A Two-Party Stalemate

Two-Party “Balance” Close elections Frequent turnovers in House “Divided Government” –P & at least one house of Congress are different parties –Discourages bold stands by politicians Little difference on major issues: tariffs, currency, civil service reform Ferocious competition, high voter turnout

Intense Voter Loyalty to the Two Major Political Parties The cultural, ideological and geographic differences, NOT differences on the issues, explain the intense party loyalty of the time.

Well-Defined Voting Blocs Democratic Bloc Republican Bloc  White southerners (preservation of white supremacy)  Catholics  Recent immigrants (esp. Jews)  Urban working poor (pro-labor)  Most farmers  Northern whites (pro-business)  African Americans  Northern Protestants  Native-born WASPs (support for anti- immigrant laws)  Most of the middle class

Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.  From  Govt. did very little domestically.  Main duties of the federal govt.:  Deliver the mail.  Maintain a national military.  Collect taxes & tariffs.  Conduct a foreign policy.  Exception  administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pensions.

And in the cities…… Political Machines rule!!

THOMAS NAST Political Cartoonist: Reconstruction The Gilded Age Most important forum: Harper’s Weekly Over 2,200 cartoons 1859 – 1896

Gives us our version of Santa Claus and habit of writing letters to Santa Also designs party symbols for Democrats and Republicans Also gives us the version of Uncle Sam that we recognize today Myth that term “nasty” is derived from his name

Thomas Nast The Brains 1871 Thomas Nast In Counting There is Strength

WHO STOLE THE PEOPLE’S MONEY? ‘TWAS HIM

Thomas Nast “A Group of Vultures Waiting for the Storm to Blow Over - Let us Prey”

Thomas Nast The New Board of Education

Can the law reach him?

The cartoon that finally brought him down.

The Presidency in the Gilded Age is a Symbolic Office  Party bosses ruled.  Presidents sought to avoid offending any factions within their own party.  The President just doled out federal jobs. Senator Roscoe Conkling  PATRONAGE!! Just another name for ….?  1865  53,000 people worked for the federal govt.  1890  166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “

1880 Presidential Election: Republicans Half BreedsStalwarts Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York) James A. Garfield Half-breed compromise Chester Arthur (VP) Stalwart Want to reformDefended use of Spoils SystemSpoils System Platform: FOR protective tariff & FOR some civil service reform

1880 Presidential Election: Democrats Platform: OPPOSE tariff FOR civil service reform

1880 Presidential Election Close election, fewer than 40,000 votes elect Garfield.

1881: Garfield Assassinated! Charles Guiteau: I am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now! Hanged for murder

Chester A. Arthur: The Fox in the Chicken Coup?

Pendleton Act (1883)  Garfield’s death shocked politicians into civil service reform.  It is the “Magna Carta” of civil service reform.  Establishes merit system for fed. jobs  1883  14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs became civil service exam positions.  1900  100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs.

Republican “Mugwumps”  Republican reformers who would NOT re- nominate Chester A. Arthur & will reject financial corruption associated with Republican candidate Blaine – support D Cleveland  Reform to them  create a disinterested, impartial govt. run by an educated elite like themselves.  Social Darwinists.  Laissez faire government to them:  Favoritism & the spoils system are NOT laissez-faire but seen as govt. intervention in society.  Their target was political corruption, not social or economic reform!

The Mugwumps Men may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever.  These Republicans will shift the tide & elect Cleveland, the Democrat, in the 1884 election.

1884 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland James Blaine * (DEM) (REP) Personalities & Mudslinging, not Issues

A Dirty Campaign Ma, Ma…where’s my pa? He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!

Little Lost Mugwump 1884 Blaine as Little Bo Peep trying to woo back the Republican Mugwumps Mulligan Letters – “Burn … this letter!”

Rum, Romanism & Rebellion!  Minister at Blaine rally in NY made speech with this phrase referring to the Democratic Party as party of “RRR” – attacking Irish.  Blaine did nothing - didn’t condemn the remark.  Cost him the wavering Irish vote in NYC.  Narrow victory for Cleveland [he wins NY by only 1149 votes!]. Dr. Samuel Burchard, Republican Clergyman

1884 Presidential Election

Cleveland’s First Term A Public Office is a Public Trust! Cleveland’s First Term A Public Office is a Public Trust!  The “Veto Governor” from New York.  First Democrat elected since  Appointed 2 Confederates to Cabinet  His laissez-faire presidency:  Opposed bills to assist the poor as well as the rich – not fed. gov’ts job.  Vetoed over 200 special pension bills for Civil War veterans!  For deserters, bounty jumpers, etc.  BUT, in civil service reform…deserted the Mugwumps’ call & appointed LOTS of “deserving Democrats” to office

The Tariff Issue  After the Civil War, Congress raised tariffs to protect new US industries.  Big business wanted to continue this; consumers did not.  1885  tariffs earned the US $100 mil. in surplus! (embarrassing to fiscal conservative Cleveland)  Mugwumps opposed it: extra $ being used to fund pork barrel projects by Congress  Cleveland’s view on tariffs:  LOWER THEM – would lower prices, help prevent monopolies, get rid of surplus  Will become major issue in the 1888 election.

Filing the Rough Edges Tariff of 1888

1888 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison (DEM) * (REP) A real issue in this election!! – TARIFFS. Over 10 million pamphlets circulated on tariffs

Coming Out for Harrison

1888 Presidential Election Cleveland wins popular vote, but loses the Presidency.

Disposing the Surplus CZAR Thomas B. Reed, ME, Speaker of the House Pension Act of 1890: Pensions showered on Civil War Veterans

Changing Public Opinion in the Cleveland & Harrison Years  Americans wanted the federal govt. to deal with growing social & economic problems & to curb the power of the trusts:  Interstate Commerce Act – 1887 (Cleveland)  Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890 (Harrison)  McKinley Tariff – 1890 (Harrison)  Based on the theory that prosperity flowed directly from protectionism.  Rates go up (48%) – highest in peacetime history!  Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (even McKinley lost House seat!).

1892 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again! * (DEM) (REP)

1892 Presidential Election Republicans discredited, Populists divided over race issue. Cleveland wins – only P to serve two non-consecutive terms. Same old Cleveland….but NOT the same country: Debtors are up in arms Workers are restless

Cleveland Loses Support Fast!  Blamed for the 1893 Panic (overbuilding, speculation, labor disorders – Homestead/Pullman, agricultural depression).  Lasts 4 years – worst in 19 th century  8,000 businesses collapse in 6 mos.; 12 RRs bankrupt  Handling of Coxey’s Army in 1894 – what happened?  Used federal troops in the 1894 Pullman strike.  The Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 (allowed it to pass w/o his signature-tariff not lowered).  Defended the gold standard.  Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.

ENTER William McKinley!  The depression and the tariff debacle will oust the Democrats in congressional elections of 1894 and Presidential election of 1896.