V. Competitive Post-Civil War Cycle (1881-1897)

V. Competitive Post-Civil War Cycle:

[4 Terms]

Major Parties: Democrats, Republicans
Major 3rd Parties: Populist
Presidents: (R) James Garfield, Chester Arthur, (D) Grover Cleveland, (R) Benjamin Harrison, (D) Grover Cleveland
Vice Presidents: (R) Chester Arthur, (D) Thomas Hendricks, (R) Levi Morton, (D) Adlai Stevenson

Dominant Issue: Civil Reform (who would be likely to enforce it) and Tariffs
Events: Garfield Assassination, Statue of Liberty, Industrial Black

Friday and Economic Depression, Cleveland Sex Scandal, Light Bulb and Record Player Invented, Chinese Exclusion Act, Pullman Rail Road Strike, "Army of the Commonwealth of Christ" march on Capitol demanding jobs, Roscoe Conkling Shenanigans, Pork Barrel Rivers & Harbors Act, Brink of War with Chile, Sherman Silver Purchase Act, U.S. military dispatched to squabbles in Panama, Samoa and Brazil

--Democrat Party Factions: Conservative Democrats were those

Cleveland

opposed to Civil Service Reform and Reform Democrats were those in support. Also Bourbon Democrats in the South were those wealthy Plantation owners who sought to preserve Southern Culture and Jim Crow believing that "the South will rise again". The term also began to be applied to Northern Democrats who backed the Gold Standard and Banking Interests of the East.

--Republican Party Factions: Stalwart Republicans were those who

Garfield

opposed Civil Service Reform and Halfbreeds were those who supported it. In the South there were three groups emerging from Reconstruction - Freeman (Blacks), Carpetbaggers (Northerners who moved South who saw business opportunities for rebuilding) and Skalawags (Southerners who had supported the Union).

3rd Parties: Populist Party which was the merger of the Grange (an organization of the West that represented small merchants and

ranchers against the Robber Barons) and the Greenback Party (which advocated for bringing back Civil War Era Greenbacks to get more money in circulation). The Party advocated for a second currency backed by Silver (bimetallism), minimum wage, anti-monopoly laws, 40 hour work week, child labor laws, workplace safety standards, workers comp---basically government regulation unlike government ownership that would be advocated by the Socialists although some Populist leaders would later join the Socialists.

In the election the Populists got 9% and won the states of North Dakota, Kansas, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada.

^As a Side-note of this Cycle the Greenbacks had 3 small Presidential campaigns this cycle but had seats in the House and local government--mostly in the Midwest.

Anti-Blaine Mugwump Cartoon

^The Mugwumps were a movement of wealthy Republicans back East who endorsed and raised money for Democrat Cleveland all 3 of his Presidential bids on the belief he would more likely enforce Civil Service Reform and they viewed Blaine as symbolic of the corruption of the Gilded Age.

^The Silver Republicans broke away from the Party over the desire for bimetallism. The Republican leadership favored the Gold Standard and opposed bimetallism. The Silver Republicans advocated for a second currency backed by silver. They also thought it would spur more silver mining jobs out West where they had seats in the House, Senate and local government. They never ran their own candidate for President but endorsed the Republicans Blaine and Harrison, then the Populist endorsed  Democrat Bryan, then the Republican McKinley with Teddy Roosevelt on the ticket. When he became the incumbent through succession they shut down and most switched Republican as supporters of Roosevelt's brand of Populism but a few switched Democrat who preferred Bryan's Brand to the left of Roosevelt.

^The Readjusters in Virginia were a group of Blacks, Republicans

Readjuster Ad Bashing Bourbon Elites

and poor white Democrats who opposed the wealthy elite Democrats policy on paying the massive post war debt and Railroad debt. Many of their schools were closed and taxes raised to pay for it. They wanted to Readjust the debt downward. In their rebellion against the elites they formed a new party (Readjusters) and won control of the state government as well as a Senate seat and House seats (sort of a Virginian 1880's Tea Party Movement). They endorsed the Republican tickets for President this Cycle making Virginia razor thin for the Democrats. While in power they cut taxes, expanded schools and gave blacks equal rights including hiring blacks for government jobs, in some departments over a fourth of employees were black including women.

