Progressivism

Roots of,TR’s Square Deal,

Environment, Corps, Consumers,Taft….Wilson & Triple Wall of

Priveledge

Roots of Progressivism

• 1900- 76 mill Americans– 1/7: 4n born– By WWI, 13 mill more immigrants enter US

• Progressivism= 2nd big reform movement– 1st: 1840s– Anti: monopoly, corruption, inefficiency, social

injustice– Battle cry: strengthen the STATE• Use Gov as agency of human welfare

Origins

• Greenback labor party 1870s• Populists 1890s– Increasing unrest; industrialists concentrate more

power in fewer hands– Laissez-Faire policy of 19th century no longer

works

Targets

• Trusts: symbols of corruption + wrongdoing• Predatory wealth + conspicuous consumption– Thorsten Veblen, “The Theory of the Leisure

Class”, 1899– Jacob Riis,- Danish immigrant, NY Sun reporter• “How the Other Half Lives” account of dirt, disease,

vice, misery, rat infested slums NYC– Deeply influenced future NYC Police Commissioner T.

Roosevelt

Development of P

• Immigrants brought ideas: Germany’s state socialism

• Women’s movement grows– Jane Addams & others• Clean up city govs• Protect children in factories• Keep children out of mines, mills• Make food & drugs safe

Muckrakers• 1902 American Publishers seek to expose evil– Aggressive 10 cent & 15 cent mags: McClure’s

Cosmopolitan, Collier’s Everybody’s• Circulation wars• Compete for stories of muck + depravity

– 1906 TR, annoyed by mud slinging magazine dirt diggers• Compared them to Pilgrims Progress character so busy

raking manure he couldn’t see celestial crown dangling over his head

– Most scandalous exposes pub’d as books: best sellers• Lincoln Steffens: McClure, 1902: “The Shame of the Cities”

– Uncovered corrupt alliance- big business & city govs• Ida Tarbell: devastating expose on Standard Oil

– Fearing lawsuits, mags verify facts (Tarbell: $3k)

Muckrakers 2

• Other targets:– Life insurance cos– Beef trust– Money trust– RR barons– Corrupt speculators

Muckrakers 3

• Thomas W Lawson: bcm rich in stock speculation– Wrote “Frenzied Finance” to expose corruption by

making enemies among rich associates• Died a poor man• Pub’d in Everybody’s

• David G Phillips, “Treason of the Senate” (1906) claimed 75 of 90 senators don’t rep people; just RRs & Trusts– Shot by crazed young man who’s family he’d maligned

Muckrakers 4• Social Evils attacked:– White slave traffic in women– Rickety slums– Industrial accidents– Subjugation of 9 mill Black Amers:

• Ray Stannard Baker’s “Following the Color Line” 1908– Child labor abuses

• John Spargo’s “Bitter Cry of the Children” (1906)– Patent medicines- largely alcohol

• Vendors sold many w/ dangerous addicting narcotics while paying $$$ for lavish advertisements

• Collier’s, Dr. Harvey Wiley, “Poison Squad” – chief chemist dept of agri-– Performed experiments on himself

Muckrakers 5

• Long on laments; short on remedies– Sought to cleanse, not overthrow capitalism– Cure: more Democracy

Political Progressivism

• Majority mood not a minority movement– Reformers: mostly middle class– Squeezed from above and below– Giant Corps, aggressive labor unions, immigrants• Goals: use state power to curb trusts

– & stop threat of Socialism; improve conditions of life + labor– Take power back from interests (party bosses)– Thru direct primary elections

Political Prog 2

– Initiatives: so voters cd propose legislation– Referendum: to put laws on ballot for final

approval by people• Can’t be railroaded thru on Big business lobbyist $$

– Recall: lets boters remove faithless elected officials, esp if bribed by Party bosses or lobbyists

Other political goals

• Rooting out graft– Pushed for & got laws limiting amt spent on

campaigns– Restricts gifts from corps (who expect favors)– Secret Australian ballots – to counteract boss rule– Direct election of senators

