Politics of the 1890s

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Politics of the 1890s

• Various Issues

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Benjamin Harrisons Presidency

• Thomas B. Reed
• Known as Czar Reed
• Possibly the most powerful speaker of the house
  in history
• Manipulated house rules to prevent democrats from
  blocking legislation

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Farmers Rise Politically
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The Grange

• Officially called the National Grange of the
  Patrons of Husbandry, led by Oliver Kelley
• Purpose to stimulate minds of farmers by social,
  educational, and fraternal activities such as
  picnics, music, and lectures.
• 800,000 members

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Grangers

• Went into politics with success in IL, WI, IO,
  and MN
• Strove to regulate railroad rates and storage
  fees
• Granger Laws created to apply principle of public
  control over private business for the general
  welfare

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Populism -- Rise of Populist Party

• Farmers Alliances in the South and Midwest
  increasingly voiced discontent
• Sponsored social events, active politically,
  organized cooperatives, sought heavy regulation
  of railroads and manufacturers
• Over 3 million members

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The Peoples Party (Populist Party)

• Attracted recruits from Farmers Alliances poor
  southern whites

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Notable Members

• Ignatius Donnelly, elected 3X to Congress
• Mary E. Lease -- Made about 160 speeches
  denouncing the aristocracy in Wall Street she
  said -- Kansas should raise "less corn more
  hell."
• "Sockless" Jerry Simpson, traveled to the South
  to rouse Southern support for Populist unity
• Tom Watson, congressman and VP running mate to
  William Jennings Bryan in 1896

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Anti African American Violence
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"Pitchfork" Ben Tillman

• A Democrat who used his Southern Alliance
  influence to win the governorship of South
  Carolina and dominate the democratic party there
• Succeeded in under-representing AAs in the state
  constitution

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Roosevelt Tilden
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Fears and Acts

• Widespread southern fears of African-Americans in
  Farmers Alliances led to major push for
  under-representation in the 1890s Jim Crow
• Following South Carolinas lead, southern states
  made black voting limited in their state
  constitutions

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Goal

• Voting restriction essentially a ruling-class
  campaign against lower-class voters in general,
  not just AAs
• Deliberate attempt by New Souths political and
  economic elite, threatened by the Populists, to
  destroy party opposition and widespread political
  participation

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Advancement and Hatred

• Underrepresented whites from the South also
  sought reforms despite their race-supremacy ideas
  since they saw themselves as secondary victims
• For 200 years the South had been racially divided
  but in 1890s white hatred toward blacks became
  almost genocidal huge increase in number of
  lynching's

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Panic of 1893

• Depression lasted until 1897

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Worst Depression of the Century

• 2nd term of President Cleveland
• 1st large-scale depression in the new urban and
  industrial age
• 8,000 business collapsed in 6 mos. (including
  dozens of railroads)

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Causes

• Collapse of the stock market
• Overbuilding of railroads
• Labor disorders
• Deficit resulted

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Coxeys Army

• "Commonweal of Christ"
• Led most famous of the "industrial armies" of the
  unemployed on Washington, D.C.-- gained national
  attention
• Coxey was a wealthy businessman

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Coxeys Army

• Coxeys platform included a demand for govt to
  relieve unemployment by an public works program
  increase money supply by 500 million
• Coxey and his 500 followers arrested in
  Washington, DC for walking on the grass of the
  nations capital.

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Election of 1896
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Republican Candidate

• William McKinley
• Backed by Marcus Hanna

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Marcus Hanna

• An iron tycoon, who earlier in life bailed
  McKinley out of a 100,000 debt
• Hanna believed function of govt was to aid
  business
• Became symbol of big industry in politics
• Believed that prosperity "trickled down" to the
  laborer
• Critics lambasted Hanna for this idea

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Democratic Nominee

• William Jennings Bryan
• The premier orator of his day
• More heart and passion than brains and intellect
• First politician of his generation to lead a
  major party as a champion of the poor

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Cross of Gold speech

• "You come to us and tell us that the great cities
  are in favor of the gold standard. We reply that
  the great cities rest upon our broad and fertile
  prairies. Burn down your cities and leave our
  farms, and your cities will spring up again as if
  by magic. But destroy our farms, and the grass
  will grow in the streets of every city in the
  country... Having behind us the producing masses
  of the nation we will answer their demands for
  a gold standard by saying to them You shall not
  press down upon the brow of labor this crown of
  thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a
  cross of gold."

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Outcome

• McKinley defeated Bryan
• Last serious effort by to win the White House
  with agrarian votes
• Republicans remained White House for 16
  consecutive years (28 of next 36 yrs)

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Further Significance

• Diminished voter participation as Republican
  party seen as party of the rich
• Beginning of the "4th party system"
• African Americans rights abandoned by Republicans
  since African American vote in the South not
  important in 1896 election

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1896 election and the Wizard of Oz

• Dorothy represents everyman of the west seen
  as pure and likeable
• Yellow Brick Road Gold standard
• Dorothys silver slippers Soft Money (but no
  one knows how to use their power)
• Scarecrow Midwestern farmers (who are seen as
  stupid but actually have wisdom)
• Tin Man Eastern Labor victimized by Wicked
  Witch of the East
• Wizard and city of OZ Eastern Establishment
• Cowardly Lion with Big Roar and no bite William
  Jennings Bryan
• Wicked Witch of the East Corporations of
  Eastern Finance
• OZ An ounce of gold or silver
• The Wizard of Oz McKinley (or any other
  president during Gilded Age)
• Flying monkeys plains Indians who were once
  free but now subdued by witch.
• Wicked Witch of the West Forbidding frontier
  environment (drought, tornados, etc.)
• Water advantage that will thwart drought
  (Wicked Witch of the West)

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Legacy of Populism

• Populism fails as a 3rd Party cause but has a
  political influence for 25 years after its
  failure in the 1896 elections
• Populist ideas are geared to rural life. Many of
  its ideas will appeal to the urban progressives

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Ideas Carried Over to the Progressive Era

• Railroad legislation
• Income tax
• Expanded currency and credit structure
• Direct election of Senators
• Initiative and referendum
• Postal savings banks