Progressivism & the Republican Roosevelt 1901-1912
Progressive Roots New century saw greatest reform movement since 1840: progressivism. Progressives fought against monopoly, corruption, inefficiency & social injustice. Goal: use gov t as agency of human welfare.
Progressive Roots (2) Movement traced roots to antiestablishment Greenback Labor Party (1870s) & Populists (1890s). Progressives were tired of gov t laissezfaire policies toward very complex social/economic problems.
Progressive Roots (3) Attacks on trusts not new, e.g. Bryan, Altgeld, Populists. 1894: Lloyd published Wealth Against Commonwealth targeting Standard Oil. 1899: Veblen s The Theory of the Leisure Class attacked predatory wealth.
Progressive Roots (4) 1890: Jacob A. Riis shocked with How the Other Half Lives: expose of life in NYC slums. Theodore Dreiser hit profiteers in The Financier (1912) & The Titan (1914). Desire for reform, immigration boosted Socialists.
Progressive Roots (5) Social gospel led Christian progressives to fight for better conditions for poor. Addams, Wald inspired feminists to fight for social justice, working conditions, safe food, & honest government.
Raking Muck 1902: Magazines like McClure s, Cosmo, Collier s flourished publishing stories exposing evil, dirt. 1906: TR, annoyed by zeal, labeled authors muckrakers. Most scandalous stories published as books.
Raking Muck (2) 1902: Steffens The Shame of the Cities exposed alliance between business & city gov t. Ida M. Tarbell followed with exposé of Standard Oil. Muckrakers targeted insurance, lobbyists, beef trusts, money trust, railroads.
Raking Muck (3) TR impressed by Phillips The Treason of the Senate, which charged that 75 of 90 senators represented trusts. Muckrakers effective against social evils: slums, white slave traffic, plight of blacks (Baker), child labor (Spargo).
Raking Muck (4) Attacks in Collier s by Dr. Wiley & Poison Squad exposed patent medicines. Muckrakers exposed problems, but generally did not offer solutions: relied on aroused social conscience & democracy for solutions.
Political Progressivism Middle-class progressives had two goals: use state power to curb trusts, & stem socialism by bettering living conditions. Progressives came from both parties, different religions. Political goal: free government from dominance by interests.
Political Progressivism (2) Favored Direct Primary, Initiative, Referendum, and Recall to give political power to people, not party bosses. Progressives attacked graft by limiting campaign spending & contributions. Secret ballot ( Australian Ballot ) reduced bribery.
Political Progressivism (3) Progressives argued for direct election of U.S. senators to limit power of wealthy. Many states established primary elections which gave people a voice in selection of U.S. Senators: led to passage of 17th Amendment.
Political Progressivism (4) Prohibitionists & political reformers fought for women s suffrage, claimed Taxation without Representation. More liberal western states gave women voting rights.
Progressivism in Cities/States City manager system began in Galveston, TX (1901) to gain efficiency, limit corruption. City manager system valued efficiency over democracy. Urban reformers attacked slumlords, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, corruption.
Progressivism in Cities/States (2) Wisconsin governor Robert La Follette was militant progressive: led reforms against lumber, railroad interests & regulated utilities. Other states, including Oregon, California followed with regulation of railroads & trusts through public utilities commissions.
Progressivism in Cities/States (3) CA Gov. Hiram Johnson (R) was elected in 1910, freed CA politics from So. Pacific RR. NY Gov. Hughes (R) earned reputation as investigator of gas, insurance, & coal companies/trusts.
Battling Social Ills Progressives attacked social problems with remarkable energy, e.g. industrial safety codes, child labor, workmen s compensation laws, max. hour & minimum wage laws. 1911: Sweatshop issue came to forefront due to Triangle fire.
Battling Social Ills (2) Public outcry led NY to regulate sweatshops. 1908: In Muller v. Oregon, Brandeis led Sup. Ct. to accept laws regulating female labor due to their weaker bodies: regarded as triumph over employers complete control.
Battling Social Ills (3) 1905: Progressive setback came in Lochner v. New York struck down 10-hour day. But Court upheld 10-hour day for factory workers in 1917. Idea that employer had responsibility to society was growing.