• From being chosen by state legislatures• Tie-ins btwn congress & corps; made it a ‘millionaire’s club’

by 1900• Trusts dominated state legislatures & put their own boys

into Fed Senate

Women

• Suffrage would elevate political tone– Opponents fear women’s votes wd shut down

saloons• Many states gave women the vote, esp in West

States & Cities

• Galveston, TX pioneered 1901 appointed expert staffed commission to run city – Hurricane, tidal wave had destroyed city; old city gov

not repairing much– City manager system

• Adopted by other cities• Removes politics from city management but removes

democracy too– Progs also attack slum lords, juvenile delinquency,

prostitution, corrupt sales of franchises for public utilities & street cars

State Level• WI bcms notable for reform

– Gov Robt “Fighting Bob” La Follette• Tiny tough crusader• Most militant of Republicans

– Elected 1901 after desperate fight w/ monopoly– Took lots of control from lumber, RR interests & returned it to People– Worked w/ Madison U faculty to figure a better way to regulate public utilities

• OR moves toward progressivism• CA under stocky Hiram Johnson

– Elected 1910- broke grip of S Pacific RR on CA politics• Set up own machine

• NY Charles Evans Hughes Gov, investigates malpractice by gas, insurance cos & coal trusts

Juveniles & labor• Laws written to protect from working in harmful

trades,• Protect injured workers from having to file

lawsuits to prove employer negligence• Set max hours, min wages– Sweatshops bcm national scandal 1911

• Triangle Shirtwaist Co fire, NY– 146 women workers, most girls, incinerated– NY legislature passed laws to reg hours, conditions of fire traps

– Prison, reform schools gain public acceptance as places for reform not punishment to get cleaned up

Setbacks

• 1905 NY law est’d 10 hr work day for bakers– Supreme Ct struck it down– 1917 Ct upheld 10 hour workday for factory

workers

Prohibition

• Alcohol connected w/ prostitution, drunken violence, booze interests, city bosses (corruption) cemetery vote– WCTU, Frances Willard

• Wd fall to knees in saloons; pray loudly for souls of patrons• Allied w/ anti saloon league- aggressive, well financed• Caught up in cold water crusade, some states, counties pass ‘dry

laws’ to restrict, control or abolish alcohol– Big cities usually stayed wet– Large immigrant vote; accustomed to old world beer, wine

– By 1914 (WWI) ½ US: dry• ¾ US outlawed saloons• 18th amendment will outlaw sale, mfctr, transp of alcohol in 1919

TR’s Square Deal for Labor

• Reformer– Personal policy: sportsmanlike conduct– Demanded square deal for capital, labor and

public• Control of corporations, consumer protection &

conservation of natural resources• 1902: crippling coal strike

– Anthracite mines, PA– 140,000 workers; many immigrants, accident plagued,

exploited» Demanded 20% pay hike, reduction from 10 hr day to 9

Coal Strike– Mine owners won’t negotiate– Believed workers aren’t cared for by labor agitators; but

by Christian Men to whom God has given Propertied Interests• Mines shut down• Nation’s coal supply dwindled• Factories, shops, schools, hospitals shut down in winter

• TR summoned reps of both to WH– Tried to reason– Threatened to seize mines & operate w/ fed troops– First time troops might be used against capital, not labor!

• Arbitration starts• Compromise: 10% pay increase, 9 hr day• Union NOT recognized as bargaining agent

Labor 2

• TR urged creation of Dept of Commerce & Labor– 1903– 1913 split in two– Pt of dept of C & L: Bureau of corporations• To investigate businesses involved in interstate

commerce• Helped clear out monopolies & trusts

Trust buster

• Interstate commerce commission 1887: inadequate– Commission decisions cd be appealed to courts

• Takes up to 10 yrs

• Elkins Act 1903 outlawed rebates by RRs– Threat of heavy fine to both RR & shippers who get them

• Hepburn Act 1906 free passes restricted– ICC expanded: covers sleeping car companies, express co.s

& pipelines– Given real authority to nullify existing rates & stipulate

max rates

Trusts

• Considered Big & Efficient– TR believes there are good trusts & bad trusts– Doesn’t harm good ones• 1903 attacked Northern Securities Co (RR holding co)

– Org’d by JP Morgan & James J Hill (Empire builder)» Virtual monopoly of all RRs in NW

• 1904 Sp Ct upheld TRs anti trust law suit & ordered N Sec Co dissolved– Angered Big business; estab’d TR rep as trust buster

• 40 other anti trust suits started

Trusts 2

– Sugar, Fertilizers, Harvesters, others– Key: bigness does not equal badness• Don’t smash all, just go after bad ones• Belief in regulation not fragmentation of the rest• Taft actually busts more trusts than TR

