The End of Freedom: The Ultimate Cost of the Great Depression

[Mechaman]

New Timeline coming soon.
This one is in a separate universe than my "America that Never Was" and "The Rise of the Three Party System" TLs. It begins in 1929.

More details to follow.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Great

[Mechaman]

"Out of all history's ironies, I would have never dreamed it would've been so cruel as to make America, the land that once had the birthmark of freedom and liberty so proudly written upon it's brow, to become the ultimate harbringer of human cruelty and tyranny."
-Eugene McCarthy (1916-1958), American author of Our Descent into Atlantis, executed on allegations of being part of the "Communist Conspiracy"

"It has been said that any nation will forever be set on a path of social progression barring economic failure. Whoever hath spoken those words may better be a better judge of the cruel hand of history and fate than our Founding Fathers who now seem like saints compared to those who hath been governance over this once free land. The Founding Fathers, who worshipped a truly magnamious being who decreed that all men are created equal and that their rights are inalienable by the will of the state. The Founding Fathers, who would turn their heads in disgust at this land that still calls itself America. How wise they now seem, their ancient words still give good men hope to stand up and fight for what is right. If only they could see us now, the truthtellers, the revolutionaries, the murderers............fighting for what is right in this dark age."
-George McGovern (1922-1986), American revolutionary author, executed for "attempt at subversion"

"As we struggle here now, this fight for ultimate civil liberties, as we remember all those lost in this struggle for a new glorious America our children and grandchildren will be proud of, where the realities of this one will cease to exist and only exist forevermore as nightmares of an America that will never be again, let us remember the legitimacy of all of our sacrifices here and now to this day. The millions and millions of those who have perished under the hand of these oppressors, these men of evil and dark hearts, shall not hath died for no reason unless we accomplish what we have come to do here today. You and I have a rendevous with destiny. We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness."
-Ronald Reagan (1911-1994), Leader of People for a Free America Movement, died of heart attack.

[Psychic Octopus]

Ooohh... A choice of two extremes prevails.

[aaaa2222]

This is going to be good, I can tell.

[Mechaman]

Alright.

I should have the first update up by Sunday Night. I am very busy this weekend (with the ladies ) and this requires (like all of my TLs) an assload of research.

Thank you for your patience.

[President Mitt]

Alright.

I should have the first update up by Sunday Night. I am very busy this weekend (with the ladies ) and this requires (like all of my TLs) an assload of research.

Thank you for your patience.

Get it Son!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Seems very interesting...

[Mechaman]

Prelude:

The year is 1929, America is at it's zenith after 8 years of prosperity under Republican leadership. The march towards a more socially progressive society had also never been stronger. It seemed as though the near tyranny state of Woodrow Wilson had been now nothing more than a bad dream of an age now gone. Now with President Herbert Hoover, the people had anticipated another 4 years of Republican prosperity if not the greatest four years in the history of the country's existence. Little did they know that just 10 months into the administration of President Hoover America would face the event that would forever change the future of the United States of America more drastically than any previous event, even the Civil War: The September 29th Stock Market Crash. Many have claimed that it would be in 1932 when freedom died, but hither history (as the cruelest most unfair judge of all) hath dictated that it was in fact on October 29th, 1929, the Stock Market Crash. And so it was that a decent man, Herbert Hoover, would be the unfortunate scapegoat for the descent into eternal darkness that would envelop America.

And it would be in November of 1930 that a savior, a baby boy named Fred Roy Harris, would be born in farming county of Cotton County, Oklahoma to the poorest of the poor farmers. Little would his parents know that their newborn baby boy, who they would later give up in adoption because they didn't even have the ability to keep him nourished, would become a hero as great as that of those infamous Founding Fathers who once saved a people from the evils of tyranny.

[Psychic Octopus]

Fred R. Harris? As in the Senator from Oklahoma?

[Mechaman]

Fred R. Harris? As in the Senator from Oklahoma?

In another life perhaps, in this one he is but one in many who will grow up fighting the evil tyrants who have so corrupted this nation!

[Psychic Octopus]

Fred R. Harris? As in the Senator from Oklahoma?

In another life perhaps, in this one he is but one in many who will grow up fighting the evil tyrants who have so corrupted this nation!

Hooray!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wow... Really entertaining.

Waiting for the following.

[Mechaman]

Alright first legitimate entry:
And yes as a selfish Okie I will include a lot of Okie politicians ITTL.



