Gilded Age

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Gilded Age

• Political Corruption

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• The Gilded Age 1865-1900
• Rampant political corruption
• Even so, voters were very active at the poll.
  About 80 of the registered voters turned out.
• Partisanship was rampant, Republican party
  dominated the White House from 1869-1913.
• Federal government did little for the people,
  states were expected to take up the slack.
• Big business monopolies started to take an
  active roll in government.

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Grants Administration

• The 1st of the corrupt administrations during the
  Gilded Age.
• Ran off the Spoils Old Boy Systems.
• Buying selling votes, etc.
• Factions within each party began to develop to
  combat the increase in corruption within the
  government.

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Hayess Administration

• Rutherford B. Hayes tried to bring some morality
  back to the White House
• During his administration, the Republican party
  split into 2 groups, the Stalwarts the
  Half-Breeds.
• The Stalwarts were led by Sen. Roscoe Conkling of
  New York. They were for the spoils system,
  reward appointees, supported Grant, Radical
  Reconstruction, etc.
• The Half-Breeds were led by Sen. James G. Blaine
  of Maine. They promoted Civil Service reform.

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• Both groups were mainly to advance Conkling
  Blaines political careers.
• These men hated each other and their bickering
  hurt the Rep. party greatly. Causing it to lose
  votes, politicians, etc.
• Pres. Hayes distanced himself from these 2 groups
  as much as possible.
• He started focusing on the corruption within the
  government the publics dislike of it.
• Started looking at Civil Service Reforms.

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Civil Service

• Series of exams to place the most qualified
  person in a government job. Not place someone
  because you owe them. The Merit System or
  weighted applications were used.
• Originated in China, used in Europe and just now
  making its way to the US.
• Many US politicians were following in England,
  Germany Frances footsteps. The American
  public was tired of the corruption, poor
  management lack of services provided by the
  Federal government

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• Hayes got the ball rolling for civil service
  reform, although he was unable to get any
  legislation during his time in office.
• He did start a merit system only be removed for
  the good of the government, not the party
  parties would have no influence on appointments
  political contributions would not be assessed for
  political appointment those in office could not
  manage campaigns for political organizations.

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New York Customs House Scandal

• Pres. Hayes had to deal with one of the biggest
  scandals during this time of unrest.
• Chester A. Arthur Alonzo Cornell were fired by
  Pres. Hayes for not performing their duties,
  pay-offs, kick-backs, and using their positions
  for the benefit of Roscoe Conkling the
  Stalwarts.
• Hayess handling of the scandal, the use of US
  troops to break up a RR strike, his own little
  scandal concerning how he was elected, kept him
  out of the running for a 2nd term.

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Garfields Administration

• The Dark-Horse candidate beat out Grant for the
  Rep. nomination in 1880. Chester A. Arthur was
  selected as his VP candidate, for the Stalwarts.
• July 2, 1881, Pres. Garfield was shot at the
  Washington, D.C. RR station by Charles Guiteau.
  Guiteau felt he alone was responsible for
  Garfield being elected Pres., he wanted a
  political appointment.

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• As he fired on the Pres. was carried away, he
  yelled I Am A Stalwart!! Connecting himself
  with Conkling the Stalwarts, starting their
  decline in the rep. party.
• Pres. Garfield was not seriously wounded, but his
  Dr. could not find the bullet. He suffered fro
  over 2 months before dying from infection
  complications brought on by the bullet.
• Alexander Graham Bell was brought in to invent
  something to help the Dr. locate the bullet,
  also, this is the 1st use of Refrigeration in
  the White House. The air conditioning was set up
  to keep the Pres. comfortable.
• What did Bell invent?

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Arthurs Administration

• Arthur was made Pres. was still associated with
  the NY Customs House Scandal.
• The Stalwarts thought they had an insider in the
  White House.
• Arthur stayed away from the Stalwarts Conkling.
  Turned out to be a pretty good Pres.
• Allied himself with the Reformers.
• Started going after kick-back schemes, i.e., Star
  Route Frauds the postal service.

