Restoring Honest Government during the Gilded Age

Gilded Age  Coined termed by Mark Twain.  Age of corruption in politics. Everything looks good on the surface, but it was really corrupt.  marked by the growth of industry and wealth which supported materialism and political corruption

The Business of Politics  – Laissez-faire- Theory that the government should play a very limited role in businesses.  – “Business Ran politics and politics was a branch of business”  Business Giants during the Gilded Age often times bribed politicians with gifts of money. (Political Machines)  Spoils System – Elected officials appointed friends and supporters to government jobs. Ensured politicians a loyal group of supporters in future elections.

Credit Mobilier Scandal  damaged the careers of several Gilded Age politicians. Major stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad formed a company, the Crédit Mobilier of America, and gave it contracts to build the railroad. They sold or gave shares in this construction to influential congressmen.

Political Parties during the Gilded Age  Republican Party  – Industrialists, bankers, and eastern farmers  – “Party of Morality”-made up of the typical Americans  – Backed high tariffs to protect American Businesses, generous pensions for Union Soldiers, government aid to Railroads, and enforcement of Blue Laws  – Strongest in North and upper-Midwest

Political Parties during the Gilded Age  Democratic Party  - Attracted Americans who were less privileged.  - Southern Whites, Immigrants, Free- Thinkers,  - Backed money supply backed by silver, lower tariffs, less government aid to big businesses.

PRESIDENTS OF THE GILDED AGE  Rutherford B. Hayes ( ) – Wanted to Reform the Civil Service System  Called for a new set of rules to establish a MERIT SYSTEM for Civil Service – Nonelected government workers  4 Merits –  1) those who already hold office can’t be removed unless they are not doing there job  2) Party members have no more influence on appointments than any other respectful citizen  3) No assessment for political contributions will be allowed  4) No office holder can manage an election campaign.

PRESIDENTS CON’T  James Garfield (March 5, Sept. 19, 1881)  Elected in 1880  – 3 fractions of Republican Party  Stalwarts- supported the spoils system  Half-Breeds- reform spoils system  Independents- opposed spoils system  Assassinated by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881 who claimed upon shooting the President that he was a Stalwart. “I am a Stalwart and Arthur is President now”

PRESIDENTS CONT’D  Chester Arthur (1881 to 1885)  –Although he was a Stalwart, actually became advocate of reform!  – Signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act  Established Merit Exams if you wanted a Federal Job

PRESIDENTS CONT’D  Grover Cleveland  – Won election in became first democratic president since 1856  – Presidential campaign between his opponent James Blaine and himself was very…bad.  – Favored tight money policies, opposed high tariffs, and took back from the railroads some 80 million acres of land that had been granted to them.

PRESIDENTS CONT’D!!  Benjamin Harrison  – Won 1888 election  – Harrison promised a higher tariff than Cleveland which won him a lot of support from businesses.  – Republicans had majority of the seats in Congress during the first 2 years of his presidency which meant he could get almost anything passed he wanted.  Sherman Anti-Trust Act: Law prohibiting monopolies and trusts that restrained trade.  Sherman Silver Purchase Act-required treasury to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver per month to increase the price of silver  McKinley Tariff- Highest Tariff in the history of the country at that time. (very low public support)

PRESIDENTS CONT’D  Grover Cleveland AGAIN!!  – Reelected in 1892  – Drained treasury from Harrison’s previous presidency cause nation into an economic panic in  Workers lost jobs or had their wages cut Jacob Coxey organized an unemployment march on Washington D.C.  Upset not only the unemployed but farmers also by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.

PRESIDENTS CONT’D  William McKinley  – Defeated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 election  – Campaign was centered around the “Gold-Silver” Debate. (McKinley =Gold. Bryan =Silver)  – Returned the American economy to prosperity.  – Assassinated on September 6, 1901 by Leon Czolgosz.

REGULATING RAILROADS  Railroad operation began to be questioned around the 1880’s. (charging more for a short haul, offering rebates to favored customers, keeping rates secret)  1877 – Supreme Court Ruling  – Munn vs. Illinois  Ruled that only the Federal Gov’t could regulate interstate commerce. So for a long time the Railroads went unregulated until the invention of the ICC in  However the ICC was largely ineffective, losing 15 of its 16 cases in Federal court. ICC= Interstate Commerce Commission

Quick Quiz  1. The Gilded Age was known as the age of ________ in politics?  2) Laissez-faire means what?  3) What did the Pendleton Civil Service Act do?  4) Which President was elected to 2 separate terms? (Once in 1884, then again in 1892)  5) Tell me 2 of the 3 Act’s President Harrison got passed while he was in office?