End of Cycle: A Depression - as bad as the Great Depression but lasted a much shorter time.

Tickets for President:
1880:
Republican Convention: Across the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois
Republican Ticket: Garfield/Arthur

Arthur

President: U.S. Congressman James Garfield (Ohio) Vice President: Head of the New York Port Authority Chester Arthur (New York)

*Garfield was assassinated and succeeded by Arthur.
Democrat Convention: Across the Midwest in Cincinnati, Ohio
Democrat Ticket: Hancock/English
President: Former Union Army General Winfield Hancock (Pennsylvania) Vice President: Former U.S. Congressman William English (Indiana)

1884:
Democrat Convention: Across the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois
Democrat Ticket: Cleveland/Hendricks

Blaine

President: Governor Grover Cleveland (New York) Vice President: Governor and former V.P. candidate Thomas Hendricks (Indiana)

*Hendricks died in office of old age.
Republican Convention:  Across the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois

Republican Ticket: Blaine/Logan
President: U.S. Secretary of State James G. Blaine (Maine) Vice President: U.S. Senator John Logan (Illinois)

1888:

Republican Convention: Across the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois

Harrison

Republican Ticket: Harrison/Morton
President: U.S. Senator [and grandson of Whig President William Henry Harrison] Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) Vice President: U.S. Congressman Levi Morton (New York) 

Democrat Convention: Down South in St. Louis, Missouri
Democrat Ticket: Cleveland/Thurman
President: President Grover Cleveland (New York) Vice President: Former U.S. Senator Allen Thurman  (Ohio)

1892:
Democrat Convention: Across the Midwest in Chicago, Illinois
Democrat Ticket: Cleveland/Stevenson
President: Former President Grover Cleveland (New York) Vice

Weaver

President: Former U.S. Postmaster General Adlai Stevenson (Illinois)
Republican Convention: Across the Midwest in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Republican Ticket: Harrison/Reid
President: President Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) Vice President: Ambassador Whitelaw Reid (New York)

Populist Convention: Across the Midwest in Omaha, Nebraska

Populist Ticket: Weaver/Field

President: Populist U.S. Congressman James B. Weaver (Iowa) Vice President: Democrat State Attorney General James Field (Virginia)

Hotly Contested Election of Cycle:

1884:

On the map above the counties for (D) Cleveland are in yellowish-brown and the ones for (R) Blaine in Blueish.

Considered by many to be the nastiest race of that century. 

First, Blaine was caught in a web of bribery scandals. He had always been accused of taking bribes from the Railroad as a Senator but nothing was ever proven. Instead of burning his letters between him and the bribers of his past--he decided to mail them to a friend to dispose of. And that friend got his 15 minutes of fame and money by selling them to the newspapers. [Instead of being to corrupt--how about to stupid].

Second, Cleveland was caught in the first big sex scandal in Presidential Politics. He had fathered a child out of wedlock and was paying a nanny to care for it secretly since he was mayor of Buffalo

The woman who married Cleveland

before he became Governor. It would eventually come to light that he had fathered the child by raping a woman and had his corrupt judge buddies in Buffalo sign off on having her locked up for life in an insane asylum where she was subjected to electric shock multiple times. When this all came our she was set free. [If Blaine is to stupid and Corrupt -- Cleveland is to Evil and Wicked to be President].

Cleveland would go on and get married to a woman other than the mother of his child while in the White House but was accused by his critics of trying to change the subject from his past and shift focus.

-A Note of Interest--

When President Garfield was a child in Ohio his mother told the

children that whoever could memorize a book she had could have it. It was about sailing the seas. He was the first to memorize it and his mother gave it to him. He always wanted to be a sailor on the seas since then but never got to be one. 

While he was lingering for months after being shot, when he knew the end was near, he asked to be transported on his death bed to a house he had purchased on the Jersey shore so he could watch the ocean out the window. 

The wagon to pull him was too rough and painful. It was decided the only way was to build a railroad to his house. Hundreds of men came our to volunteer and tracks were laid in near record time. He was gazing out at the ocean when he died.