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• The Pendleton Civil Service Act-1883
• Set up a 3 member Civil Service Commission, an
  independent committee, free from any department
  or committee pressure. Answered only to the
  Pres.
• Government jobs would now be filled by the best
  qualified applicant, instead of favoritism.
• This effectively ended the Spoils Old Boy
  system.

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Cleveland vs. Blaine

• Arthur upset too many of the Rep. Stalwarts to
  be selected for a 2nd term. James G. Blaine, the
  leader of the Half-Breeds, was picked for the
  Rep. party.
• Split the party again with the Goo-Goos or good
  government, the Mugwumps or those having
  their mug on one side of the fence their wumps
  on the other.
• Supposedly against pay-offs spoils, he was
  associated with the Mulligan Letters claiming
  he was in the pockets of the RR barons sold his
  votes for their interests. He denounced the
  claims.

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• Blaine was caught eating at the very expensive
  Delmonico restaurant in NYC, with several
  millionaire big wigs called Belshazzars
  Feast.
• The final nail in his political coffin were the
  comments made about the Irish the Catholics,
  who had generally backed him.

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Clevelands Administration

• Grover Cleveland was selected by the Dem. won
  the Pres. election. He had a history of
  anti-corruption policies, when he was a mayor
  Governor.
• He was scandalized by the newspapers for having
  an affair with a widow fathering an
  illegitimate child in 1874. He was a college
  student at the time, but never denied he was the
  father took care of the child.

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• He set up the Interstate Commerce Commission
  (ICC) in 1887, which was established to
  investigate RR prosecute violators, to ensure
  that all rates were reasonable just. Very weak
  to start with , but laid the foundation for
  subsequent laws to add teeth to this and many
  other regulatory commissions laws.
• The Murchison Letter, a Rep. sent a letter to
  the British Prime Minister using the name Charles
  Murchison, asking him how he should vote in the
  Pres. election.
• This caused Cleveland to lose the election.

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Harrisons Administration

• He carried on with civil service reform, but
  caused his own scandal by appointing a wealthy
  Philadelphia businessman to Post-Master General.
  Supposedly as a reward for campaign
  contributions.
• He appointed Theodore Roosevelt to the Civil
  Service Commission. This would come back to
  haunt him later. Roosevelt would be like a
  bulldog and go after anything he seen as corrupt.
• Republicans ruled the White House both Houses
• Sherman Anti-trust Act 1890-the 1st law to
  restrict monopolies trusts.

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• Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890- required the
  Treasury to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver
  per month issue notes redeemable in gold or
  silver.
• McKinley Tariff 1890- raised duties on
  manufactured goods 50
• During his time in office, Idaho, Wyoming, North
  South Dakota, Montana Washington were
  admitted to the Union

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Farm Movements

• The Patrons of Husbandry late 1860s - a
  gentlemans club. Did not address the issues of
  most farmers.
• The Grange 1870 Oliver Kelley, left the
  Patrons of Husbandry and started this group.
  Very popular in the mid-west. Started as a
  social educational movement for the isolated
  farmers. Wanted to perpetuate farm ideals
  morals. Good Wholesome living
• Stressed the need for education, i.e., vo-tech,
  AM schools etc.

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• Pushed for Co-operatives
• Opened the doors for other groups like the Ag.
  Wheel, Farmers Unions Farmers Alliance,
  Farmers Ed. Co-operative Union, The Brothers
  of Freedom, etc.
• The Farmers Union next to the Grange, it was
  the largest longest lived of the groups.
• Had a lot in common with the Southern Alliance
• Formed in Texas, spread eastward.
• Membership qualifications were a white person or
  Indian of industrious habits, of sound mind the
  belief in God

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• Black Farmers could join the Negro Farmers
  Laborers Ed. Cooperative Union of America.
• The Farmers Alliance largest membership of any
  Dirt Farmer group, appealed to small, white
  farmers. Opposed industrial encroachment into
  rural areas. Very anti-immigrant, did not want
  the US to become the cesspool of Europe..
• Very conservative, each region had an Alliance
  many states had Alliances. Had local, state,
  regional national representation in government

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• All the Ag. Groups pushed for education in the
  rural areas, representation in government
  better policies for the American farmer.