Chapter 23

1. Chapter 23 POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE, 1869-1889

2. The “Bloody Shirt” Elects Grant • Grant was immensely popular after the war • Nation was weary after war, and eager for a fresh face. • Republicans, nevertheless, enthusiastically nominate Grant • Grant is singularly unequipped to be President.

3. The “Bloody SHIRT” Elects Grant • Democrats divided between eastern and western democrats. • Nominate Horatio Seymour • Republicans wave the “Bloody Shirt” • Democrats divided over redemption of Bonds. • Grants wins easily in the electoral college, but by only 300,000 votes. • Impact of Black vote.

4. The Era Of Good Stealings • Civil War bred corruption and graft. • RR corruption • Jim Fisk and Jay Gould scheme to corner the gold market. • Boss Tweed/Tammany Hall.

5. A Carnival Of Corruption • Grant’s administration was riddled with corrupt officials. • Credit Mobilier scandal. JTFV • Exposed in 1872. • Members of congress censured. • Vice President implicated. • Whiskey Tax scandal. • Republican politicians siphon off millions of dollars in federal taxes on liquor; the scheme involved an extensive network of bribes involving tax collectors, storekeepers, and others.

6. Liberal Republican Revolt Of 1872 • Liberal republicans were tired of corruption • Liberal Republican party. • Nominate Horace Greeley • Democrats endorse him, too. • Campaign very ugly • Greely died before the electoral votes counted

7. Grant v. Greeley • Grant wins easily, 286-66, because: • Grant is perceived to be the lesser of two evils • Democrats are still stained with fault for the Civil War. • General Amnesty Act pardoned more than 150,000 former Confederate troops, restoring their right to vote and right to hold political office • Lowered tariffs • Mild civil-service reform

8. Depression And Demands For Inflation • 1873 severe recession hits • High prices and business activity which had followed the war yielded its legitimate effect in an abnormal speculation. • RR causes collapse of Jay Cooke and Co. It was the first "wire" brokerage house • 15,000 businesses went under.

9. Depression And Demands For Inflation • Debtors advocate inflationary policies. • Call for more Greenbacks. • Federal government had removed one-fourth from circulation. • Grant sides with conservatives and signs Resumption Act of 1875 • Replacement of the Civil War fractional currency by silver coins. Reduced the greenback total to $300 million. The Treasury was directed to "redeem, in coin" legal-tender notes presented for redemption on and after 1 January 1879 • Paper is a good as gold

10. Bland-Allison Act 1878 • Bland-Allison Act. • requiring the U.S. treasury to buy a certain amount of silver and put it into circulation as silver dollars – passed over veto by Hayes • Following the Panic of 1873, the Grange spread rapidly throughout the farm belt, since farmers in all areas were plagued by low prices for their products, growing indebtedness and favoritism by the railroads. These concerns helped to transform the Grange into a political force

11. Stalwarts v. Halfbreeds • Republicans had two rival factions • Stalwarts (Conklingites) • led by NY Sen. Roscoe Conkling). • Big believers in patronage. • In favor of Ulysses S. Grant • Half-Breeds. • Led by James Blaine. • Flirted with civil service reform. • The only real issue between Stalwarts and Half-Breeds was patronage.

12. The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876 • Republicans dissuade Grant from running again. • Rutherford B. Hayes. • Hayes largely unknown, but a civil war officer • Also, importantly, former three-term governor of Ohio.

13. The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876 • Samuel Tilden. • Platform. • Attacks against Republicans. • Tilden won the popular vote proving that the Democrats were back in the political picture following the Civil War • Electoral College dispute • Electoral Count Act • Compromise of 1877 was reached whereby the Democrats agreed to Hayes' election and he agreed to withdraw all federal troops in the South

14. Hayes-Tilden Disputed Election of 1876

15. End of Reconstruction • Compromise was the end of reconstruction. • Literacy tests and poll taxes • Crop-Lien System/Share Cropping • Jim Crow Laws • Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decided that a Louisiana law mandating separate but equal accommodations for blacks and whites on intrastate railroads was constitutional.

16. Class Conflicts And Ethnic Clashes • Driven by wage cuts and poor working conditions, violent outbreaks of strikes and a long series of battles occurred all over the country during the 1870s. • The Great Strike of 1877 sparked battles between militia and the crowds. Only after federal soldiers were brought in, was ordered restored • Chinese in California • Dennis Kearney/Kearneyites • Chinese Exclusion Act

17. Republicans in 1880 • Stymied by Stallwart-Halfbreed rivalry it takes 35 ballots to settle on a candidate. • Chose James Garfield. Dark-Horse. • Chester Arthur, was chosen VP. • Platform is for higher tariffs and (weakly) for civil service reform

18. Election of 1880 • Democrats chose Winfield Hancock • Civil War General, but popular in south • Thought to be fair as Military Gov – Tx-La • Both parties shun substantive political issues. • Garfield wins by only 40,000, but 214-155 in electoral college. • He was besieged by office seekers. • Made Blain Sec. of State • Battle raging politically between Stalwarts and Half-Breeds.

