Triple Calamity: What if the Three Most Important Men in the Executive Branch Died in One Night?
- Thread starter Mr.Q
- Start date
"The Great Strike of 1890 was the biggest strike in American history. Nearly half a million workers in steel and rail work were apart of the strike, the Pullman company, Carnegie Steel and tens of other corporations totally stopped operation, nearly every train in the East and Midwest was halted and the country found itself at a standstill. To understand the beginning of the Great Strike, you must look into the history of labor relations in the United States moving into the 1890s. Strikes had actually become quite rare by 1889, the Republican Party had generally accepted the new unions popping up in the Midwest and gave them token support. (Which was far more than what the Liberals in the region were giving). Thus they mostly resorted to minor walkouts and the Federal Republicans within state legislatures would pass some new legislation.
This understanding was integral to politics in the Midwest, if unions didn't play ball with the Republicans, instead going over to the Midwestern Democratic Headquarters, they would be shunned. Republican governors happily turned a blind eye to their rapid busting. It wasn't a very popular way of life per se, but it was the way things ran for decades. That was until the Great Panic began. After the stock exchange plummeted the Republican legislatures in the Midwest panicked. States like Minnesota and Michigan tried to keep the balance with the unions going, but States like Illinois, Ohio and Indiana began to drop the balance and support the businesses in an attempt to alleviate the coming depression.
The Steel and Rail unions had been planning large strikes for sometime, but with businesses mostly being calm and the government generally standing in support, they never had the opportunity to fulfill these wishes. After decades of general peace between the corporations and the workers many in the business sector had grown a bit too close to the status quo. When the crash came and the depression began, many corporations began to lower wages and rapidly fire employees. Seeing a chance for real change the ARU (American Railway Union) and AFL (American Federation of Labor), planned to make a really big splash.
What Gompers, Debs and Howard planned was a massive strike, across company towns, big cities and small steel plants in the middle of nowhere. Planning began in April of 1890, such a large action was seemingly anticipated in the Halls of Congress and by the State Governments in the Midwest. After they caught wind they informed the AFL that any 'major agitation' would be handled appropriately. Samuel Gompers personally wrote back, sending an ultimatum asking for reforms to the economy and the banning of trusts across the United States by September 1st...
Populists and Federal Republicans intensified their efforts for reform in response. After the failure of the Silver bill and the Straight Republican's purge, Union leaders started to get angry, they felt that they were being played for fools, thus the Great Strike soon had a date set for September 2nd, in line with midterm campaigning. On the 4th of July, workers at a Carnegie Steel plant in Ohio staged a minor walkout, in hopes to get the day off. Instead of being met with a holiday, they were met with guns and batons. 16 workers were killed in the chaos. Eugene Debs, a state legislator in Indiana wrote furiously about the complacency of monopolies and the brutality of their methods. He called on the working class to never forget the 'Independence Day Slaughter' and prepare to take up arms come September.
In response to the backlash, Carnegie Steel and many rail companies began taking harsh measures against 'union men'. In the States it was allowed, they began to fire union leaders and have them blacklisted. Factories and company towns began being ran like totalitarian States. Instead of busting the unions though, this only emboldened union workers, the stories of the unjust and inhumane working practices quickly spread like wildfire. President Garfield believed the last hope for a peaceful resolution would be the passage of the Thomas Anti-Trust Act.
Famously, after its failure Garfield called his congressional colleagues 'The dumbest men in on the whole damn continent.' He was right, the Republican Party began to crack and break as the Populists and Federal Republicans resigned their posts and became independent. Men like James Weaver and Phillip LaFollete even encouraged a large scale strike, telling the poorest to show Congress what they think about the economic chaos with their voice, in the streets and in the ballot box.
Finally September 1st came and went. Everyone knew what was to come, company towns were flooded with private security, doors were locked and corporations braced for some minor labor agitation' in the coming weeks. JP Morgan when asked about the possibility of a large scale strike on August 31st said quote 'It won't be large, they are petty schoolboys, their attention span is untenable.'
Morgan was wrong, instead of minor walkouts damn near 550,000 workers went on strike, protesting in the streets of Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Springfield and Toledo. The hired security forces were no match for the massive strike and many fled or stationed themselves on the outskirts of the crowds. By the 4th September there wasn't a single train in the east that could leave the station, steel production had plummeted and needless to say profits had all but vanished for the wealthy industrialists. The nation was on a standstill. Eugene Debs was outright expelled from the Indiana State Legislature for his involvement in the strike. Straight Republicans began to throw the remaining Federal Republicans on the street. The Governors of Illinois and Michigan outright resigned on the 5th causing further bureaucratic chaos, protests quickly turned to riots and the police were soon unable to control the situation in the cities.
