The Taft Presidency

Ms. Jerome

Progressive Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt

• Believed a president should take an active role as an arbiter between the demands of laborers and profit-driven businesses

Taft

• When Roosevelt’s second term ended, he endorsed his confidant William Howard Taft as his successor.

A divide in the Republican Party

• Four issues eventually divided the Republican party:– The Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)– The Ballinger-Pinchot controversy (1910)– Taft’s antitrust suit against U.S. Steel (1911)

Taft

• The Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)—Supported a high protective tariff which benefits big business

• Fired TR’s longtime friend and chief forester Gifford Pinchot• 1907—U.S. Steel illegally purchased the bankrupt Tennessee Coal

and Iron company– Roosevelt had personally approved this trust– Believed it was necessary to prevent a financial collapse on Wall Street – Taft attacked the U.S. Steel corporation – Indirect attack on Roosevelt

The Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)

• What is a tariff?• Would big-business support a tariff? Why

or why not?• Lamely supported a high protective tariff

(40% tax on imports)• Conservative decision

The Ballinger-Pinchot controversy (1910)

• Taft named Richard Ballinger as Secretary of the Interior

• Ballinger was convinced that TR used too much power to put land into reserves

• Ballinger began the process of opening some tracts of land to commercial users.

• He butted heads with the Chief Forester and long term friend of TR, Gifford Pinchot

• Taft fired Pinchot—enraged TR

Firing of Pinchot

• Left impression that Taft was not interested in conservation

• HOWEVER… Pinchot’s successor as chief forester expanded conservation project

• Firing Pinchot…damage was done.

Taft’s antitrust suit against U.S. Steel

• 1907—U.S. Steel illegally purchased the bankrupt Tennessee Coal and Iron company

• Roosevelt had personally approved this trust

• Believed it was necessary to prevent a financial collapse on Wall Street

• Taft attacked the U.S. Steel corporation • Indirect attack on Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt

• Thought Taft couldn’t distinguish a good trust form a bad trust.