Battling Social Ills (4) Saloons, associated with prostitution, drunken voters, city bosses, became another target. Willard s WCTU became largest women s org in world. Many states & counties went dry, but cities, with large immigrant vote, remained wet.
Square Deal for Labor Influence of progressive movement, concern for public interest led to TR s Square Deal for capital, labor & public. TR s program embraced 3 Cs: Control of corporations, Consumer protection, & Conservation of natural resources.
Square Deal for Labor (2) Anthracite coal mines strike (PA) put Deal to test: 140,000 workers demanded 20% pay increase, 9 hour day. Baer & other owners refused to negotiate, believed that God had entrusted workers to their care.
Square Deal for Labor (3) Lack of coal inhibited factories, schools, hospitals. TR intervened: annoyed by attitude of mine owners, he threatened to seize mines, operate with federal troops. Owners agreed to arbitration, gave 10% raise, 9-hour day.
Square Deal for Labor (4) 1903: TR urged creation of Dept. of Commerce & Labor to manage capital/labor conflicts (dept. split 10 years later). Part of new dept. was Bureau of Corporations, which was used to break interstate trusts.
TR Corrals the Corps. Interstate Commerce Commission was too weak to regulate railroads, TR encouraged more effective laws. 1903: Congress passed Elkins Act to provide heavy fines for RR rebates.
TR Corrals the Corps. (2) 1906: Hepburn Act restricted free passes, strengthened ICC. TR knew efficient trusts were here to stay, but distinguished between good trusts with public consciences, and greedy bad trusts.
TR Corrals the Corps. (3) 1902: TR s 1st attack on trusts came against the Morgan/Hill Northern Securities RR trust. 1904: Sup. Ct. upheld TR s antitrust suit, dissolved Northern Sec., shocked Wall Street. TR initiated over 40 suits vs. beef, sugar, fertilizer, etc.
TR Corrals the Corps. (4) TR knew trustbusting was popular, but unsound economically: real purpose was to prove that government, not business, ruled the country. Threat of dissolution would make corporations more agreeable to regulation.
TR Corrals the Corps. (5) Actually TR was not a heavy trustbuster many trusts were healthier, though more tame, after his presidency. William H. Taft actually busted more trusts, including TR-blessed U.S. Steel in 1911.
Caring for the Consumer Occasionally tainted U.S. meat was being shut out in some European markets. For safety, Americans also wanted canned meat products. 1906: Upton Sinclair s The Jungle tried to focus on condition of workers in meat plants.
Caring for the Consumer (2) But public reacted in disgust not to workers conditions, but to contamination of meat. Report of presidential commission confirmed Sinclair s report: found that rats, ropes, debris were dumped into canned ham, etc.
Caring for the Consumer (3) 1906: TR led passage of Meat Inspection Act applied to meat shipped interstate. Large packers used government seal of approval to drive smaller companies out of business. 1906: Food & Drug Act required safe, labeled foods, drugs.
Earth Control Many assumed natural resources were inexhaustible: pollution and waste widespread. 1877: 1 st attempt at conservation, Desert Land Act required land buyers to irrigate. 1891 Forest Reserve Act: president could set aside national parks.
Earth Control (2) 1894 Carey Act: Fed. land given to states if irrigated, settled. Naturalist TR took lead to conserve resources. 1902: TR led Congress to pass Newlands Act $ from land sales used to develop irrigation projects, repaid by settlers.
Earth Control (3) Newlands Act resulted in Roosevelt Dam (Arizona) in 1911. 1900: only 1/4 of original U.S. timber remained so TR set aside 125 million acres in reserves, almost 3 times as much as predecessors.
Earth Control (4) TR s conservation & closing of frontier led city dwellers to question if too much urban life was good for national soul. 1903: London s Call of the Wild, nature books popular. Boy Scouts/Sierra Club rose in prominence.
Earth Control (5) 1913 battle over dam in Hetch Hetchy valley showed division among conservationists. Sierra Club, Muir: it was a temple of nature, should not be touched. TR, Pinchot: wilderness is waste land should be used.
Earth Control (6) Under TR, foresters developed multipleuse policy: combine recreation, sustainedyield logging, watershed protection, & summer stock grazing on same fed. land. Required large scale planning & working with biggest users.