The flame of the Great Strike began to burn beyond the initial orderly affair on the 10th of September. The Democrats condemned the violence but gave their support to the message of taking on the inaction of the Republicans and greed of the Liberals. The Liberals screamed bloody murder, cleaning house on their own progressive wing and calling for immediate law and order in the streets. Many straight Republicans agreed with the sentiment. On the 12th, James Garfield asked Attorney General Lodge to force negotiations and prepare to hammer a deal out. The following day, Garfield federalized the national guards of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He then very specifically ordered them to simply contain the chaos and use no force.
Garfield was gambling, he was hoping that he could contain the flame and extinguish it through talks. He was desperate. The union bosses saw this as a victory. They sent Eugene Debs to Washington to begin talks, they then said that once acceptable terms were proposed, the strike would come to a close while the details were hammered out. They simply wanted every promise in writing.
Garfield was stuck in a tug of war, pragmatic heads and advisors asked him to do whatever possible in the talks to cool tensions, the Straight Republicans told him that they could just use force to bust the strike then give them token legislation, like passing a proper Anti-Trust act and giving them some rudimentary union protections. The truth is we have no idea what Garfield was thinking or planning in the lead up the the first meeting with Debs, planned for the 18th, because the meeting never happened...
On the 17th at 10 AM, the Ohio National Guard in Cleveland opened fire on the strikers. No one knows what actually happened, witness accounts conflict with one another. It is generally assumed though that the national guard started the chaos due to high tensions. Nearly 200 people died in a few minutes. All hell broke loose the riot became a battle, within hours news of Cleveland arrived in Chicago and Pittsburgh, a fire of violence burned across the Midwest. Debs called off the talks at 1 PM, fearing a set up. By 3 PM, Garfield was informed of the situation. Seeing no other option under the advice of Secretary Miles, he approved the use of Federal forces to end the chaos.
On September 21st, Federal troops arrived. By this point most of the violence had stopped, the streets were quiet and littered with makeshift barricades, the national guards and strikers stood in separate camps in a standoff. From the 22nd to the 26th the army cleared out the camps with force. The Great Strike was over. Total deaths are estimated to be anything from 2000 to 8000. Damage was in the millions adjusted for inflation and injuries could be anywhere from 10 to 50 thousand."
-from It Can't Be: How our Government Slaughtered the Poor
by James Kingsley, published 1954
The dust had settled, but the fight was not over, how could they placate the now furious lower class? The President was now outright refusing to speak to anyone except his wife and children, he blamed himself for the chaos, he no longer believed he could serve the people after thing he was responsible for thousands of deaths. Oh God... what now?
Chicago on the 18th
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/pullman_strike_1894_ap469626824839-7d9b5d815d634a97820d274542b9955b.jpg "The 10 Biggest Strikes In U.S. History")
Federal Troops arrive in Pittsburg
Cleveland on the 17th at night
This understanding was integral to politics in the Midwest, if unions didn't play ball with the Republicans, instead going over to the Midwestern Democratic Headquarters, they would be shunned. Republican governors happily turned a blind eye to their rapid busting. It wasn't a very popular way of life per se, but it was the way things ran for decades. That was until the Great Panic began. After the stock exchange plummeted the Republican legislatures in the Midwest panicked. States like Minnesota and Michigan tried to keep the balance with the unions going, but States like Illinois, Ohio and Indiana began to drop the balance and support the businesses in an attempt to alleviate the coming depression.
The Steel and Rail unions had been planning large strikes for sometime, but with businesses mostly being calm and the government generally standing in support, they never had the opportunity to fulfill these wishes. After decades of general peace between the corporations and the workers many in the business sector had grown a bit too close to the status quo. When the crash came and the depression began, many corporations began to lower wages and rapidly fire employees. Seeing a chance for real change the ARU (American Railway Union) and AFL (American Federation of Labor), planned to make a really big splash.
What Gompers, Debs and Howard planned was a massive strike, across company towns, big cities and small steel plants in the middle of nowhere. Planning began in April of 1890, such a large action was seemingly anticipated in the Halls of Congress and by the State Governments in the Midwest. After they caught wind they informed the AFL that any 'major agitation' would be handled appropriately. Samuel Gompers personally wrote back, sending an ultimatum asking for reforms to the economy and the banning of trusts across the United States by September 1st...
Populists and Federal Republicans intensified their efforts for reform in response. After the failure of the Silver bill and the Straight Republican's purge, Union leaders started to get angry, they felt that they were being played for fools, thus the Great Strike soon had a date set for September 2nd, in line with midterm campaigning. On the 4th of July, workers at a Carnegie Steel plant in Ohio staged a minor walkout, in hopes to get the day off. Instead of being met with a holiday, they were met with guns and batons. 16 workers were killed in the chaos. Eugene Debs, a state legislator in Indiana wrote furiously about the complacency of monopolies and the brutality of their methods. He called on the working class to never forget the 'Independence Day Slaughter' and prepare to take up arms come September.
