APUSH Chapter 23 By Molly Siebert The Political Machine

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APUSHChapter 23

• By Molly Siebert

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The Political Machine

• Organized group that controlled the
• activities of a political party in a city and
• offered services to voters and businesses
• in exchange for political or financial
• support.

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The Political Machine Cont.

• Closely connected to urban growth was the
  emergence of the powerful city machine
• The machines traded services with votes
• Streets
• Buildings
• Public services
• Immigrants were in need of even more services

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Organization of Political Machine

• Precinct Workers Worked to gain voters support
  on a city block or in a neighborhood and reported
  to the ward boss.
• Ward Boss Helped the poor and gained votes by
  doing favors or providing services. In return
  for votes they would provide city jobs, contracts
  or appointments.
• City Boss Controlled thousands of municipal
  jobs, including police, fire and sanitation
  departments. Controlled business licenses and
  inspections. Had a lot of influence over courts
  and other municipal agencies.

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William Marcy Tweed

• Became head of New York Citys Tammany Hall in
  1863
• Tammany Hall was the powerful Democratic
  political machine
• Between 1869 and 1873, the Tweed Ring pocketed as
  much as 200 million from the city in kickbacks
  and payoffs

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Examples of Tweeds work

• Construction of New York County Courthouse (cost
  taxpayers 11 million, but actually cost 3
  million rest was pocketed by Tweed Ring)
• Some came out of Tammany Hall Brooklyn Bridge
  and Central Park

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Fall of Tweed

• Tweed ring broken in 1871
• Tweed fell from power in 1872
• Political cartoonist, Thomas Nast ridiculed Tweed
  in the New York Times and in Harpers Weekly
• Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud and
  extortion
• In 1873 he was sentences to 12 yrs in jail
• After serving 2 yrs, he escaped
• He was later captured in Spain

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Can the Law Reach Him? by Thomas Nast
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Spoils vs. Merit in Republican Party

• Stalwarts opposed changes in the spoils system
• Reformers
• Mugwumps wanted civil service reform
• Half-Breeds wanted reform, but wanted to remain
  loyal to Republicans
• Republicans settled on independent candidate
  Garfield
• Garfield had ties to reformers
• Arthur had ties to Roscoe Conkling (Stalwart)

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Presidents and Reform

• Hayes (1876 election) started reform and caused
  some division between Stalwarts and Reformers
• Garfield (1880 election) assassinated right
  away and was replaced by Stalwart Chester Arthur
• Chester Arthur passed the Pendleton Act in 1883

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Presidential Political Reformers Cont.

• Cleveland (1884) Tried to lower tariff rates
  due to the large Treasury surplus
• Harrison (1888) He passed the McKinley Tariff
  Act of 1890 which raised Tariffs to their highest
  level ever
• Cleveland (1892) He supported bill for lowering
  McKinley Tariff, but refused to sign it b/c it
  allowed Federal Income tax. The Wilson-Gorman
  Tariff became law in 1894 w/o Cleveland signing
  bill

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The Rise of Populism

• After Civil War, country faced major deflation
• Deflation caused cost of goods and services to
  fall
• Good news for consumers, bad news for farmers
• Farmers believed solution increasing the money
  supply to force prices up. This would result in
  Cheap Money (when money is cheap, the prices of
  goods and services tend to rise)

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Rise of Populism Cont.

• Farmers tried to persuade govt to increase money
  supply by printing more greenbacks
• When govt refused, farmers demanded unlimited
  coinage of silver (in hopes of producing cheaper
  money)
• Bland-Allison Act 1878 called for govt to
  purchase 2 mill - 4 mill in silver each month
• During Hayes presidency, he purchased the bare
  minimum
• Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 replaced
  Bland-Allison act and doubled amt to be purchased
  
• Cleveland repealed the Sherman Act
• Cost of shipping grain on Railroads was extremely
  high

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The Rise of Populism Cont.

• In 1867, Oliver Kelley started the Grange
• Original purpose was to provide social outlet and
  educational forum for isolated farmers
• By 1870s, most Grange members spent time fighting
  railroads
• Grange gave rise to other organizations (such as
  Farmer alliances included teachers, preachers,
  writers who sympathized with farmers)

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The Rise of Populism Cont.

• Leaders of alliance movement moved to political
  means to make change
• Populism the movement of the people
• Populist (Peoples) Party was born in 1892

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The Populist Party

• Demanded reforms to lift the burden of debt from
  farmers and other workers and to give the people
  a greater voice in their govt.
• Financial Reform
• Increase money supply
• A graduated income tax
• Federal loan program

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The Populist Party Cont.

• Political Reform
• Election of U.S. Senators by popular vote
• Single term for President and Vice President
• Secret ballot to end vote fraud
• To represent labor as well as farming interests
• Called for an 8 hour work day
• Restrictions on immigration

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The Populist Party Cont.

• In 1892 election, Populist candidate won more
  than 1 million votes (almost 10 of total vote)
• Elected 5 Senators, 3 Governors, and about 1,500
  state legislators
• Programs eventually became platform for
  Democratic Party
• Kept alive the concept that govt is responsible
  for reforming social injustices

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Gold vs. Silver

• Gold (Gold bugs)
• Bankers and businessmen
• tight money less money in circulation
• Loans would be repaid in stable money
• Prices fall, value of money increases and fewer
  people have money

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Gold vs. Silver

• Silver (Silverites)
• Bimetallism (govt. would give gold or silver in
  exchange for paper currency)
• Cheap Money Silver was plentiful, thus more
  currency is available for circulation
• Products would be sold at higher prices
• Prices rise, value of money decreases, more
  people have money

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William Jennings Bryan