Trusts 3

• 1907 TR gave blessing to US steel absorbing TN coal & Iron (JP Morgan)

• Taft launched anti trust against US steel 1911 & TR blew up

Square Deal for Consumers• 1906 response to threat of tainted meat– 4n market refused to buy US meat because so much was

bad– Upton Sinclair, “The Jungle” points out conditions in

packing industry & canning: horrible worker conditions, scares public w/ portrayal of unsanitary facilities (unintentional)• Even TR went vegan for a time• Appoints commission to investigate Chicago Meat packing

industry• Report out did Jungle

– Piles of poisoned rats, rope ends, splinters, other debris all scooped up and canned w/ meat

– Meat Inspection Act 1906P preparation of meat shipped over state lines subject to inspection from corral to can

– Pure Food & Drug Act, 1906: prevents mislabeling of food & drugs– Big firms accept it; to shut down small time competition

Earth Control

• 1st attempt at conservation:– Desert Land Act: 1877 gov sold cheap land on condition it

wd be irrigated w/n 3 yrs– Forest Reserve Act: 1891 Public forests cd be set aside as

national parks and reserves• 14 million acres reserved from Lumber Cos in 1890s

– Carey Act 1894 gave fed land to states if irrigated, settled– Newlands Act 1902 DC cd collect $ from sale of public

lands in West & use $ to develop irrigation projects• Settlers repaid cost of reclamation from now productive land & $$

revolving fund to finance more of this• Huge dams built across West

Conservation

• To preserve forests– ¼ original forests remain– TR set aside 125 million acres in NW– Also set aside coal deposits and water resources

• To set example banned Xmas Tree from WH 1902• Conservation= TRs most enduring tangible achievement

– Key to plan: Multiple Use Resource management• Combines recreation, sustained yield logging, water shed

protection, summer stock grazing all on same protected land• Worked well w big bus; just regulated them

Roosevelt Panic 1907• Elected1904 vastly pop except w/ conservative Rep bosses

– Announced after election: wd NOT be candidate for second term

– Loss of power• Panic 1907: hit wall st. w/ runs on banks, suicides, criminal

indictments of speculators– TR blamed for unsettling industry– TR blamed trusts & wall st for engineering the Panic to get the

gov to relax its assault on Trusts– Panic caused currency shortage

• Solution: Vreeland Aldrich Act: lets authorized national banks use emergency currency, backed by various kinds of collateral.– Leads to Federal Reserve Act 1913

TR rides off into sunset

• Left office, bound by promise not to run– Chicago Convention 1908: TR used his control of

party machinery to push thru Wm H Taft’s nomination on 1st ballot (Sec War)• Trusted him to carry out his policies• Denver: Dems nominate 2x beaten Wm J Bryan• Both try to be Progressive• Taft read cut & dry speeches• Bryan complained TR stole ‘his’ policies• Eugene V Debs got socialist vote: almost ½ mill

TR sum up• TR off on African Safari (age 50)• Enemies toast to health of lions & hoped the lions

would do their duty• Overall: TRs rep as radical undeserved

– Made more noise than laws– Really gospel of Wealth friend– Trimmed back rosebush of capitalism so it could grow

healthier blooms– Very anti socialist– Very middle of the road– Made presidency more powerful, prestigious– Used public opinion to his advantage– Shaped progressive reform movement

Taft

• Rep as lawyer, judge, trusted administrator to TR Philippines, home & Cuba– Lacked strength of personality to hold together his

own party– Passive about congress– Poor judge of public opinion– Often said the unpopular thing (too candid)– More a status quo supporter; very mild

progressive

Dollar Diplomacy

• Used 4n pol to protect Wall St investments abroad

• Used Wall St to uphold foreign pol– First one: played up by critics– Second: wildly misunderstood

• Gov encouraged Wall St investments in far east & areas that could threaten Panama Canal– To prevent Germany or others taking financial

advantage of weak economies w/ loans

DD 2• Focus: China’s Manchuria; where Japan & Russia

fought to control RRs– If one got monopoly; cd strangle China’s econ & close our

open door– Plan to have multi national corps build RR & turn over to

Chinese blew up• Taft looked bad

• Honduras & Haiti in need of $$ – Gov encouraged US investors– Disorders in Cuba, Honduras, Domin. Rep, brt Marines– Nicaragua; too close to canal.. US stomped out Revolution

1912

Taft & Trusts

• 90 suits brought to court in 4 yrs• 1911 Sup Ct ordered Standard Oil split up– Combination in restraint of trade under Sherm.