In response to the backlash, Carnegie Steel and many rail companies began taking harsh measures against 'union men'. In the States it was allowed, they began to fire union leaders and have them blacklisted. Factories and company towns began being ran like totalitarian States. Instead of busting the unions though, this only emboldened union workers, the stories of the unjust and inhumane working practices quickly spread like wildfire. President Garfield believed the last hope for a peaceful resolution would be the passage of the Thomas Anti-Trust Act.
Famously, after its failure Garfield called his congressional colleagues 'The dumbest men in on the whole damn continent.' He was right, the Republican Party began to crack and break as the Populists and Federal Republicans resigned their posts and became independent. Men like James Weaver and Phillip LaFollete even encouraged a large scale strike, telling the poorest to show Congress what they think about the economic chaos with their voice, in the streets and in the ballot box.
Finally September 1st came and went. Everyone knew what was to come, company towns were flooded with private security, doors were locked and corporations braced for some minor labor agitation' in the coming weeks. JP Morgan when asked about the possibility of a large scale strike on August 31st said quote 'It won't be large, they are petty schoolboys, their attention span is untenable.'
Morgan was wrong, instead of minor walkouts damn near 550,000 workers went on strike, protesting in the streets of Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Springfield and Toledo. The hired security forces were no match for the massive strike and many fled or stationed themselves on the outskirts of the crowds. By the 4th September there wasn't a single train in the east that could leave the station, steel production had plummeted and needless to say profits had all but vanished for the wealthy industrialists. The nation was on a standstill. Eugene Debs was outright expelled from the Indiana State Legislature for his involvement in the strike. Straight Republicans began to throw the remaining Federal Republicans on the street. The Governors of Illinois and Michigan outright resigned on the 5th causing further bureaucratic chaos, protests quickly turned to riots and the police were soon unable to control the situation in the cities.
The flame of the Great Strike began to burn beyond the initial orderly affair on the 10th of September. The Democrats condemned the violence but gave their support to the message of taking on the inaction of the Republicans and greed of the Liberals. The Liberals screamed bloody murder, cleaning house on their own progressive wing and calling for immediate law and order in the streets. Many straight Republicans agreed with the sentiment. On the 12th, James Garfield asked Attorney General Lodge to force negotiations and prepare to hammer a deal out. The following day, Garfield federalized the national guards of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He then very specifically ordered them to simply contain the chaos and use no force.
Garfield was gambling, he was hoping that he could contain the flame and extinguish it through talks. He was desperate. The union bosses saw this as a victory. They sent Eugene Debs to Washington to begin talks, they then said that once acceptable terms were proposed, the strike would come to a close while the details were hammered out. They simply wanted every promise in writing.
Garfield was stuck in a tug of war, pragmatic heads and advisors asked him to do whatever possible in the talks to cool tensions, the Straight Republicans told him that they could just use force to bust the strike then give them token legislation, like passing a proper Anti-Trust act and giving them some rudimentary union protections. The truth is we have no idea what Garfield was thinking or planning in the lead up the the first meeting with Debs, planned for the 18th, because the meeting never happened...
On the 17th at 10 AM, the Ohio National Guard in Cleveland opened fire on the strikers. No one knows what actually happened, witness accounts conflict with one another. It is generally assumed though that the national guard started the chaos due to high tensions. Nearly 200 people died in a few minutes. All hell broke loose the riot became a battle, within hours news of Cleveland arrived in Chicago and Pittsburgh, a fire of violence burned across the Midwest. Debs called off the talks at 1 PM, fearing a set up. By 3 PM, Garfield was informed of the situation. Seeing no other option under the advice of Secretary Miles, he approved the use of Federal forces to end the chaos.
On September 21st, Federal troops arrived. By this point most of the violence had stopped, the streets were quiet and littered with makeshift barricades, the national guards and strikers stood in separate camps in a standoff. From the 22nd to the 26th the army cleared out the camps with force. The Great Strike was over. Total deaths are estimated to be anything from 2000 to 8000. Damage was in the millions adjusted for inflation and injuries could be anywhere from 10 to 50 thousand."
-from It Can't Be: How our Government Slaughtered the Poor
by James Kingsley, published 1954
-
The dust had settled, but the fight was not over, how could they placate the now furious lower class? The President was now outright refusing to speak to anyone except his wife and children, he blamed himself for the chaos, he no longer believed he could serve the people after thing he was responsible for thousands of deaths. Oh God... what now?
