Elections and Politics in the Gilded Age

 

Generally:

      High voter turnouts and tight presidential and

            congressional elections

      Politicians were uninspiring, and tiptoed around major  issues

      Two parties disagreed on very few national issues, but

            were very competitive in attempting to win

            elections

      Parties widely distributed patronage for votes

      Talented men tended to work in business and industry, NOT

            government

 

      Republicans tended to:

            be moralistic (from Puritan heritage)

            support government role in regulating moral and

                  economic affairs (tariff)

            be supported by Mid-west and small town northeast, freedmen

                    in South and GAR (war veterans)

      Democrats tended to:

            appeal to immigrant groups and a variety of faiths

            dislike efforts by government to impose single

                  moral standard on nation

            be strongly supported in the South and northern

                  industrial cities

           

1872: Grant (Republican) vs. Horace Greeley (Democrats

            and Liberal Republicans)

 

      Liberals were disgusted by "Grantism" and its scandals

            and wanted to end military reconstruction

 

      neither candidate had depth of political experience

 

      regular Republicans mildly reformed elements of their

            party after 1872 in response to the potential split

 

1876: Republicans split in convention:

            Conklingites (Stalwarts) in favor of patronage

                  system

            Half-Breeds: (James G. Blaine) nominally in favor

                  of civil service reform

             their competition deadlocked the party

           

      Republicans finally went with compromise candidate:

            Rutherford B. Hayes who was relatively unknown

            and from Ohio

 

      Democrats selected Samuel J. Tilden (the man who

            bagged Tweed)

 

      Election ended with Compromise of 1877: Hayes as

            president in exchange for an end to military

            Reconstruction

 

1880: Republicans still deadlocked between Stalwarts and

            Half-Breeds selected dark horse James Garfield:

                  war hero, self-made man, from Ohio

 

      V.P. went to Chester Arthur, a Stalwart from NY

 

      platform: protective tariff and mild civil service reform

 

      Democrats went with Winfield Hancock, a Civil War General

 

      platform: low tariff and civil service reform

 

 

 

1884: James G. Blaine (Half Breed) was nominated

 

      reformers bolted the party and went to the Democrats

            (Mugwumps)

 

      Democrats ran Grover Cleveland (also a reformer)

 

      campaign of personalities not issues, with the Mugwumps, Cleveland

            won

 

1888: Cleveland (Democrats)

     

      Benjamin Harrison (Republicans)

 

      tariff was the prime issue of the election

 

      Harrison (with mucho dinero from big business) edged

            out Cleveland