WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

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WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

• 27th PRESIDENT
• 1908-1912

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WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

• Known as the Reluctant President - I dont
  remember that I ever was President.
• Teddy Roosevelts hand-picked successor
• Jovial, genial, conscientious, desire to avoid
  conflict
• Always wanted to be a judge
• Only Pres. to ever also serve as Chief Justice of
  the Supreme Court

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QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate of Yale (2nd in class!)
• Ohio Judge
• Federal Circuit Court Judge
• Governor of the Philippines
• Secretary of War under TR
• Supporter of the Square Deal
• Liked by the Old Guard a/w/a/ progressives of the
  Republican Party

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TAFT TRIVIA

• Largest President, over 300 lbs.
• Titanic sunk on April 14, 1912, during his
  presidency.
• Started a new tradition when he threw the 1st
  ball on opening day of the baseball season
• Kept cows on the White House lawn milked Pauline
  every morning
• Bought the White House its first car, a Ford
  Model-T, and turned the stable into a 4 car
  garage
• Had to order a special bathtub for the White
  House, because he got stuck in the old one

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TAFTS TUB
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• Public had a low opinion of Taft
• Much more conservative than Roosevelt
• Felt he was destroying Roosevelts Square Deal

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DOLLAR DIPLOMACY

• Use foreign policy to protect American
  investments abroad
• Use American money to uphold foreign policy
  (investment in areas of concern to U.S.
  Caribbean China)
• Revolutions in Caribbean
• U.S. intervention
• Nicaragua, Marines 1911
• Cuba, Honduras, Haiti

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GREATEST FAILURES1- PAYNE-ALDRICH TARIFF

• Believed high tariffs encouraged monopolies so
  attempts to lower tariff rates
• BUT 800 amendments added to this tariff bill in
  Congress!
• SO the tariff actually turns out to be higher
  than what Congress started with!
• Taft signs anyway b/c it provided for a
  corporation tax Tariff Commission
• Public opinion is very low

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2-BALLINGER-PINCHOTCONTROVERSY

• Over Conservation
• Pinchot - Chief Forester - accuses Ballinger
  Tafts Sec. Of Interior - of opening public
  western lands to private developers
• Taft sides with Ballinger fires Pinchot

• Ballingers reputation ruined forced to resign
  due to the public outcry
• Taft seen as selling the Square Deal down the
  river!

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ACHIEVEMENTS during Tafts Administration

• BETTER TRUSTBUSTER THAN ROOSEVELT
• Busts up Standard Oil, American Tobacco, American
  Sugar Refining

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ACHIEVEMENTS during Tafts Administration

• ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO ADMITTED AS 47th 48th
  STATES
• Empowered ICC even further - Mann-Elkins Act, 1910

• Established 8 hour day for govt contract workers
  mine safety legislation
• 16TH AMENDMENT, gives Congress authority to
  collect an income tax
• 17TH AMENDMENT, provides for the direct election
  of U.S. Senators

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Roosevelts view on Tafts performance as
President
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THE CANDIDATES
PROGRESSIVE Theodore Roosevelt
REPUBLICAN William H. Taft
DEMOCRAT Woodrow Wilson
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PLATFORMS
TAFT

• Did no real campaigning
• He believed Wilson would win therefore did
  nothing.
• The real battle was between Roosevelt Wilson
  who both supported progressivism, but under
  different labels.

• Won Republican
• nomination over
• Roosevelt

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Roosevelts Bull Moose Party

• NEW NATIONALISM
• Emphasizes a federal govt strong enough to
  impose nationwide solutions on big business.
• Supports Progressive reforms in child labor,
  minimum wage, workers comp., etc.
• Major difference with Wilson is with
  trusts/business seeks strong govt control of
  big business, not destruction
• Magnetic Personality
• Dynamic speaker who appealed to emotions

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THE BULL MOOSE PARTY
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• NEW FREEDOM
• Appealed to reason and conscience persuasive
• A convert to progressivism
• No real political experience took 46 ballots for
  nomination
• Platform seeks banking reform tariff
  reductions opposes govt-sponsored social
  welfare

WILSON
Aloof idealistic

• Major difference with TR - viewed monopolies as
  evils to be destroyed, not regulated they are
  the antithesis of free competition favors small
  entrepreneurship sees TRs plan as giving
  federal govt too much power in economy

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The Professor

• Wins by partisan politics
• split in Republican Party his support by both
  conservative liberal Democrats gives him the
  election

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RESULTS
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WILSON TAFT, INAUGURATION DAY 1913