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
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