Notes for 8-31-16 Eventually, Congress decided to restrict the influx of Chinese immigrants. They slammed the door on Chinese immigration with the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. This prohibited nearly all further immigration from China. (Until 1943) Remember, Hayes own party was split: Sen. Roscoe Conkling, NY--Stalwarts: Grant supporters, Rad. Southerners, spoils system. Sen. James Blaine, Maine--Half Breeds: Civil Service reform, anti- Grant. He tried to satisfy both the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds, but ended up satisfying neither group. The battle over patronage overshadowed everything. Hayes announced early in his term as president that he would not seek re-election. This only weakened his presidency. His one important initiative was his effort to create civil service system. He issued an Executive Order, June 1877 stating that a person could only be dismissed from a govt. job for the good of the govt.-- not political reasons.
However, no law was possible at the time. Congress would not vote on civil service legislation proposed by Hayes. Hayes was the 1st President to fight Congress on this issue. Most spectacular battle came when Hayes dismissed Chester A. Arthur as the head of the NYC Customs House. it was considered the richest plum in the spoils system. And it was in Conkling s back yard. The customs house was corrupt. By tampering with Conkling's territory, Hayes won Conkling's lasting hatred. The 1870's were Depressed.. An act in 1875 (during Grant Administration) that started in 1879 stated that the U.S. govt. would meet all obligations in gold--- even redeem paper money in gold. This didn't satisfy everyone. Some radicals wanted more paper money printed, like the Greenback Party. They thought would help the economy. (Greenbacks) They wanted a magic cure all More effective was a call for free coinage of silver at 16 to one ratio. It was supported by an odd combination of Western farmers, and silver barons of the West.
Hayes, on economic issues, was more conservative. Hayes denied the demands of farmers for an expansion of the currency by vetoing the Bland Allison Act of 1878, pushed through by Silverites. Though it was passed over Hayes veto, it was only a limited expansion of silver currency. An almost insignificant amount. Bland Allison was only conciliatory gift to the farmers & mining interests-- just to quiet them a little. Garfield and Arthur Election of 1880: Republican convention was deadlocked. Stalwarts vs. Half-Breeds Stalwarts led by Conkling nominated Ulysses Grant. First man to be formally nominated for a third term. Halfbreeds would not agree. After 33 ballots, a compromise candidate suddenly appeared--- James A Garfield, Ohio, former Speaker of the House, & Sen. elect.- A Half Breed.--To appease the Stalwarts, -- the convention gave VP to Chester A. Arthur (customs House notoriety), Conkling's boy". He was a Stalwart. Democrats: nominated Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock.
Both had been Union commanders during the Civil War. Garfield won the presidency. He helped to split the party up further when he made James Blaine his Secretary of State. The political battle raged on. After only 4 months as President, July 2, 1881 while leaving for his 25th class reunion, Garfield was shot in the back at a train station by a disappointed office seeker named Charles Guiteau. Charles Guiteau, shouted at arresting officers, "I am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!" Garfield died on Sep 19 th, 11 weeks later. Guiteau was found guilty and hanged even though his lawyer tried the insanity plea. Chester Arthur of New York was the new Pres. who was considered to be honest. President Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) As President, showed honesty & tact. What was startling-- considering his political background, was Arthur's emergence as a civil service & tariff reformer. He passed the Pendleton Act of 1883. It made it illegal for federal employees to make compulsory campaign contributions. It set up a Civil Service Commission, independent from the regular cabinet departments. It was to separate
politics from patronage. The first federal agency established on a permanent basis. Charged with administering open competitive exams to applicants for civil service positions The commission had made up tests & examinations so qualified people could be hired & protected from spoils system. On the tariff issue, Arthur urged sharp tariff cuts. But, Congress ignored Arthur & his special commission. Only in 1883 did Congress finally lower tariff & then only slightly. Chester Arthur upset too many leading Republicans with his reforms, so he was not chosen to lead his party in the election of 1884. Arthur had a good record with the voters, but party regulars felt that Arthur had double crossed them. The Blaine-Cleveland Mudslingers of 1884 Election of 1884: GOP- Republicans- nominated Sen. James Blaine, "Man from Maine", leader of the Halfbreeds. Blaine was a man of energy, great speaker. However, Blaine had a tainted public career. A group of disgruntled Liberal Republicans (Mugwumps) announced that they would vote for a democrat.