Chicago on the 18th
Federal Troops arrive in Pittsburg
Cleveland on the 17th at night
Last edited:
1890
September 1st: The deadline of the AFL ultimatum comes and goes, no meaningful economic reform or worker protections are passed at the federal level due to a deadlocked congress.
September 1st 9:00 PM: During the night many Midwestern factories and railways deploy 'mercenaries' to secure the workplace.
September 2nd 6:30 AM: Only two steel plants in Ohio have enough staff to start operation, three in PA, one in Indiana, two in Illinois and none in Michigan.
September 2nd 6:45 AM: Thousands of workers, with makeshift signs stand outside their workplace and begin to pickett, workers who were fired due to union connections in the months prior join the protests as well.
September 2nd 7:00 AM: Workers in 'company towns' like Pullman, Gary, McDonald, Aliquippa and Braddock sleep in and ignore the wake up bells.
September 2nd 8:00 AM: Estimations show nearly 100,000 workers are on the streets of most major midwestern cities, their numbers soon begin to grow as the unemployed and other members of the public begin to protest in solidarity.
September 2nd 8:11 AM: In Pullman, Illinois, the railcar workers are forcibly awoken by mercenaries and ordered to work. Many refuse and are beaten, eventually the mercenaries are overrun and sent out of Pullman by 11 AM.
September 2nd 8:30 AM: The Chicago PD establishes a perimeter around the picketing workers.
September 2nd 9 AM - 11 PM: Hired mercenaries are overrun in every factory, many flee or resign to the outskirts of the strike by the 5th.
September 2nd 9 AM - 11 PM: The Police Departments of all urban centers affected by the protests mobilize, the lack of officers in other parts of cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit leads to an uptick in crime.
September 2nd 6:00 PM: Samuel Gompers and the leaders of the AFL and ARU declare the beginning of a general strike, they demand the government starts negotiations.
September 2nd 7:00 PM: Eugene Debs leaves Indiana and goes to Chicago to speak to the crowd.
September 3rd: The strike now numbers in a quarter million workers. Police request backup.
September 3rd 9:00 AM: Newspapers in every major city report on the strike, they overexaggerate it's size and goals, several cases of mass hysteria are reported in New York and Washington D.C.
September 3rd 9:30 AM: President Garfield is briefed on the strike, he is told that the local police should be able to handle it.
September 3rd 2:00 PM: Eugene Debs begins speaking to the crowd.
September 3rd: Minor violence is reported between police and strikers in Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Around six people have died, one in Pullman and the other five in Chicago.
September 3rd: What few trains that continue running are forced to stop as workers flood train tracks while picketing.
September 4th 12:00 AM: All major rail companies in the United States declare that any train that has to pass through the area between Pennsylvania and Iowa is to not leave the station. The nation comes to a halt.
September 4th: Gompers says that the trains will remain halted until favorable terms are presented.
September 4th: The stock market takes another major dip. Profit begins to plumet for the nation's steel and rail industries.
September 5th 9:00 AM: Governor Foraker of Ohio resigns. 'The crisis is untenable, I won't be responsible for murder.'
September 5th 11:00 AM: After the vandalizing of the Illinois Gubernatorial Mansion in Springfield the Illinois national guard is raised to protect key government buildings. After giving this order the Liberal Governor John Altgeld resigns.
September 5th 11:30 AM: After word comes that the strikers may be en route to Lansing, Governor Thomas also resigns. All three states are thrown into political chaos delaying any response.
September 5th 12:01 PM: The Michigan National Guard blocks the roads into Lansing, fearing vandalism.
September 5th 2:30 PM: Gompers and Debs call for restraint in vandalism.
September 6th 5:00 PM: All the affected states raise their national guards and station them on the outskirts of the major cities and company towns. The President is officially asked to intervene.
September 7th 9:00 AM: The Garfield cabinet meets to discuss the Strike. Secretary Nelson A. Miles suggests busting the strike with federal troops.
September 7th 3:00 PM: Eugene Debs is expelled from the Indiana state legislature for is involvement in the strike.
September 8th 10:45 AM: The police lose any semblance of order in the company town of Braddock. The strikers rush the police barricades, after six deaths including one police officer, the Pennsylvania national guard orders the police to leave Braddock, the guard then surrounds the town.
September 8th 12:02 PM: John Wilkinson (A Toledo resident) describes the situation as tense. Many Union bosses had left the streets and began writing to government officials, the people were now being riled up by radical workers from the crowd.
September 8th 5:00 PM: An explosive is thrown into a crowd in Gary, Indiana. In the ensuing chaos the police open fire. The small police detachment is soon overrun by the strikers who are rallied by a group of radicals. Gary too is quarantined and blockaded by the Indiana National Guard.
