By the midterm elections of 1910, however, the
Republican Party was in shambles, with the progressives on
one side and the “old guard” on the other. Voters voiced
concern over the rising cost of living, which they blamed
on the Payne-Aldrich Tariff. They also believed Taft to be
against conservation. When the Republicans lost the elec-
tion, the Democrats gained control of the House of
Representatives for the first time in 18 years.
THE BULL MOOSE PARTY
After leaving office, Roosevelt
headed to Africa to shoot big game. He returned in 1910
to a hero’s welcome, and responded with a rousing
speech proposing a “New Nationalism,” under which the
federal government would exert its power for “the welfare
of the people.”
By 1912, Roosevelt had decided to run for a third
term as president. The primary elections showed that
Republicans wanted Roosevelt, but Taft had the advantage
of being the incumbent—that is, the holder of the office.
At the Republican convention in June 1912, Taft support-
ers maneuvered to replace Roosevelt delegates with Taft
delegates in a number of delegations. Republican progres-
sives refused to vote and formed a new third party, the
Progressive Party. They nominated Roosevelt for president.
The Progressive Party became known as the Bull Moose
Party, after Roosevelt’s boast that he was “as strong as a bull
moose.” The party’s platform called for the direct election
of senators and the adoption in all states of the initiative,
referendum, and recall. It also advocated woman suffrage,
workmen’s compensation, an eight-hour workday, a mini-
mum wage for women, a federal law against child labor,
and a federal trade commission to regulate business.
The split in the Republican ranks handed the
Democrats their first real chance at the White House since
the election of Grover Cleveland in 1892. In the 1912 pres-
idential election, they put forward as their candidate a
reform governor of New Jersey named Woodrow Wilson.
Democrats Win in 1912
Under Governor Woodrow Wilson’s leadership, the previously conservative New
Jersey legislature had passed a host of reform measures. Now, as the Democratic
presidential nominee, Wilson endorsed a progressive platform called the New
Freedom. It demanded even stronger antitrust legislation, banking reform, and
reduced tariffs.
The split between Taft and Roosevelt, former Republican allies, turned nasty
during the fall campaign. Taft labeled Roosevelt a “dangerous egotist,” while
Roosevelt branded Taft a “fathead” with the brain of a “guinea pig.” Wilson dis-
tanced himself, quietly gloating, “Don’t interfere when your enemy is destroying
himself.”
The election offered voters several choices: Wilson’s New Freedom, Taft’s con-
servatism, Roosevelt’s progressivism, or the Socialist Party policies of Eugene V.
Debs. Both Roosevelt and Wilson supported a stronger government role in eco-
nomic affairs but differed over strategies. Roosevelt supported government action
to supervise big business but did not oppose all business monopolies, while Debs
536 C
HAPTER 17
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
1857–1930
William Howard Taft never wanted
to be president. After serving one
term, Taft left the White House,
which he called “the lonesomest
place in the world,” and taught
constitutional law at Yale for eight
years.
In 1921, President Harding
named Taft chief justice of the
Supreme Court. The man whose
family had nicknamed him “Big
Lub” called this appointment the
highest honor he had ever
received. As chief justice, Taft
wrote that “in my present life I
don’t remember that I ever was
President.”
However, Americans remember
Taft for, among many other things,
initiating in 1910 the popular pres-
idential custom of throwing out
the first ball of the major league
baseball season.
Vocabulary
“old guard”:
conservative
members of a
group
B. Answer
Roosevelt’s
campaign plat-
form was much
more progres-
sive. He advo-
cated for
change using
the govern-
ment’s power.
B
MAIN IDEA
MAIN IDEA
B
Contrasting
What were
the differences
between Taft’s
and Roosevelt’s
campaign
platforms?
