, ensure public health and regulate business}  In the 1912 election Roosevelt decided to run again for the presidency but Taft was chosen to run for the Republican Party  {Roosevelt then adopted a new platform and founded the Progressive Party, or the Bull Moose Party}

Political Cartoon depicting the Bull Moose Party

The Wilson Program  The division of the Rep. party assured a Dem. Victory  The Democratic party rallied behind governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey  {In the 1912 campaign Wilson proposed the New Freedom program to help small businesses}  {Woodrow Wilson’s was elected president on a platform that called for tariff reduction, banking reform and antitrust legislation}

Woodrow Wilson 1916

Review Questions  What was the Department of Labor created to do?  Which president passed legislation that established an 8 hour work day for workers on federal gov. contracts  This Amendment permitted Congress to authorize a federal income tax on personal income  What is the other name for the Progressive Party?  In the 1912 campaign Wilson proposed the New Freedom program to help Who?  Woodrow Wilson’s was elected president on a platform that called for these three things…

No… That’s the Moose and Squirrel Party