September 9th 7:00 AM: Congress officially asks President Garfield to intervene, the President is yet to wake up.
September 9th 10:55 AM: Garfield wakes up and is rushed into another meeting, he begins to inquire about the possibility of negotiation. He is told there are only 100,000 strikers. (At this time estimates say there were really 320,000.). After learning about the Gary riot, Garfield sends Federal Marshals to the company towns to assist in their lockdowns.
September 9th 3:00 PM: The lack of rail traffic and the quickly rising steel prices start protests in most major cities on the east, including in front of the Capitol Building in DC.
September 10th: The strike begins to transition into a riot in Chicago after the Illinois National Guard enters the city proper. Looting begins as martial law is declared by the Governor. Springfield is forcibly cleared out. In Chicago the strikers fight back against the approaching guardsmen. The Governor orders them to stand down and not engage.
September 10th: News of the chaos in Chicago spreads, their success against the Illinois national guard inspires similar riots in Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and the company towns.
September 11th: By 8 PM every company town in the midwest had been overrun and placed under a blockade. Several of these towns establish 'communes'. Three Marshalls are killed in the chaos.
September 11th 9:00 PM: By the end of the day nearly 150 people had died. The LNC officially requests that the strike be forcefully ended with Federal intervention.
September 11th 10:00 PM: The DNC condemns the violence. They also attack the LNC for suggesting such rash action.
September 11th: As news of the riots trickles into the east the papers again induce mass hysteria and growing protests asking the president to end the strike. It's at this point that the President also learns to the true size of the Strike, which had now grown to 400,000 workers.
September 12th 1:00 AM: Garfield didn't sleep. He asks Attorney General Lodge to contact Samuel Gompers and set up a meeting.
September 12th 11 AM-4PM: Discussions for where and when the federal government and striking representatives should meet begin and end. Gompers announces Eugene Debs will be sent with a delegation to Washington on the 18th.
September 13th 9:00 AM: Garfield federalizes the national guards of Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsiyana and Iowa. He then orders them to restore order in the cities by containing the strike to a specific area of town.
September 13th 12:34 PM: Nearly half of the entire Federal Marshal Service is ordered to the Midwest to assist the now federlized guards.
September 13th-15th: The Marshals and National Guards are mostly successful in containing the strike in the major cities. The initial riots return to protest form. Albeit with high tensions.
September 14th: Garfield orders that the troops around the striking commune towns be ready to advance at any moment.
September 15th: Secretary Hayes advises Garfield to send Federal troops to the Midwest to stop any violence. Garfield declines seeing the move as a rash escalation.
September 15th: The RNC officially agrees with the LNC demanding the strike come to an end.
September 15th: 12 congressmen are censured for speaking in support of the strikers.
September 16th 12:00 PM: Vice President Grant returns from a hunting trip, generally Grant was uninterested in politics and found himself ignored upon his return. He was seen sleeping in many meetings.
September 16th: Garfield crafts early drafts of proposals to end the strike. Including an anti trust act and Union Protections
September 16th 2:00 PM: Eugene Debs and the labor delegation arrive in Philadelphia, planning to leave for DC the following day.
September 17th 11:11 AM: In Cleveland Ohio, a small argument between a striker and guardsman heats up. Soon all hell breaks loose. Cpt. King of the Guard orders his men to fire on the angred crowd. Almost 200 people die within six minutes. Some run, many had been prepared for this. The radical leaders order the strikers to fight back. Makeshift explosives and personal weapons are brandished. Cleveland turns into a war zone.
September 17th: A raging fire starts in Cleveland that ends up burning down a tenth of the city. News of the chaos spreads to the other striking cities. Fear turns to anger and gunfire is soon exchanged in Chicago, Toledo and Pittsburgh.
September 17th: Upon hearing about the outbreak of a battle in Cleveland. Debs decides to stay in Philadelphia and not go to DC, believing the feds had started the fighting on purpose, and planned to arrest him.
September 18th 1:00 AM: Under the advice from his entire cabinet and multiple members of congress, Garfield upon learning the Debs wasn't coming, relented and ordered Federal troops to end the strike with force under the command of Commanding General John Schofield.
September 18th 2:00 AM: The National Guards and Marshals outside the commune towns are ordered to begin the assault and clear out the towns.
September 18th, 19th & 20th: Federal troops are raised and sent on the only active trains on the east coast. They have very specific orders to restore the Rule of Law, by any means necessary.
September 18th & 19th: Battles rage throughout the midwest, while the Marshals and guards are successful in some areas they are forced into a stalemate in others.