19. Election of 1880

20. 1881: Garfield Assassinated! Charles Guiteau:I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!

21. CHESTER ARTHUR TAKES COMMAND • Not many expected much from Arthur. • Puppet of Congling machine • Dandy • Displayed surprising integrity, intelligence and independence. • Arthur threw his support behind reform of spoils system. • Pendleton Act of 1883 • Merit system for 10% of Federal jobs • Father of the Civil Service

22. THE BLAINE-CLEVELAND MUDSLINGERS OF 1884 • Republicans nominate Blain • Tainted with numerous rumors of scandals. • The “tattooed man” • “Mulligan letters” detailed his corruption • Republican reformers, called "Mugwumps," supported Cleveland because of Blaine's reputation for corruption.

23. Grover Cleveland • Democrats nominate Grover Cleveland. • Reputation for reform and honesty. • Cleveland’s Bastard. • One of the ugliest campaigns in American history • New York the key state • Blain – NY Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

24. Election of 1884

25. Old Grover Takes Over • First Dem. president since Buchanan • Issues raised by this? • Cleveland’s political philosophy • Last Jeffersonian Democrat? • Named two former confederates to his cabinet, helping to heal the north-south divide

26. Tariffs and Pensions • Cleveland fires 2/3 of federal employees • Military Pension issue – GAR • Tariffs • Country was running at a surplus because of high tariffs. • Republicans had little motivation to reduce these tariffs. • Cleveland makes tariff reduction his number-one issue.

27. Harrison Ousts Cleveland • Dems renominate Cleveland. • Rep. turn to Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison. • The tariff was the main issue in the election. Harrison opposed tariff reduction while Cleveland supported it. Cleveland and the Democrats did not wage a strong campaign, Cleveland's attitude toward the spoils system had antagonized party politicians, and his policies on Civil War pensions, the currency, and tariff reform had made enemies among veterans, farmers, and industrial workers • Harrison wins electoral vote but looses the popular vote.

28. 1888 Presidential Election

29. Cleveland and History • Cleveland the first sitting president to be voted out of office since Van Buren in 1840. (Others: J. Adams, J.Q. Adams, Harrison, Hoover, Carter, Bush) • Cleveland last to win popular vote and lose electoral college until Gore. • Cleveland only president to have two non-consecutive terms.

30. Political Gravy For All • Billion Dollar Congress • Pension Act of 1890 • Sherman Anti-Trust Act • United States Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies • Tariffs and Silver • Easterners wanted a higher tariff • Westerners and farmers wanted more silver minted

31. Tariff Ire • Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 While not authorizing the free and unlimited coinage of silver that the Free Silver supporters wanted, the government was required to purchase every month • McKinley Tariff Bill • raised tariff rates to their highest peace-time level—48% • Farmers hated the new tariff. • Republicans punished in 1890 congressional election. • Lose nearly 60 seats and Dems have a huge majority in Congress

32. 1892 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again! * (DEM) (REP)

33. Populists • Populists emerge as a potent third party. • Officially the People’s Party • Nominate James B. Weaver • Populist Agenda: • free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one • graduated income tax • Gov’t ownership of telephone, telegraph and RR • direct election of US senators • one-term limit on presidency • use of the initiative and referendum to allow citizens to propose and review legislation. • Shorter work day-to appeal to labor • restriction on immigration—to appeal to labor

34. Populists • Labor is mad and are ripe for wooing by Populists. • Populists poll over one-million votes and become one of the few third parties to win electoral votes • Populists don’t embrace black farmers

35. 1892 Presidential Election

36. OLD GROVER CLEVELAND AGAIN • Depression of 1893 • Causes: • Over-building and over-speculation RR • labor unrest • agricultural depression from low commodity prices • reduction of US credit abroad because of Silver Purchase Act • Problems with overseas banks, which were forced to call in US loans. • Cleveland does next to nothing— laissez faire

37. Gold Problem • Treasury was running a deficit because of the Silver Purchase Act. • Cleveland saw no choice but to repeal the Silver Purchase Act. • William Jennings Bryan • Cleveland forced to issue bonds to raise money in order to buy gold