1. Progressivism under Taft Chapter 9-4

2. Taft Becomes President After the winning the election in 1904, TR pledged not to run for reelection in 1908 He handpicked his secretary of war, William Howard Taft, to run against the Democrat nominee William Jennings Bryan Taft and the Republicans won an easy victory over the Democrats

3. Taft’s Stumbles As president, Taft pursued a cautious progressive agenda, seeking to consolidate rather than to expand Roosevelt’s reforms Taft would receive little credit for his accomplishments, such as busting 90 trusts in four years, more than Roosevelt did in his eight years as President

4. The Payne-Aldrich Tariff Taft had campaigned on a platform of lowering tariffs, a staple of the progressive agenda When the House passed the Payne Bill, which lowered rates on imported goods, the Senate proposed an alternative bill, the Aldrich Bill, which made fewer cuts and increased many other rates Amid cries of betrayal from the progressive wing of his party, Taft signed the Payne-Aldridge Tariff, a compromise that only moderated the high rates of the Aldrich Bill Many progressives felt betrayed and believed Taft had abandoned progressivism

5. Disputing Public Lands Next, Taft angered conservationists by appointing as his secretary of the interior Richard A. Ballenger Ballenger, who disapproved of conservationists controls on western lands, removed one million acres of forests and mining lands from the reserve list and returned it to the public domain In congressional testimony Ballenger was accused of letting commercial interests exploit the natural resources that rightfully belong to the public President sided with Ballenger costing him support within the public and his own political party

6. Problems Within the Republican Party His cautious nature made it impossible for him to hold together the two wings of Republican Party: progressives who sought change and conservatives who did not The Republican Party had begun to fragment Even his appointments caused a split among his party members His appointment of Joseph Cannon as house speaker divided his party as Cannon would severely weaken or even disregard progressive legislation Reform minded republicans stripped Cannon of his power and with the help of the Democrats elected the Committee on Rules that excluded the speaker from membership By the midterm elections of 1910 the Republican party was in shambles with the progressives is a one side and the “old guard” on the other Voters voiced their concern over the rising cost of living, which they blamed on the Payne-Aldridge Tariff as well as they believed Taft to be against conservation The Democrats would capitalize on this and would gain control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 18 years

7. The Bull Moose Party In 1910 Roosevelt would return from Africa to a hero’s welcome In a speech he responded by proposing a “New Nationalism” in which the Federal government would exert its power for the “welfare of the people” By 1912 Roosevelt had decided to run for a third term as president The Republican Party was now split in half: half of the party would support Taft and half Roosevelt At the Republican convention Taft supporters At the Republican convention Taft supporters attempted to replace Roosevelt delegates with Taft delegates The Roosevelt delegates, Republican progressives, refused to vote and formed a new third party, the Progressive Party

8. The Bull Moose Party The newly formed progressive party nominated Roosevelt as their candidate for the presidency The Progressive Party would become known as the Bull Moose Party, after Roosevelt’s boast that he was “ as strong as a bull moose” The party’s platform called for the direct election of senators and the adoption in all states of the initiative, referendum, and recall It also advocated woman suffrage, workers compensation, an eight hour workday, a minimum wage for women, a Federal law against child labor, and a Federal trade commission to regulate business The split in the Republican ranks handed the Democrats their first real chance that the White House since 1892 The democrats would run the reform governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson

9. Democrats win in 1912 Wilson would endorse a progressive platform called the “New Freedom” Under this platform he would demand stronger antitrust legislation, banking reform, and reduced tariffs During the campaign Taft and Roosevelt attacked each other while Wilson distanced himself from the rhetoric Although Wilson captured only 42% of the popular vote he won an overwhelming electoral victory and a Democratic majority in Congress