September 20th: Makeshift trenches are set up in the major cities and the national guards and strikers stare each other down. Many strikers begin to lose their nerve, knowing that when the feds arrive it'll be other. Others stay to fight.
September 20th: The Philadelphia PD & Federal Marshals arrest Eugene Debs and the entire labor delegation under the orders of the DoJ, as they hid in a local hotel. Debs is beaten half to death.
September 20th: Samuel Gompers goes on the run, fleeing to Canada by the 21st after being tipped off about his imminent arrest. Even though at this point Gompers had nothing to due with the strike, losing any real power after the 17th.
September 21st: As the army arrives in the striking zones, President Garfield locks himself away from his aides and cabinet members. Only talking to his wife and children. He is terrified of what is to come.
September 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th & 26th: the Army overruns and floods the strikers encampments. Nearly 2000 strikers and soldiers die in the cities. Resistance is major for a day and quickly dies down by the 22nd. Pullman, Illinois is the last commune town to fall to the Federal offensive on the 26th, after full blown artillery is used to soften up they hard defense.
September 27th: Garfield declares the crisis to be over. Reconstruction of the railroads begin and Federal troops stay in the midwest to ensure that factories are back, up and running by October 10th.
September 28th: The DNC attacks Garfield as a tyrant, as does Gompers from exile, the LNC commends Garfield for his decisive action, though they wished it was sooner and the RNC applauds the President in full. James Weaver and the Populists are unsurprisingly horrified. Weaver says "Next to the Calamity and Fort Sumter this day is perhaps the darkest in all of American history."
September 28th: Companies ask to be reimbursed for all damages done ranging in the millions.
September 29th: Nearly 34 thousand people are in the custody of the US Army. Another 200 are added after Marshals arrest other strike organizers in their homes.
September 30th: Garfield still mortified at what has happened, comes to the realization that there is nothing that can be done to mend the Republican split. With approval plummeting among the poor (a group he once belonged to) and at new heights among the rest of the nation, Garfield requests to meet with Vice President Grant.
October 1st: President Garfield makes a major announcement...
September 1st: The deadline of the AFL ultimatum comes and goes, no meaningful economic reform or worker protections are passed at the federal level due to a deadlocked congress.
September 1st 9:00 PM: During the night many Midwestern factories and railways deploy 'mercenaries' to secure the workplace.
September 2nd 6:30 AM: Only two steel plants in Ohio have enough staff to start operation, three in PA, one in Indiana, two in Illinois and none in Michigan.
September 2nd 6:45 AM: Thousands of workers, with makeshift signs stand outside their workplace and begin to pickett, workers who were fired due to union connections in the months prior join the protests as well.
September 2nd 7:00 AM: Workers in 'company towns' like Pullman, Gary, McDonald, Aliquippa and Braddock sleep in and ignore the wake up bells.
September 2nd 8:00 AM: Estimations show nearly 100,000 workers are on the streets of most major midwestern cities, their numbers soon begin to grow as the unemployed and other members of the public begin to protest in solidarity.
September 2nd 8:11 AM: In Pullman, Illinois, the railcar workers are forcibly awoken by mercenaries and ordered to work. Many refuse and are beaten, eventually the mercenaries are overrun and sent out of Pullman by 11 AM.
September 2nd 8:30 AM: The Chicago PD establishes a perimeter around the picketing workers.
September 2nd 9 AM - 11 PM: Hired mercenaries are overrun in every factory, many flee or resign to the outskirts of the strike by the 5th.
September 2nd 9 AM - 11 PM: The Police Departments of all urban centers affected by the protests mobilize, the lack of officers in other parts of cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit leads to an uptick in crime.
September 2nd 6:00 PM: Samuel Gompers and the leaders of the AFL and ARU declare the beginning of a general strike, they demand the government starts negotiations.
September 2nd 7:00 PM: Eugene Debs leaves Indiana and goes to Chicago to speak to the crowd.
September 3rd: The strike now numbers in a quarter million workers. Police request backup.
September 3rd 9:00 AM: Newspapers in every major city report on the strike, they overexaggerate it's size and goals, several cases of mass hysteria are reported in New York and Washington D.C.
September 3rd 9:30 AM: President Garfield is briefed on the strike, he is told that the local police should be able to handle it.
September 3rd 2:00 PM: Eugene Debs begins speaking to the crowd.
September 3rd: Minor violence is reported between police and strikers in Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Around six people have died, one in Pullman and the other five in Chicago.
September 3rd: What few trains that continue running are forced to stop as workers flood train tracks while picketing.
September 4th 12:00 AM: All major rail companies in the United States declare that any train that has to pass through the area between Pennsylvania and Iowa is to not leave the station. The nation comes to a halt.
September 4th: Gompers says that the trains will remain halted until favorable terms are presented.
