Reforming Government: Progressive Politicians and Election Reform

1. Chapter 10.1Progressive Politicians Reforming Government

3. Political Machines • Well-organized political parties that dominated local & state governments in the late 1800s & early 1900s – Ex: Tammany Hall in NYC • Both Democratic and Republican • Often catered to interest groups and big business • Ex: Lumber and Railroad Industries

4. Political Machines & Special Interest Groups • In return for favors like tax breaks, the machines received generous campaign contributions

5. The Millionaire’s Club • A term used to describe the US Senate in the 1890s • Widespread corruption • Many accepted bribes from lumber, railroad, and oil interests • Then put $ supporters’ interests above the interests of the people

6. The Progressive Goal Reformers believed the only way to fix America – listen to the people • Must do away with political machines 4 Steps to Election Reform • Direct Primary Election • Seventeenth Amendment • Ballot Reform • Initiative and Recall

7. “Any change in the direction of providing a constitutional leadership in the legislature, responsible to the state as a whole, will be worthy of serious consideration. The plan of giving the governor himself this leadership is probably best, because thereby the serious disadvantages of separating the law-making function from the law-enforcing function will be seriously overcome…It is fair to inquire whether the blending of these two departments would not be in the direction of strengthening representative government, making it more responsive to the popular will and at the same time more efficient…Popular government promises to be increasingly more complicated and difficult and to call for a higher order of training on their par of the public’s representatives. It is a fair question whether the accomp-lishment of these important results would not be promoted by blending the Executive and Legislative Departments.” How does this plan conflict with Separation of Powers?

8. Election Reform • Direct Primary - A nominating election in which voters choose the candidates who later run in a general election • 17th Amendment - Changed the method of electing US senators from being elected by state legislators to being elected by the people

9. Election Reform (Continued) • Ballot Reform - Ballot went from public to secret so that intimidation could not be placed on voters • Initiative – 5 -15% of state pop. sign petition before legislation is placed on ballot • Recall – allows voters to remove an elected official from office by special election

10. Referendum • Goes with initiative • If voters obtain specific # of signatures on petition • Legislation would be placed on the ballot to be voted upon

11. What does the vise in the cartoon symbolize? • How do the labels on the human figures help clarify the meaning of the cartoon? • What message is the cartoonist trying to communicate with this cartoon? • Why is the cartoon entitled “The Police Version of it”?

12. PROGRESSIVE POLITICIANS • CHAPTER 10 • Please READ pp.298-302 • ANSWER p.298 #1-3 AND p.302 #2