1907 Roosevelt Panic TR easily reelected in 1904, had enormous personal popularity, e.g. teddy bear. But TR alienated conservative Representatives during 2nd term by increased calls for business regulation, income tax, protection of workers.
1907 Roosevelt Panic (2) 1904: TR also became lame duck by renouncing 3 rd term. 1907: Wall St. panic included runs on banks, suicides, criminal indictments. Conservative financial world said TR had unsettled industry, named Roosevelt Panic.
1907 Roosevelt Panic (3) TR responded: rich had deliberately created panic to curb his assault on trusts. Panic resulted in reforms: 1908 Aldrich- Vreeland Act allowed national banks to issue emergency currency - led to Federal Reserve Act in 1913.
TR Thunders Out 1908: TR could have won reelection, but felt obligated by pledge not to run again. Selected successor: Taft would carry out TR s policies, TR ensured his nomination. Democrats nominated Bryan, complained TR stole his policies.
TR Thunders Out (2) Taft won easily 321-162, but surprise was 420,793 votes for Socialist Debs. TR s reputation as radical undeserved: was largely friend of industry, tamed capitalism to ensure its long life.
TR Thunders Out (3) TR served as lightning rod to protect capitalists against socialism: fought for middle ground. Centrist conservation crusade was most typical and lasting achievement.
TR Thunders Out (4) Other TR contributions: 1. Enhanced power of president. 2. Shaped progressive & later liberal reform movements (Square Deal to New Deal). 3. Showed Americans their responsibilities as a world power.
Taft: Round Peg Taft initially inspired confidence, had solid reputation as lawyer, judge. But Taft lacked force of TR s personality, withdrew from conflict, Congress. Preferred status quo: no reformers in cabinet.
Dollar as Diplomat Normally passive Taft was active in encouraging U.S. investment abroad in strategic places (Far East, Canal zone) so that U.S. political influence could follow. Policy denounced as dollar diplomacy.
Dollar as Diplomat (2) Dollar diplomacy failed in Manchuria: Japan/Russia rejected offer by U.S. financiers to buy RR - Taft ridiculed. Taft admin. urged U.S. bankers to invest in Honduras & Haiti to keep out foreign money, support Monroe Doctrine.
Dollar as Diplomat (3) Then disorder in Cuba, Honduras & Dominican Republic required U.S. military intervention to protect U.S. investment. 1912: intervention in Nicaragua near canal zone resulted in 13 yr. U.S. troop presence.
Taft the Trustbuster 1-term Taft brought twice the anti-trust suits as 2-term TR. 1911: Taft won breakup of Standard Oil Co., but Supreme Court initiated rule of reason only combinations which unreasonably restrained trade are illegal.
Taft the Trustbuster (2) Rule of reason hurt government anti-trust actions. 1911: Taft pressed antitrust suit against U.S. Steel angered TR who was involved in one of the mergers which prompted suit.
Taft Splits Republicans Progressive Reps wanted lower tariff, for which Taft called Congress into special session in March, 1909. House reduced rates, but Senate, led by Aldrich, added hundreds of increases to Payne-Aldrich bill.
Taft Splits Republicans (2) Taft betrayed progressives by signing bill, then proclaiming it best bill Reps ever passed. Taft tarnished his outstanding conservation record with Ballinger-Pinchot quarrel. TR ally Pinchot dismissed, further split Taft & TR.
Taft Splits Republicans (3) Through tariff & support for Ballinger, Taft alienated reform wing of Rep party. Taft placed firmly with Old Guard wing of party through support of Speaker Uncle Joe Cannon during progressive attack.
Taft Splits Republicans (4) 1910: Taft mistakes completely split party, TR hit stump to proclaim New Nationalism - more government power to remedy social/ economic abuses. Split weakened party, Democrats grabbed 228-161 House majority in 1910 election.
Taft-Roosevelt Rupture 1911: National Progressive Republican League formed, with Sen. La Follette (WI) as leading candidate for presidential nomination, assuming TR would not accept. Feb, 1912: Annoyed by Taft, TR said he would accept nomination.
Taft-Roosevelt Rupture (2) TR argued that non-consecutive 3rd-term is acceptable. TR pushed La Follette aside, ran as progressive in primary. June, 1912: Taft supporters held power at convention, Taft awarded nomination. TR ready for 3rd-party effort.