Democrats nominate Grover Cleveland as a reform candidate. Cleveland rapid rise in politics. From law clerk, assistant state attorney general in 1863. Mayor of Buffalo, NY in 1881. Gov of NY in 1882 where he fought corruption in NYC Tammany Hall. The election of 1884 was a low in mudslinging. Blaine had corrupt dealings with RR. and Cleveland had fathered an illegitimate child when he was a young bachelor. Campaign was vile. No issues. Personal attacks. Chant, "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa? -- Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha." Blaine was also attacked because of his past w/ r/r corruption. Blaine ran a sloppy campaign. He let slip by a comment made by a group of Republican Protestant Ministers visiting his head quarters that called the Democrats, Rum, Romanism, & Rebellion. This hurt Blaine's campaign because he had a lot of support from Irish Catholics. The election was very close, but Cleveland won. 182 to 219 electoral votes. Old Grover Takes Over
Cleveland's 1st administration: 1885-1889 Only President to serve two terms that were not consecutive! Also first Democratic presidents since Buchanan. Cleveland Battles for a Lower Tariff Cleveland called for a tariff reduction in Dec., 1887-just before an election year-- treasury had a surplus. The govt was taking in more than it spent. He asked Congress to reduce the tariff rates. House Democrats approved a reduction, but Senate Republicans wanted to raise it. By asking Congress to lower the tariff in an election year, this was tantamount to political suicide. For the first time in years, a real issue the tariff- divided the two parties and would dominate the upcoming presidential election of 1888. Cleveland tossed a proposal for a lower tariff into the lap of Congress and it became a campaign issue in 1888. Election of 1888: Cleveland- renominated as Democrat candidate. Benjamin Harrison- Rep. Indiana. Harrison, grandson of a former President, William Henry Harrison. Good war record. Obscure, no political
record that could hurt anyone. The tariff was the primary issue in the election. It was a close election, but Harrison won. 233 to 168 electoral votes. Benjamin Harrison - President 1889-1892. Harrison's presidency was dominated by Congress. Harrison was a figurehead for his Secretary of State-- James Blaine. 1890:The Billion Dollar Congress-- plenty of legislation. Rep. controlled presidency and both Houses of Congress for the first two years of Harrison s term. Speaker of the House, Thomas Reed, "CZAR" pushed through a number of expensive legislation. He was responsible for passing the Pension Act, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and the McKinley tariff. 1. Pension Act, 1890- All veterans of the Civil War who served 90 days or longer and were disabled in any way were eligible for a pension- regardless of how a disability occurred. All Civil war veterans who were unable to perform manual labor were eligible. Pension rolls
practically doubled by 1893. It was passed to help relieve surplus money in government left over from old Grover. 3. McKinley Tariff -1890 Raised rates on the protective tariffs. Big raise on industrial goods. Prices went up. 29.5% tariff. Slight raise of tariff on farm goods. Just paying lip service to farmers. Farmers even more unhappy. Tariff very unpopular. 4. Sherman Silver Purchase Act- 1890 Silver barons had been unhappy over limits on the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. Farmers still wanted free coinage of silver & inflation. Their idea was to inflate currency, have higher prices for their products, and easier debt payments. Act passed by compromise. It required the govt. to purchase silver, and to pay for it in gold. This said the gov. agrees to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver a month. Also passed to help eliminate the surplus of gov. money. - This was done only if the cheap money supporters would allow the gov. to keep a high protective tariff. It was agreed. The Drumbeat of Discontent
Meanwhile, farmers' problems mounted to the crisis level and eventually forced farmers to seek political power by means of a third political party. New farm lands, overproduction, worldwide competition, high machinery prices, and falling farm prices brought a devastating agricultural depression in the closing decades of the century. Farmers also blamed their plight on the railroads for gouging farmers on shipping rates. High rr rates because of stock manipulation of Jay Gould- the public began to protest these higher rates. Farmers organizations and how the Populist Party started: A group called The GRANGE, formed in 1867 by OLIVER KELLEY. This organization was originally formed to provide a social setting for the spread out farmers to get together and socialize. It gradually became a political organization as the farmers situation deteriorated. Eventually it was made up of midwestern farmers tired of paying the high rates. These farmers were represented by the GREENBACK LABOR PARTY, in 1878 this party elected 14 members to congress. Farmers were gradually gaining political power. Then, farmers in parts of the South began banding
together into Farmers Alliance organizations. By 1890, there were at least 4 million members in the farmers alliance organizations. There was also a network of Colored Farmers Alliances working with whites towards the same goals. The poor farmers had a common interest. The farmers continued to strive to break the oppression of the railroads and the manufactures, and in the 1890s, out of these farmers alliances came the POPULIST PARTY- a serious third party. Farmers and their allies formed the People's party and launched the Populist movement. It was the largest third party movement in American history! They demanded inflation through free and unlimited coinage of silver at the rate of 16 oz. Of silver to one ounce of gold. They also called for a graduated income tax, the direct election of U.S. senators, a one-term limit for the presidency, a shorter work day and more. The Populist Party embraced things like govt. ownership of the railroads, telegraph and telephone.