Anti trust Act– Ct’s rule of reason only combinations that

unreasonably restrained trade were illegal

• Filed suit on US Steel; infuriated TR

Taft splits party

• Called for tariff reduction – Sen Aldrich tacked on hundreds of upward

revisions– Taft agonized but signed it “Payne Aldrich Bill”• Betrayed campaign promise, angered progressive wing• Called it the Best Bill the Rep Party ever passed

Taft on Conservation

• Set up bureau of mines to control coal lands in West• Protect from private development• Sec of interior: Ballinger opened public lands in WY,

MT and AK to corporate development– Criticized by Gifford Pinchot, chief of Agri div. of forestry– Taft dismissed Pinchot for insubordination– Huge storm of protest by conservationists & TR friends

• Angered TR• Taft now viewed as conservative; progressives are angry

TR is back

• 1910 went on Stump gave speeches about ‘new nationalism’– Urged gov to increase power to remedy econ & social

abuses– Division cost Repubs congressional seats; lost house; kept

senate• 1911: National Progressive Republican league formed– Leading candidate: La Follette, WI

• TR throws hat into ring• Ran an anti-Taft campaign (He sold out)• Taft gets nomination of Reps & Progressives walk out to form own

party

Wilson 1

• From mild conservative to militant progressive– Background: professor on Gov President of

Princeton U– New Jersey Bosses front him for Gov– Turns into progressive crusader and turns NJ into

one of most liberal states– Appeals over heads of scheming bosses directly to

the people– Nominated by Dems 1912 in Baltimore

1912

• Repubs divided: 3rd party Progressives become Bull Moose Party

• Taft on TR: dangerous egotist & demagogue• TR on Taft: fat head w/ brain of guinea pig• TR: New Nationalism– Continued consolidation of Trusts & Labor Unions– Growth of regulatory agencies– Women’s suffrage & broad program of social welfare

• Min wage laws, social insurance

New Freedom

• Wilson’s plan– Small enterprise & entrepreneurship– Free functioning of unregulated and un-

monopolized markets– NO social welfare– Competition is key• Not regulation but fragmentation of big trusts• Vigorous enforcement of anti trust laws

1912 (2)

• TR shot by nut & finished speech anyway but out of campaign for two weeks after

• Finished second in 3 way race

Pres. Wilson

• Minority pres w/ 41% of vote• Happy Taft: taught law 8 yrs at Yale• 1921 bcm Sup Ct chief justice

• Southern, Jeffersonial Democrat– Son of Presby. Minister– Intellectual & righteous w/ burning idealism to

reform ever present wickedness

Triple Wall of Privilege

• 1. Tariffs:– Personal appeal to congress– 1913 House passed Underwood Tariff, big

reduction in rates & Wilson appealed to people to hold senators in line… worked!

– 16th amendment graduated income tax on incomes over $3k yr (upper middle class and up)

#2 Banks

• Personal appeal to congress for reform laws– Endorsed a decentralized bank in gov hands &

appeals to people too– Gets Federal Reserve Act: passed 1913• New Fed Reserve Board: appointed by pres. Oversees

12 regional reserve districts; each w/ central bank– Can issue paper money, made money in circulation flexible– Big success; financed US thru WWI

#3 Trusts

• Personal appeal to Congress: Federal Trade Commission Act, 1914– Commission appointed by president w/ power to

investigate all interstate commerce & crush monopolies

– Clayton Anti Trust Act, 1914: added to Sherm. A.T.A.• List of bad business practices, incl price discrimination,

interlocking directories (same ppl direct competing firms)• Exempts labor unions from monopoly status

Trusts 2• Federal Farm Loan Act 1916 gave low int loans to farmers• Warehouse Act 1916 authorized loans on security of staple crops• La Follette’s Seaman’s Bill 1915: req’d decent treatment & livable

wage on merchant ships• Workman’s Compensation Act 1916: assist to fed employees while

disabled• Laws passed restricting child labor

– Sp Ct slapped down• Adamson Act 1916 gave 8 hr day to RR workers (interstate) & extra

pay for over time• Nom’d Louis Brandeis , reformer, lawyer, 1st Jew to Sp Ct 1916• No better treatment for Blacks

