Hail, Columbia! (The Election of 1900)

Fig. 1 August Vincent Spies, President of the Commonwealth of North America from 1893 to 1901. Spies' Administration witnessed the collapse of the Third Party System and the rise of radical politics in the form of the Democratic and Socialist parties.

The Election of 1896 was rightly received by learned observers of American politics as the pallbearer of the Third Party System. As the Nineteenth Century drew to a close, opposition parties were in disarray. The Liberal Party, which since the days of the Papineau Administration had been one of the two dominant parties on the national stage, had completely collapsed; the Whigs, whose origins lay in the presidency of Martin Van Buren, were in disarray. Opposition leaders, having failed to unite behind a coherent platform, gave way to more radical elements, resulting in the overwhelming reelection of Democratic President August Spies and the rise of the American Socialist movement.

The rise of the Socialists was as troubling to Spies as it was to the opposition, for central to the Democrats' political fortunes was the farmer-labor coalition built during the Election of 1892. The rise of the American Section of the Workers' International threatened to disrupt this coalition by drawing organized labor away from the Administration. To prevent this, Spies has emphasized his support for organized labor, signing the so-called "Powderly Act" (establishing a legal right to unionize) and the (moderately protectionist) Tariff of 1898, as well as intervening on behalf of striking railway workers that same year.

Meanwhile, in New England, the ideas of political philosopher George Prescott play their part in completing the electoral realignment begun in 1892. In his Concord Manifesto, Prescott sets forth a "moral, practical, and constitutional" defense of what he terms a "sound money policy" alongside a furious rebuke of the inflationary tactics of the Democrats. Much of what he proposes draws upon the economic ideas of Whig thinkers from the days of Juan Alvarez, eloquently wedded to traditional Continental policies such as the central bank. Less significant for the originality of his proposals than for his ability to reconcile Whig and Liberal economic philosophies, Prescott has done what opposition leaders in Congress could not: given the anti-Spies forces a banner to rally behind.

Finally, the rise of the women's suffrage movement threatens to further upend the political order, as candidates are forced to reckon with the growing popular support for giving women the vote. Once a fringe position laughed off by even the most radical of social reformers, women's suffrage is fast becoming a mainstream (thought still minority) position, and several provinces in the Great Plains and Middle West have voted to include women in the elective franchise over the last decade. Now, leading suffragettes are demanding an Amendment to the Commonwealth Charter protecting their right to vote.

As the old century gives way to the new, there is a sense in all quarters that great changes are on the horizon.

Former Ambassador Henry Brooks Adams of Massachusetts [Concordite]
A convention of opposition leaders from across the continent assembled in Philadelphia in the first week of May to nominate Henry Brooks Adams, the former Ambassador to France from Massachusetts. Adams comes from a long line of distinguished public servants: his father (Charles Francis Adams) was twice a candidate for the presidency, as was his grandfather (John Quincy Adams), while his great grandfather (John Adams) was a leading figure in the battle for American independence. A close friend of George Prescott, Adams was one of the first to read the Concord Manifesto before its publication; his platform is essentially built upon that work, consisting of calls for free trade, fidelity to the gold standard, a strong central bank, the repeal of the Silver Act, and opposition to the inflationary policies of the Spies Administration. Outside the realm of financial policy, Adams is known to have supported the 1895 effort to give women the right to vote in Massachusetts, though it is unclear if he would support a similar proposal at the federal level. As a distinguished former diplomat, Adams can be expected to retain strong ties to the Old World, especially France, which could be a boon or a burden depending on circumstances on the continent.

Governor Ramón Corral of Nuevo Leon [Commonwealth]
Catholics and former Liberals in the Spanish provinces have rallied behind the candidacy of Ramon Corral. His Commonwealth Party is primarily intended to give political agency to the religious revival sweeping through Mexico and her neighboring provinces: he has largely remained apart from the national debate between "hard" and "soft" money.

Philosopher John Fiske of Connecticut [American]
While most former Liberals have united behind the candidacy of Henry Adams, a splinter faction styling itself the "American Party" has instead nominated Connecticut's John Fiske. Fiske differs from Adams on two major counts: his unabashed protectionism and his overt anti-Catholocism. His party has little to no support outside of New England, though a strong showing could prove a threat to the long-term viability of the Concordite alliance.

Labor Organizer Charles Edward MacDonald of Niagara [ASWI]
American socialists are hoping to build off the success of Peter J. McGuire, who four years previously won more than a third of the vote against August Spies in the final round of the 1896 election. To this end, the American Section of the Workers' International has nominated labor organizer Charles E. MacDonald as their second-ever candidate for the presidency. While the party's 1896 platform was a hodgepodge of Georgism and American Marxism, MacDonald has attempted to unite his party's various factions behind a concrete program: a six hour workday, national health and unemployment insurance, the nationalization of the oil, steel, and railway industries, and an amendment to the Commonwealth Charter granting women the right to vote.

Senator Terence Vincent Powderly of Pennsylvania [Democratic]
With the refusal of President Spies to stand for a third term, the Democrats have chosen Pennsylvania Senator Terence Powderly as their candidate for president in 1900. One of the key figures in the Democratic Congressional caucus, Powderly enjoys widespread support among union workers for his role in organizing the Knights of Labor in the 1880s; he is nevertheless firmly anti-socialist and has spoken strongly against the nationalization schemes set forward by MacDonald and the ASWI. Powderly is campaigning on the usual Democratic program: he supports the continued free coinage of silver, a steady protective tariff, a national network of public granaries to allow farmers to store their excess yields, and local supremacy in education. In keeping with his party's position on the issue, he supports provincial efforts towards full voting rights for women. His position on federal action on women's suffrage is more cryptic: he has stated that he would not "stand in the way" of an amendment to the Commonwealth Charter, but has not indicated that he would initiate such an amendment either.

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