Taft and Progressivism

Becoming President

• Was Roosevelt’s Secretary of War– Picked to run against William Jennings Bryan

• Easily beat Bryan who was running for the 3rd consecutive time

Early Stumbles

• Wanted to consolidate previous reforms• Not very popular in the beginning• Had trouble with members of his own party• Tariffs and conservation become main focus

Tariffs and Conservation

• Payne Bill (H.O.R.)– Lowered rates on imported manufactured goods

• Aldrich Bill (Senate)– Made fewer cuts and increased many rates

• Payne-Aldrich Tariff– A compromise that only moderated the high rates of the Aldrich

Bill– Believed that Taft was straying from Progressivism– Taft calls it the “best tariff bill the Republicans had ever passed”

• Taft appoints Richard A. Ballinger as secretary of the interior– Removed 1 mil. Acre of forest and mining lands from the reserved

list and returned it to the public domain

Split of the Republicans

• Two types of Republicans– Progressives who wanted change and those who didn’t

• Joseph Cannon (Uncle Joe) -> Speaker of House– Chairman of House Rules Committee (decides which bills

Congress will consider)– Often ignored progressive bills

• With help from Dem. Progressive Rep. called for the entire House to elect the Committee on Rules and excluded the Speaker from membership in the committee

Bull-Moose Party• Roosevelt leaves office, goes to Africa to hunt, comes back to

people wanting him back in office– Decides to run for 3rd term– Taft has advantage because he is incumbent

• His supporters relocate to areas where Roosevelt had supporters

• Progressive Republicans refuse to vote and create 3rd party (Bull Moose Party)– Wanted direct election of senators and the adoption in all states of the

initiative, referendum, and recall– Agreed with women’s suffrage , workmen’s compensation, 8 hr.

workday, min. wage for women, no child labor, federal commission to regulate business

• Democrats get great chance to regain White House– Nominate Woodrow Wilson as their candidate

1912 Election

• Wilson runs on “New Freedom” idea– Demanded stronger antitrust legislation, banking

reform, and reduced tariffs• Roosevelt and Taft fighting each other– “Don’t’ interfere when your enemy is destroying

himself”• Race between Roosevelt’s progressivism, Taft’s

conservatism, and Wilson’s “New Freedom”• Wilson wins election and Roosevelt defeats Taft as

3rd party candidate