4n Pol• Stopped dollar diplomacy no more special support to

American investors in Latin America• Repealed Panama Canal tolls Act of 1912

– Which had exempted American ships from toll

• Signed Jones Act 1916: wd grant Philippines territorial status + indep when ‘stable gov’ estab’d

• Haiti Revolt: populace tore brutal president to pieces– Sent Marines to protect Amer lives + property– 1916 treaty US supervision of finances & police– Dominican Rep rioted

• 1917 purchased VI from DR

4n Pol 2

• Mexico:– US investments in oil, RRs, mines– 50,000 Amers live there• MXs very poor & resentful

– Revolution 1910• 1913 popular pres murdered & Gen Huerta ‘installed’• Mass exodus of MXs north• Jingoes demand intervention• Wilson refused to intervene but refused to recognize

Huerta

4n Pol 3

• Said he’d teach S. Amer. Republics to elect good men– 1914 allowed Amer. Arms sales to rivals: Carranza

& Pancho Villa– Tampico Apr. 1914 small party US sailors arrested• Released, apology but refused demand for 21 gun

salute• Meanwhile German ship bearing arms for Huerta heads

for Vera Cruz• Wilson authorized seizure of port 1st & intercepted ship

4n Pol 4• ABC powers mediated (Argentine, Brazil, Chile)– Huerta regime collapsed from pressure July 1914– Replaced by Carranza (also resented Wilson’s meddling)

• Pancho Villa= chief rival– US gives reluctant recognition & arms– Jan 1916 Villa’s group killed 18 Amers at Santa Ysabel MX– Mar 1916, Villa shot up Columbus NM; killed 17 Amers– Gen J. J. Pershing (Black Jack) (Vet Cuba, Philippines)

• Sent after Villa MX• Clashed w/ Carranza’s troops but didn’t capture Villa• Army w/d Jan 1917

Meanwhile, in Europe

• Serb patriot killed heir to throne of Austria– Austro-Hungary (backed by G) –stern ultimatum• Serbs refused to meet all terms

– Appealed to ally, R

• R mobilized on G’s E. border• R’s ally F mobilized on G’s SW border

– G struck back at F (no 2 front war!) thru neutral B• To k.o. F quickly; deal w/ R at leisure• B’s coastline threatened by assault on B.. Moves in

– Also allied w/ F

Europe 2

• Germany, Austro-H, Turkey, Bulgaria: Central Powers• Fr, Br, R, Japan, Italy: Allies– American: neutral

• Wilson: be neutral in thought/ deed• England censured news of war/ fav to allies

– German Atrocity stories (Bel)

• 11 mil Amers had blood ties to central powers• Most Amers: anti G• Briefcase left on N subway – docs w/ plans 4 indust sabotage

– Public upset!– Majority still hope to stay out of war

Blood $$

• Recession 1914- soon lifts; B & F war orders Boom– Partly financed by Wall St– JP Morgan loans allies 2.3 Bill – G protests huge trade… neutral??• G free to trade w/ US but Br navy blockades, mines N.

Sea (gateway)• Br also force US ships n2 Br ports

– US G trade stops

G reaction to blockade• Sub warfare– Old rules of int’l law don’t apply– G warns US: can’t promise it won’t neutrals; mistakes

happen– We continue trading

• Warn G: ‘strictly accountable’ for any loss ships/ citizens

– U Boats sank 90+ in 1915 in war zone– Lusitania- off Ireland, May 7-

• Loss: 1198 (128 Amer)• East coast less interested in neutrality

– Wilson issues strong notes; Bryan resigned– TR anti-Wilson; anti-neutrality

Sub warfare

• Aug 1915: Arabic (Br) sunk; 2 Amers dead– G agrees -no more lines sunk w/o warning– Mar 1916 Sussex sunk• Ultimatum: stop sinking ships w/o warning or we break

dip relats• Sussex pledge: we’ll stop if you get B to lift blockade• Wilson accepts pledge; ignores string

1916-17• Wilson re-elected, ‘he kept us out of war’– TR refused to run as Prog & split Rep party– Reps draft Hughes (Sp Ct J)– Rep platform:

• Condemns Underwood Tariff, assaults on trusts, wishy-washy dealings w/ MX, G

• Hughes not a war hawk• TR speeches: anti- Wilson (privately saw little diff btwn two)• Wilson never attacked Hughes

– One should not murder a man who is committing suicide

– Hughes swept E; Wilson rest; narrow victory