Stalemate in Washington Ch. 11 Section 1 By Mr. Thomas Parsons

I. A Campaign to Clean Up Politics A.The Spoils System 1.Under the spoils system, or patronage, government jobs went to supporters of the winning party in an election. 2.By the late 1870s, many Americans believed that patronage corrupted those who worked for the government. 3.They began a movement to reform the civil service

B.The Presidency of Ulysses S Grant was one of the most corrupt in History. 1.Although he himself was not guilty of Graft, those that worked for him were. 2.Patronage was blamed for the corruption. (remember Credit Moblier?) 3.For decades after, corruption in the White House will be known as “Grantism” 4.His successor, Rutherfold B. Hayes was elected in a disputed election.

C.Ruther fraud B. Hayes 1.In the election of 1876, Democrat, Samuel Tilden, won the popular vote 2.Ruther fraud B. Hayes ran for the Republicans. 3.Because of disputed electoral votes in three states, a winner could not be determined. 4.The election was decided by the house of Representatives 5.Republicans bargained with the southern Democrats to end reconstruction 6.The result was known as the Compromise of Hayes was wanted to reform Washington 8.Hayes was ineffective as a president due to this compromise.

D.President Rutherford B. Hayes attacked the practice of patronage. 1.The “Stalwarts”— a.The Stalwarts were a group of Republican machine politicians who strongly opposed civil service reform— b.They accused Hayes of backing civil service reform to create openings for his own supporters. 2.Civil service reformers were called “Halfbreeds.” Roscoe Conkling, U.S. Congressman and Senator President Rutherford B. Hayes

E.The Election of The Republican candidates for the election of 1880 were a Halfbreed, James Garfield for president, and the Stalwart, Chester Arthur for vice president. 2.They won the election. 3.President Garfield was assassinated a few months into his presidency. 4.He was killed by a Stalwart who wanted a civil service job through the spoils system.

F.In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Act. 1.The Pendleton act was a civil service reform act 2.It allowed the president to decide which federal jobs would be filled according to rules 3.These rules were set up by a bipartisan Civil Service Commission. 4.Candidates competed for federal jobs through examinations. 5.Appointments could be made only from the list of those who took the exams. 6.Once appointed to a job, a civil service official could not be removed for political reasons

II. Two Parties, Neck and Neck A.Gridlock in Washington 1.The Republicans won four of the six presidential elections between 1876 and Democrats had control of the House of Representatives 3.Republicans had the control of the Senate but did not necessarily agree with the president on issues.. 4.As a result, few new laws and policies were introduced in the 1870s and 1880s.

B. Both the Republicans and the Democrats were well organized in the late 1800s. 1.The presidential elections were won with narrow margins between 1876 and In 1876 and 1888, the presidential candidate lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote and the election.

C.Party characteristics 1.Republicans – tended to be more Nativist wanted to restrict immigration 2.Democrats- were supported by immigrants 3.Both Democrat and Republicans were pro-business and supported tariffs

III. Democrats Reclaim the White House A.In the presidential election of 1884, 1.Republicans remained divided over reform. 2.Democrats nominated Governor Grover Cleveland of New York, a reformer who opposed Tammany Hall.

B.Republicans nominated James G. Blaine, 1.Blaine was a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. 2.Blaine was popular among Republican Party workers.

C.A major issue in the campaign was corruption in American government. 1.Voters focused on the morals of each candidate. a.Mugwumps – i.Some Republican reformers, called “Mugwumps,” disliked Blaine so much that they left the party ii.They supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland. iii.The Mugwumps did not like Blaine’s connection with the Credit Mobilier scandal.

b. Cleveland admitted to having fathered a child ten years earlier c. Cleveland retained the support of the Mugwumps for his honesty. 2. Blaine tried to persuade Roman Catholics to vote Republican because his mother was an Irish Catholic. His tactic failed. D. Cleveland was elected president.

IV. A President Besieged by Problems A.Spoils System - Many supporters of President Grover Cleveland sought patronage jobs after his election to office. (spoils system)

B.Labor Unrest - Many strikes occurred during Cleveland’s administration. 1.Police and paid guards sometimes attacked the strikers. 2.A bomb exploded at a labor demonstration in Haymarket Square in Chicago.

C.Railroads Hated 1.Small businesses and farmers became angry at railroads because they paid high rates for shipping goods 2.Large corporations were given rebates, or partial refunds, and lower rates for shipping goods.

D.Laissez faire - Both Democrats and Republicans believed that government should not interfere with corporations’ property rights. 1.Wabash v. Illinois - a.In 1886 the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Wabash v. Illinois b.The court ruled the state of Illinois could not restrict the rates that the Wabash Railroad charged for traffic between states. c.The court said that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce.

E.In 1887 a bill was signed creating the Interstate Commerce Commission. 1.This was the first law to regulate interstate commerce. 2.It created the Interstate Commerce Commission. 3.The law lacked enforcement.

F.Tariffs – 1.Tariffs are taxes on imported goods 2.After the civil war Republicans raised tariffs to “protect” American made goods. 3.High tariffs would discourage the purchase of foreign made goods and encourage the purchase of American made goods 4.Many Americans wanted to do away with high tariffs because the felt that large American companies could compete internationally.

5.They wanted Congress to cut tariffs because these taxes caused an increase in the price of manufactured goods. 6.President Cleveland proposed lowering tariffs, but Congress was deadlocked over the issue. 7.Tariff reduction became a major issue in the election of 1888.

V. Republicans Regain Power A.The Election of The Republican candidate in the 1888 election was Benjamin Harrison. 2.His campaign was given large contributions by industrialists who wanted tariff protection. 3.The Democratic candidate was Cleveland. 4.He was against high tariff rates. 5.Harrison won the election by winning the electoral vote but not the popular vote.

B.The outcome of the election of Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress and the White House. 2.The Republicans were able to pass legislation on issues of national concern.

C.The McKinley Tariff 1.This law cut tariff rates on some goods, 2.but it increased the rates of others. 3.It lowered federal revenue and left the nation with a budget deficit.

D.A new pension law passed in 1890 for veterans further worsened the federal deficit. E.The Sherman Antitrust Act of This made trusts illegal 2.The courts did little to enforce the law.

Closing Assessment 1.) Explain the Patronage system; its affects on Government, and do you believe this system still exist today, why or why not? 2.) What is a tariff, and explain its role in trade relationships with other nations. Are they something we should still use today? Explain.