William H. Murray, the father of tyranny

January 12, 1931: It was the beginning of a new era in Oklahoma history: the inauguration of the ninth governor of Oklahoma William H. Murray of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He had won a mandate election, blaming the economic woes and Dust Bowl on "The Three C's-Corporations, Carpetbaggers, and Coons" as the "tools of the corrupt Grand Ole Party of Calvin Coolidge and Warren Harding". If the election had been held two years earlier he would've been called a desperate fearmonger, but in the desperate literal climate of Oklahoma at the time many would pay heed to his words, blaming Oklahoma's woes on petty businessmen, Texans, Cherokee, blacks, and other target audiences. Over the course of the year he would become a very popular junior governor, creating one of the first Depression relief programs in the nation funded out of the pockets of Oklahoma businesses, state employees, and even his own salary to combat the effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Due to the massive Oklahoma state deficit Governor Murray would call for the creation of an Oklahoma Tax Commission to more easily collect taxes from the populace. He was also known for his strong arm use of the Oklahoma State Guard to enforce the law during the Great Depression, even going as far as having the State Guard police ticket sales at University of Oklahoma football games. He was so infamous as governor for his excessive uses of force that one Charles Bailey, an editor of the Tulsa World (this is where we enter alternate reality) once referred to him as "Governor Hun". Governor Murray also went further than his predecessors in the Oklahoma Governor's office and completely segregated the Oklahoma Government, firing hundreds of blacks in order to "increase efficiency and decrease corruption".
However Governor Murray's shining moment would be heading the National Council for Depression Relief in Memphis, Tennessee. At that convention he would become the "face of the fight against the Depression" and would become very popular nationwide with those who suffered most from the Depression as "the great leader in the fight to end our Great National Nightmare" in the words of many.
In 1932, after only one year as Governor of Oklahoma, many of Murray's friends urged him to run for the presidency. William H. Murray, the ever willing opportunist, was all but too happy to oblige.


Meeting hall where the National Council for Depression Relief took place.

[Mechaman]

Next update:

THe 1932 Primary season, an unexpected turnout.

[Хahar 🤔]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=100629.0

This may be helpful.

[Mechaman]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=100629.0

This may be helpful.

I don't say this often, but thanks Xahar.

[Хahar 🤔]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=100629.0

This may be helpful.

I don't say this often, but thanks Xahar.

Clearly you ought to say it more often.

[Mechaman]

Alright,

with the information I have been given by Xahar I should have a new update up tomorrow night.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

And it would be in November of 1930 that a savior, a baby boy named Fred Roy Harris, would be born in farming county of Cotton County, Oklahoma to the poorest of the poor farmers. Little would his parents know that their newborn baby boy, who they would later give up in adoption because they didn't even have the ability to keep him nourished, would become a hero as great as that of those infamous Founding Fathers who once saved a people from the evils of tyranny.

Oh Geez, Mechman is so obsessed with Fred Roy Harris, just like Ben with Mark Warner...
...well, at least he's writing something, no abandoning old tls

[Mechaman]

1932: Election year.


New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, the heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination for president in 1932.

In early 1932 many political commentators were already predicting that the Democratic nomination for president would go to New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt due to his charm and optimism. However, in January of that year supporters of Governor William H. Murray would begin a "Draft Murray" campaign to get him onto the primary ballots (which didn't really mean much back then except maybe to generate momentum into the National Convention). Suddenly FDR found himself in a neck and neck competition with the insurgent Okie while also facing threats from Speaker of the House John Nance Garner and former New York Governor Al Smith (who was back by the Tammany Hall machine of New York). FDR was polling strong among American Democrats until an ad was released in newspapers nationwide with the headline "would you trust a cripple to repair our crippled economy?" The effects were devastating. Despite his popularity and personality FDR found his luck running out as a suddenly rejuvenated Al Smith and Governor Murray started beating him in national primaries where he had been a heavy favorite just a year before. Coming the day of the National Convention, no one had a clue how the Convention would end up.

Primary Results:

California:
Alfred E. Smith: 35.41%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 27.77%
John Nance Garner: 18.78%
William H. Murray: 18.04%

Florida:
William H. Murray: 51.02%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 47.62%
Leo Chassee: 1.36%

Illinois:
James Hamilton Lewis: 57.62%
Alfred E. Smith: 42.38%

Massachusetts:
Alfred E. Smith: 76.51%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 23.49%

Nebraska:
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 40.51%
William H. Murray: 31.08%
John Nance Garner: 28.41%

New Jersey:
Alfred E. Smith: 56.82%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 28.41%
William H. Murray: 14.77%

North Dakota:
William H. Murray: 56.21%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 43.79%

Ohio:
William H. Murray: 92.12%
Alfred E. Smith: 5.32%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 2.56%

Oregon:
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 35.51%
William H. Murray: 33.24%
Alfred E. Smith: 31.25%

Pennsylvania:
William H. Murray: 33.87%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 33.21%
Alfred E. Smith: 32.92%

Wisconsin:
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 85.67%
Alfred E. Smith: 14.33%

West Virginia:
William H. Murray: 65.43%
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32.02%
Leo Chassee: 2.55%

Map:

Red=William H. Murray
Blue=Alfred E. Smith
Franklin D. Roosevelt
James Hamilton Lewis

The primaries were a bit of a shock, especially with how well Wiilliam H. Murray did in some northern states. It seemed as if though the optimism of Roosevelt couldn't match the populist appeal of Murray or the urban power of Al Smith's political machinery.