September 4th: The stock market takes another major dip. Profit begins to plumet for the nation's steel and rail industries.
September 5th 9:00 AM: Governor Foraker of Ohio resigns. 'The crisis is untenable, I won't be responsible for murder.'
September 5th 11:00 AM: After the vandalizing of the Illinois Gubernatorial Mansion in Springfield the Illinois national guard is raised to protect key government buildings. After giving this order the Liberal Governor John Altgeld resigns.
September 5th 11:30 AM: After word comes that the strikers may be en route to Lansing, Governor Thomas also resigns. All three states are thrown into political chaos delaying any response.
September 5th 12:01 PM: The Michigan National Guard blocks the roads into Lansing, fearing vandalism.
September 5th 2:30 PM: Gompers and Debs call for restraint in vandalism.
September 6th 5:00 PM: All the affected states raise their national guards and station them on the outskirts of the major cities and company towns. The President is officially asked to intervene.
September 7th 9:00 AM: The Garfield cabinet meets to discuss the Strike. Secretary Nelson A. Miles suggests busting the strike with federal troops.
September 7th 3:00 PM: Eugene Debs is expelled from the Indiana state legislature for is involvement in the strike.
September 8th 10:45 AM: The police lose any semblance of order in the company town of Braddock. The strikers rush the police barricades, after six deaths including one police officer, the Pennsylvania national guard orders the police to leave Braddock, the guard then surrounds the town.
September 8th 12:02 PM: John Wilkinson (A Toledo resident) describes the situation as tense. Many Union bosses had left the streets and began writing to government officials, the people were now being riled up by radical workers from the crowd.
September 8th 5:00 PM: An explosive is thrown into a crowd in Gary, Indiana. In the ensuing chaos the police open fire. The small police detachment is soon overrun by the strikers who are rallied by a group of radicals. Gary too is quarantined and blockaded by the Indiana National Guard.
September 9th 7:00 AM: Congress officially asks President Garfield to intervene, the President is yet to wake up.
September 9th 10:55 AM: Garfield wakes up and is rushed into another meeting, he begins to inquire about the possibility of negotiation. He is told there are only 100,000 strikers. (At this time estimates say there were really 320,000.). After learning about the Gary riot, Garfield sends Federal Marshals to the company towns to assist in their lockdowns.
September 9th 3:00 PM: The lack of rail traffic and the quickly rising steel prices start protests in most major cities on the east, including in front of the Capitol Building in DC.
September 10th: The strike begins to transition into a riot in Chicago after the Illinois National Guard enters the city proper. Looting begins as martial law is declared by the Governor. Springfield is forcibly cleared out. In Chicago the strikers fight back against the approaching guardsmen. The Governor orders them to stand down and not engage.
September 10th: News of the chaos in Chicago spreads, their success against the Illinois national guard inspires similar riots in Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and the company towns.
September 11th: By 8 PM every company town in the midwest had been overrun and placed under a blockade. Several of these towns establish 'communes'. Three Marshalls are killed in the chaos.
September 11th 9:00 PM: By the end of the day nearly 150 people had died. The LNC officially requests that the strike be forcefully ended with Federal intervention.
September 11th 10:00 PM: The DNC condemns the violence. They also attack the LNC for suggesting such rash action.
September 11th: As news of the riots trickles into the east the papers again induce mass hysteria and growing protests asking the president to end the strike. It's at this point that the President also learns to the true size of the Strike, which had now grown to 400,000 workers.
September 12th 1:00 AM: Garfield didn't sleep. He asks Attorney General Lodge to contact Samuel Gompers and set up a meeting.
September 12th 11 AM-4PM: Discussions for where and when the federal government and striking representatives should meet begin and end. Gompers announces Eugene Debs will be sent with a delegation to Washington on the 18th.
September 13th 9:00 AM: Garfield federalizes the national guards of Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsiyana and Iowa. He then orders them to restore order in the cities by containing the strike to a specific area of town.
September 13th 12:34 PM: Nearly half of the entire Federal Marshal Service is ordered to the Midwest to assist the now federlized guards.
September 13th-15th: The Marshals and National Guards are mostly successful in containing the strike in the major cities. The initial riots return to protest form. Albeit with high tensions.
September 14th: Garfield orders that the troops around the striking commune towns be ready to advance at any moment.
September 15th: Secretary Hayes advises Garfield to send Federal troops to the Midwest to stop any violence. Garfield declines seeing the move as a rash escalation.
September 15th: The RNC officially agrees with the LNC demanding the strike come to an end.
September 15th: 12 congressmen are censured for speaking in support of the strikers.
