Progressive Politicians 10.3

Reform Under Taft

William Taft• Roosevelt’s Secretary of War

• Very uncomfortable in public

• TR – does not run for re-election – helps Taft win Republican nomination

• Beats William Jennings Bryan in election of 1908

• Many thought he was progressive like Roosevelt – True and False

Progressive Accomplishments of Taft:

• Mann-Elkins Act (1910)– regulated power of telephone and telegraph companies

• National Forests – added almost as much as TR

• Dept. of Labor created• - Enforced labor laws such as an eight

hour work day for companies holding government contracts

• 16th Amendment – creates income tax

Taft Angers Progressives• Payne-Aldrich Tariff Background:

Progressives & Taft – Both supported low tariffs on consumer goods to keep prices down

• Tariff – tax on imports

• House sent low-tariff bill to senate

• RI senator Nelson Aldrich flips bill

– Becomes high tariff bill

• Bill passes – Taft does not veto

Ballinger-Pinchot Affair• Background: Richard Ballinger

•Taft’s Secretary of the Interior

–Believed Roosevelt had exceeded his authority when refusing to sell public land

• Sold Alaskan land to developers

• Angered Pinchot – head of US Forrest service and friend of Roosevelt – criticizes

• Taft fires him – creates rift in Rep. Party

The Cannon Debate• Joseph Cannon – Powerful Speaker of the

House, head of the rules committee, and a conservative Republican

• Disliked by Progressive Republicans• Progressives tried to unseat him• Taft would not support them • = last straw – progressives split from Taft

The Republican PartyDivides

3 Steps to Division of

the Party

1. Congressional Elections (1910)

• Roosevelt actively campaigned for every Republican who opposed Taft

• Despite the help of Roosevelt the Republicans lost control of the House

Republican Split(1912)• 2. – Republican Primary – 1912

• TR decided to run for president again – wins almost every state primary

• 3. – Republican Convention 1912

• Taft and allies control party machine

• Republicans refuse to let TR supports into convention

• Taft wins Republican Presidential Nomination

The Progressive Party• TR’s supporters walk out of the

convention and create the Progressive Party also known as the Bull Moose Party

• “I’m as strong as a bull moose.” - Roosevelt

Election of 1912• William Taft – Republican

• Teddy Roosevelt – Progressive/Bull Moose

• Woodrow Wilson – Democrats

• Eugene Debs - Socialist

Wilson Wins Election• Woodrow Wilson

– Former governor of NJ and big on business regulation

– Supported by Democratic progressives– Wins 6 million votes

• Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, almost assuring Wilson victory

• Taft – 3 million votes TR – 4 million• Debs – 900,000 votes