Democratic National Convention June 27th-July 2nd, 1932:

It was a chaotic day, as representatives from all across the nation came to vote in who would be the Democratic Nominee for President. Many doubt that a decision would be reached with only two ballot counts. Those fears would be realized, as the convention went through 8 ballots with no nominee chosen. This was due to a) The Tammany Hall Machine fully backing Al Smith through all the ballots b) FDR gradually losing steam due to Murray and Smith getting more votes from former FDR supporters who would get tired through all the waiting, and c) William H. Murray getting last minute endorsements form many Southern/Midwestern politicians. Eventually it came down to a brutal fight between former New York Governor Al Smith and Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray. FDR would refuse to withdraw, claiming that his presence "would set a precedent for history" even as he got down to around ninety votes on the 8th ballot. By the ninth ballot William H. Murray, after receiving all the delegates from Speaker of the House John Nance Garner, would barely receive the necessary delegate count to receive the Presidential Nomination for the Democratic Party.


Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray, the Democratic nominee for President.

More to come!

[Antonio the Sixth]

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray, the Democratic nominee for President.

We're screwed....

[Mechaman]

Just realized I forgot this little nugget of info:

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee:

After Murray received the presidential nod Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt both would issue statements that they refused to appear on the Vice Presidential ballot. The Vice Presidential ballot would end up containing only John Nance Garner and Harry F. Byrd. In order to make peace with both conservatives and populists the convention would end up nominating John Nance Garner, current Speaker of the House, for Vice President.

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Speaker of the House John Nance Garner of Texas



Garner, despite his personal animosity for Murray, would accept the nomination of vice president for "the good of the party". Sadly he wouldn't know that the "good of the party" would end up being the "bad of the nation". The 1932 ticket would be the first ticket to have runningmates from the bordering states of Oklahoma and Texas.

General Election Campaign:

After the Democratic National Convention, many commentators declared that "the dust had already set" on the 1932 election. Barring a miracle, Herbert Hoover was destined to lose the election to the Democratic ticket of William H. Murray and John Nance Garner. Of course Hoover could kiss the South goodbye for sure since the Democrats didn't nominate a northern liberal in the meld of Roosevelt or the Irish Catholic Al Smith. It seemed that if Hoover couldn't win on the economy or Murray's economic policies he would have to appeal to people's fears that Murray was an extreme white supremacist who would turn the Southern idea of segregation into a nation wide program and repress minority representation for decades to come.


President Herbert Hoover warning the people in a campaign speech about the "long time threat to American freedom and liberty that a Murray administration would bring".

On the other side Murray would travel around the country denouncing the three C's he claims are responsible for the Great Depression: Corporations, Carpetbaggers, and Coons. The Corporations with their insatiable greed turning a blind eye to the needs of the American worker, the Carpetbaggers who carried out the goals of their corporate masters by moving to areas otherwise pure of the evils of the corporations, and the Coons, who through their mass inefficiency and support of the Carpetbaggers helped speed up the collapse of the American political system. With this message Murray seemed to gain popularity in places he otherwise wouldn't have.

However, some northern Democrats did not stand idly by while William H. Murray preached his populist message.  Chief among these was former New York governor and business progressive Alfred E. Smith, who argued that to elect Murray would be sending the US “back to the dark ages” in the pursuit of freedom and justice. Other Democrats, like FDR, would remain silent.


During the general campaign Alfred Smith would shock the American public by endorsing President Herbert Hoover (who he ran against in 1928) over Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray who he argued would be “the death of everything this nation has come to represent.”

And so in the face of a vibrant campaign, the potential for a schism between northern urban Democrats and southern rural Democrats seemed to put a sudden dent in Governor Murray's electoral hopes. Or did it?

In October 1932 the US Labor Department announced that the unemployment rate had reached 23.8%, and it was getting worse everyday. Add onto the countless times that Hoover promised a "recovery around the corner" and people stopped caring how crazy Murray was and started focusing on how incompetent Hoover was.

As a result of high voter discontent with Hoover, William H. Murray won an electoral landslide over Hoover despite a sizable resistance movement in his party's northern faction that endorsed Hoover over him.

William H. Murray (OK)/John Nance Garner (TX) (Democratic) 424 evs 58.55% pv
Herbert Hoover (IA)/Charlie Curtis (KS) (Republican) 107 evs 36.05% pv
Norman Thomas/James Maurer (Socialist) 4.82% pv
William Foster/James Ford (Communist) .58% pv

Although Murray won a very decisive electoral victory, due to a widespread "yuck" factor among the population quite a few votes went to Socialist candidate Norman Thomas. Also, African American turnout was high, even in the South, where a majority of the demographic voted for Hoover. Also, a number of disaffected northern Democrats would hold their breath and vote for Hoover over Murray, helping Hoover win back traditionally Republican Massachusetts and Rhode Island and help him win the vital swing state of New York. Although the results were almost predestined, many were surprised at how well Murray did considering the northern Democrat schism and the Tammany Hall machine backing Hoover. Murray also would win the Solid South with a vast majority (over 90%) in a number of Southern States (due to voting laws that greatly restricted black turnout).
Now with the election decided, Murray would have to consider what options he has concerning the northern Democrat faction: Could they be persuaded to come back, or is it best to leave them to the GOP? Or would they go rogue and form their own political party?
Time would tell.

Democratic President Elect William H. Murray of Oklahoma

[Хahar 🤔]

Also, African American turnout was high, even in the South.

This isn't possible, is it?