Who Should Govern

1
Who Should Govern?
2
Founders Vision Vs. Gilded Age

• Nation ruled by enlightened Aristocracy
• Gentlemen of leisure with the education to debate
  issues rule judiciously
• Powerful wealthy governed

• Great industrial and banking magnates literally
  owned the govt and turned it to their personal
  enrichment

3
Stark Contrast

• Alexander Hamilton
• Keys to govt held by powerful and wealthy

• Thomas Jefferson
• An agrarian republic of independent, thinking,
  farmers

4
The Gilded Age

• Industrialists Bankers owned Government
• Morgan, Gould, Rockefeller, Carnegie

• Post-War Presidents were either weak inept or
  corrupt
• The Powerless
• Immigrant laborers
• Urban poor
• Homesteaders, women Indians

5
What is the appropriate role of Government in the
Economy?

• Ideally CapitalismLaissez Faire
• Realistically Government provided support, and
  protection but little, if any, regulation of the
  economy.

6
Politics in the Gilded Age

• Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison,
  Cleveland

7
The Politics of Equilibrium

• Two parties enjoyed strength and stability
  neither would see again.
• Federal govt was doing little of importance
• People were very engaged in political activity

8
The Party System

• Parties remarkably stable
• Sixteen states Republican
• 14 states Democratic
• Five states in doubtOhio New York most
  important
• National elections were determined by turnout of
  voters

9
Republican Party captured the presidency in all
but two elections
10
Party Influence

• Close elections 1876-1892 popular vote margin
  separating the two parties was 1.5
• Republicans Senate
• Democrats--House

11
Party Loyalty

• Region
• Religious and ethnic differences
• Values

12
Key Issues of the Gilded Age

• Tariff Policies
• Currency issues
• Veterans Pensions
• Patronage

13
Urban Politics

• Political Machines and Party Bosses
• Jobs and services for votes
• Tammany Hall in NYC

14
Presidents Patronage

• Rutherford B. Hayes

15
1876 Election Great Compromise

• Hayes
• Stalwarts Conkling
• Halfbreeds Blaine
• Rum, Romanism Rebellion
• Lemonade Lucy

• Tilden
• Won popular vote
• Irregularities in electoral vote
• Lost as result of a compromise

16
James A. Garfield 80

• Both a Half-Breed Stalwart on the Republican
  ticket
• Garfield aided by economic upturn
• Republicans captured both houses of Congress
• July 2, 1881

17
Arthur Presidency

• A lifelong stalwart and ally of Roscoe Conkling,
  realized the traditional spoil system did not
  work.
• 1883 Civil Service Reform was enacted.

18
1884 Election

• James G. Blaine of Maine, the Plumbed Knight
• Mugwumps bolted the party in support of an honest
  democrat

• Grover Cleveland, reform governor of New York
• Very negative campaign aided at Cleveland

19
Cleveland Presidency

• Only Democrat elected in Gilded Age
• Stern and righteous man, opposed grafters,
  pressure groups like Tammany Hall
• Never supported protective tariffs
• Congress actually raised taxes

20
1888 Election

• Cleveland ran for second term
• Got More popular votes
• One of most corrupt and one of closest elections
  in history

• William Henry Harrison
• Human iceberg
• Got More electoral votes
• 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act
• McKinley TAriff

21
1892 Election

• Harrison Vs. Cleveland and James B. Weaver
• Harrison supported protective tariff
• Cleveland opposed tariff
• Populist proposed reform
• Cleveland won

22
Clevelands Second Term

• Hostility toward social and economic issues
• Wilson Gorman Tariff reduced tax on a few things
• Railroad regulation began
• 1893 Panic swept the nation