Forgettable Presidents and a Do-Nothing Congress
Presidential Complacency
Party Patronage
- Presidents of this period followed the same "do-little" strategies
- They avoided picking sides during campaigns and had little to no agenda
- Because of this, these Presidents were rather forgettable
- Without any real platform or agenda, politicians generally sought office for power
- They won elections and gave jobs to their loyal supporters (patronage)
- Political office became less about law making and more about job opportunities
- This was especially true in cities like New York and Chicago
Stalwarts, Halfbreeds, and Mugwumps
- Senator, Roscoe Conkling (NY), used his position to give away high paying jobs at the NY Customs House
- Conkling's supporters were known as "Stalwarts" (reliable, loyal, hardworking people)
- Senator James G. Blaine (ME), on the other hand, pushed to end patronage
- His supporters were dubbed "Halfbreeds"
- Those who didn't pick a side in the argument were shunned and called "Mugwumps"
- "Fence Sitters" whose "Mugs" were on one side and "Wumps" were on the other
New Voting Lines
Campaign Strategies
- Because politicians avoided the issues, voters couldn't vote based on the candidates platform
- Instead, parties aligned themselves with religions, ethnic groups, and regions
- Catholics voted Democrat, Protestants voted Republican, etc.
- Republicans carried elections on the state level while Democrats dominated the cities
- From 1876-1892, American politics were changing
- Democrats were regaining power and took majority control of the House of Representatives
- BUT, because of vast social problems, politicians avoided taking sides
- Elections became pretty evenly split between Democrats and Republicans
- Both sides launched "issue-free" campaigns with bands, flags, buttons, speeches, free food, and free beer
- This strategy brought out nearly 80% of voters (much higher than other eras)
Limited Government
- The Gilded Age was an era of political and economic conservatism
- Americans believed the government should stay out of their business
- Social Darwinism and Laissez-Faire economics were popular ideas
- Because of this, Congress adopted a "do-little" approach
- The Supreme Court also used a more narrow interpretation of the Constitution to limit government power
Political Stalemate
Republicans
Rutherford B. Hayes
- The Gilded Age was an era of political stagnation...Why?
- 1) Political beliefs of limited government (i.e laissez-faire)
- 2) Neutral campaign strategies
- 3) Party patronage
- The "Party of Lincoln" or the "Grand Old Party" (GOP) continued to "waive the bloody shirt"
- Republicans played on their abolitionist past and the Civil War to gain Northern and African American support
- Because of their progressive image, Reformers and Activists were drawn to the GOP
- Republicans aligned themselves with Protestants and supported the mostly Protestant Temperance Movement
- The GOP also drew support from upper-middle class businessmen
- The Republican Party would continue the pro-business strategies of Hamilton and the Whigs
- After "winning" the Presidency via "Compromise", Hayes' most significant act was ending Reconstruction
- He then, ironically, attempted to end corrupt politics and create an "honest government"
- He tried to regain the trust of the people after the disastrous Grant administration
- Hayes was a supporter of the Temperance movement
- His wife, "Lemonade Lucy" famously banned alcohol from the White House
- Hayes also vetoed anti-Chinese immigration legislation but was unsuccessful in stopping it
The Election of 1880
- As part of his anti-patronage crusade, Hayes vowed to only serve one term
- In 1880, Republicans nominated "Halfbreed", James A. Garfield, and "Stalwart" Chester A. Arthur as VP
- Garfield was from Ohio (a major swing state at the time) and Republicans hoped that would carry them
- Democrats nominated former Union General, Winfield S. Hancock
- The Republican strategy worked and the Garfield-Arthur ticket won a narrow victory
James Garfield
Chester Arthur
- After Garfield took office, 100,000 Republicans besieged the White House, looking for federal jobs
- Garfield chose to give those jobs mostly to his fellow "Halfbreed" Republicans
- This sparked a feud between Garfield and Senator Conkling and his Stalwarts
- In 1881, Garfield was shot by a Stalwart who he passed up for a job
- After an 11-week fight, Garfield died from his wounds
- In 1881, VP Chester Arthur took office
- Arthur immediately distanced himself from the Stalwarts and his Stalwart past
- He pushed for anti-patronage legislation and pushed a Populist agenda
- His Pendleton Civil Service Act aimed to award civil service jobs based on qualification instead of who you know
- Arthur took on the high protective tariff (this angered many Republicans)
- He also approved funding for a new, modernized, US Navy
- Because of his political moves, the Republican Party chose not to renominate him in 1884
Democrats
- Southern Democrats carried former Confederate States through their Southern "Redeemer" strategy
- BUT...In the North, Democratic power came from big city political machines
- They aligned themselves with inner city immigrants, promising favors for votes
- They drew support from the Catholic, Lutheran, and Jewish communities
- They opposed Temperance and Prohibition
- The Democratic Party would continue the Jeffersonian ideas of limited government
Congress
- Gilded Age Congressmen had long, unproductive careers
- John Sherman (William T Sherman's brother) served in Congress from 1855-1898
- BUT, did NOTHING aside from allow his name to be used on a few bills (i.e The Sherman Anti-trust Act)
- Thomas "Czar" Reed (ME) bullied his way into the Speaker of the House position in 1890
- He quickly became an autocrat (someone with absolute power and no concern for the opinions of others)
- He would use his position to bully Congress around until 1899
- Famous "Halfbreed" James Blaine eventually fell to political corruption
- After fighting patronage for years, Blaine was brought down by a Railroad scandal and corruption charges