Lesson 2: Calls for Good Government

Lesson Focus

In response to widespread corruption, reformers pushed for change. This lesson explores the slow but steady movement toward good government, focusing on civil service reform and heated debates over economic policy like tariffs.

People to Know

Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland

Learning Objectives

• Identify key government reforms of the 1870s and 1880s, such as the Pendleton Act, which addressed the spoils system.
• Describe the heated debate over tariffs, understanding the arguments between free-traders and protectionists and its impact on presidential elections.

Widespread government corruption and the practice of patronage prompted President Hayes to act after his 1877 inauguration.
He appointed reformers, forbade forcing campaign funds from workers, and rejected congressional riders on bills.
While these actions angered Republican Stalwarts who opposed reform, they began to curb corruption and restore the power of the presidency. Note that this set the stage for a larger conflict over government jobs.

The fight over the spoils system turned tragic when a disappointed office seeker assassinated President Garfield in 1881.
This event created a massive public outcry against political patronage.
In response, Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883, which established a Civil Service Commission to award federal jobs based on merit through exams. Pay special attention to how this law began the formal shift away from the spoils system.

In the 1884 election, Republican reformers called Mugwumps refused to support their own candidate, who was accused of corruption.
They instead backed Democrat Grover Cleveland, known for his integrity.
Cleveland won a narrow victory, becoming the first Democratic president since 1856. He worked to restore the presidency's prestige by vetoing fraudulent pensions and appointing qualified people, though he still had to reward some “deserving Democrats” with jobs.

Grover Cleveland next tackled the high tariff, which had created a large treasury surplus.
This sparked a national debate between two groups. Free-traders, mostly farmers and consumers, argued the tariff was an unfair tax, while protectionists, mainly manufacturers, claimed it protected American industries and wages.
Cleveland argued the surplus encouraged wasteful spending and tried to lower the tariff, but Congress blocked his efforts, making it a key election issue.

After defeating Cleveland in 1888, President Harrison and the Republicans took control.
They quickly spent the treasury surplus on veterans' pensions and other projects, earning the name “Billion-Dollar Congress.”
They then passed the McKinley Tariff of 1890, the highest in U.S. history. This tariff was passed with support from silver states, who in return got the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, but it ultimately raised prices for consumers.

The high prices caused by the McKinley Tariff of 1890 angered voters, especially farmers and workers.
This popular discontent led to a major political shift. In the 1890 congressional elections, Democrats won in a landslide.
Two years later, in 1892, voters rejected Harrison and re-elected Grover Cleveland. This victory gave Democrats control of the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time since before the Civil War.