#CriminalizeSobriety
Dallasfan65
Junior Chimp
Posts: 5,859
Political Matrix
E: 5.48, S: -9.65
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« on: April 28, 2014, 06:29:08 PM » |
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The election of 1888 and the collapse of the Union Party would be one of the most interesting ones in American history. President Grover Cleveland had already had his work cut out with him in trying to maintain his party's continued dominance of the White House. However, what would make matters worse is the ascendancy of General George Custer, and the nomination of the surprisingly popular Zebulon Vance. There were some who still expected Union hegemony to continue, but the final blow would be dealt on September 28th, 1888, when silver saw a massive devaluation due to Blaine-Carlisle. Known as the "Gilded Recession," it saw a strong deflation of the dollar and caused a deep economic panic.
Despite this, Grover Cleveland was able to maintain a rump of die-hard Unionists. Many expected that General George Custer would win in a walk, but in a stunning turn of events, a strong surge of support for Governor Zebulon Vance. Some would attribute this to the ticket's ardent support of a silver currency, in hopes of alleviating the current economic panic and inflating the dollar. The nation had been cleaved in three - with support for Cleveland in the North, Vance in the South, and George Custer in the new frontier.
The election went to Congress, as no candidate had an electoral majority. Though Joseph Smith was elected handily in the Senate, the House voted strictly along partisan lines, resulting in an impasse. Grover Cleveland, whose party was badly damaged by the concurring House elections, was eliminated. Zebulon Vance prevailed in the final round - some chalk this up to Unionists finding him more amenable, while others think it was a ploy to bring about divided government.
Knowing how tenuous his victory was, Zebulon Vance did not have an ambitious Presidency, looking toward the downfalls of Lincoln and Cleveland as being due to hubris. One initiative that the Whigs passed was the admission of the Dakota territory as the next state. In addition, the Gilded Recession Congress passed a swift repeal of Blaine-Carlisle, restoring currency to the previous bi-metallic standard. However, this led to a silver shortage, since the railroad trusts (in their limited capacity) had bought up a good deal of cheap silver in response to the news. All things considered, the repeal ameliorated the economic down-turn, but America was still considered to be in a slump. Lastly, in a controversial move, Vance worked with Unionists to sign a repeal of the current homesteading laws, and drafted a new one directed at the new state of Dakota, claiming that "America has spread itself and its settlers too thin."
President Zebulon Vance is going against the political wisdom and is trying for a second term. His motto at the convention is "Silver, stability, and sweet recovery." However, he is met with stiff opposition. Challenging him at the convention is James Weaver, who was rebuffed in 1884 in favor of the People's Alliance ticket. Weaver has lambasted Vance for a lack of bold action, moderation on the currency issue, and the anemic recovery. Weaver is campaigning to nationalize the railroads outright, confiscate their silver stores, and decrease the silver-to-gold ratio in the reserves. Vance is also being challenged by the young Representative Roger Mills. Mills is a Gold Whig, something of a novelty in his party, and also supports free-trade and the abolition of most tariffs.
The Union nomination seems like a dubious prize. Henry Adams, the former Vice President, is being put forth as a potential candidate. Henry Adams has become disillusioned with politics, but supports tariff reduction, a bimetallic standard (at the current ratio) and "trust busting." Senator Eugene Hale is also being put forth as a candidate - he is a strict critic of Dakota Statehood and opposed his party's compromise on the homesteading issue - Hale instead supports abolition of homesteading outright. In addition, Hale also supports increased spending on a peacetime navy. There is also the eccentric Calvin Brice - one of the few Unionists on the Ohio slate whom was not eradicated. Brice, a wealthy man who owns several railroad lines, vehemently opposes further regulation. He also supports a reduction in tariffs, and wants to explore a "Trade Pact" with China. Lastly, there is Michigan Governor Hazen Pingree - elected despite the People's Alliance carrying the state. Pingree champions what he calls a "Unionism for the 20th Century" - he supports strong regulation of railroad and agricultural trusts, the gold standard, and a federal ban on child labor. In addition, Pingree supports a 1% federal land tax.
Emboldened by their merger with the Radicals, politicians have come out of the wood-works to seek the People's Alliance nomination. Foremost is Joseph Smith, who ran on the failed Custer/Smith ticket in 1888. Joseph Smith continues to support education reform, has moved to support a position of popular sovereignty on the polygamy issue, and speaks vaguely of "conservationism." All though he has had a good relationship with President Vance, he is critical of the current state of affairs.
He is not without competition, however. Willam Allen, a young Senator from Nebraska, is challenging him, citing concerns that Smith is too closely associated with the Vance administration to bring about real change. Allen supports a national eight-hour work day, railroad nationalization, and a transition to fiat currency outright. There is also Henry George, a young New York City Alderman. Henry George is seen as a peculiar activist, but also supports fiat currency, in addition to an abolition of tariffs outright, a national land tax, and conservationism in states such as Babel and Dakota. Lastly, there is a movement to cede the People's Alliance nomination to President Vance, out of fear that a split could lead to a Union victoy. "Grover, Grover, let's not do this over!" is their cry.
Three days.
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