September 16th 12:00 PM: Vice President Grant returns from a hunting trip, generally Grant was uninterested in politics and found himself ignored upon his return. He was seen sleeping in many meetings.
September 16th: Garfield crafts early drafts of proposals to end the strike. Including an anti trust act and Union Protections
September 16th 2:00 PM: Eugene Debs and the labor delegation arrive in Philadelphia, planning to leave for DC the following day.
September 17th 11:11 AM: In Cleveland Ohio, a small argument between a striker and guardsman heats up. Soon all hell breaks loose. Cpt. King of the Guard orders his men to fire on the angred crowd. Almost 200 people die within six minutes. Some run, many had been prepared for this. The radical leaders order the strikers to fight back. Makeshift explosives and personal weapons are brandished. Cleveland turns into a war zone.
September 17th: A raging fire starts in Cleveland that ends up burning down a tenth of the city. News of the chaos spreads to the other striking cities. Fear turns to anger and gunfire is soon exchanged in Chicago, Toledo and Pittsburgh.
September 17th: Upon hearing about the outbreak of a battle in Cleveland. Debs decides to stay in Philadelphia and not go to DC, believing the feds had started the fighting on purpose, and planned to arrest him.
September 18th 1:00 AM: Under the advice from his entire cabinet and multiple members of congress, Garfield upon learning the Debs wasn't coming, relented and ordered Federal troops to end the strike with force under the command of Commanding General John Schofield.
September 18th 2:00 AM: The National Guards and Marshals outside the commune towns are ordered to begin the assault and clear out the towns.
September 18th, 19th & 20th: Federal troops are raised and sent on the only active trains on the east coast. They have very specific orders to restore the Rule of Law, by any means necessary.
September 18th & 19th: Battles rage throughout the midwest, while the Marshals and guards are successful in some areas they are forced into a stalemate in others.
September 20th: Makeshift trenches are set up in the major cities and the national guards and strikers stare each other down. Many strikers begin to lose their nerve, knowing that when the feds arrive it'll be other. Others stay to fight.
September 20th: The Philadelphia PD & Federal Marshals arrest Eugene Debs and the entire labor delegation under the orders of the DoJ, as they hid in a local hotel. Debs is beaten half to death.
September 20th: Samuel Gompers goes on the run, fleeing to Canada by the 21st after being tipped off about his imminent arrest. Even though at this point Gompers had nothing to due with the strike, losing any real power after the 17th.
September 21st: As the army arrives in the striking zones, President Garfield locks himself away from his aides and cabinet members. Only talking to his wife and children. He is terrified of what is to come.
September 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th & 26th: the Army overruns and floods the strikers encampments. Nearly 2000 strikers and soldiers die in the cities. Resistance is major for a day and quickly dies down by the 22nd. Pullman, Illinois is the last commune town to fall to the Federal offensive on the 26th, after full blown artillery is used to soften up they hard defense.
September 27th: Garfield declares the crisis to be over. Reconstruction of the railroads begin and Federal troops stay in the midwest to ensure that factories are back, up and running by October 10th.
September 28th: The DNC attacks Garfield as a tyrant, as does Gompers from exile, the LNC commends Garfield for his decisive action, though they wished it was sooner and the RNC applauds the President in full. James Weaver and the Populists are unsurprisingly horrified. Weaver says "Next to the Calamity and Fort Sumter this day is perhaps the darkest in all of American history."
September 28th: Companies ask to be reimbursed for all damages done ranging in the millions.
September 29th: Nearly 34 thousand people are in the custody of the US Army. Another 200 are added after Marshals arrest other strike organizers in their homes.
September 30th: Garfield still mortified at what has happened, comes to the realization that there is nothing that can be done to mend the Republican split. With approval plummeting among the poor (a group he once belonged to) and at new heights among the rest of the nation, Garfield requests to meet with Vice President Grant.
October 1st: President Garfield makes a major announcement...
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GARFIELD TO RESIGN FROM THE PRESIDENCY EFFECTIVE MIDDAY TOMORROW
"I have failed the people of the United States, I only hope I can be forgiven in the eyes of god."
VP GRANT TO BE SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT
GARFIELD TO PARDON DEBS, GOMPERS & 95 PERCENT OF STRIKERS
-From the New York Times on October 1st 1890
"I have failed the people of the United States, I only hope I can be forgiven in the eyes of god."
VP GRANT TO BE SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT
GARFIELD TO PARDON DEBS, GOMPERS & 95 PERCENT OF STRIKERS
-From the New York Times on October 1st 1890
The train came to a screeching halt. Garfield was awoken by Captain Gerry of the USPPD. Congress had delegated the agency towards the protection of former presidents as well.
"We're here sir," Gerry grabbed his coat and stood in the empty train car, bar the President, his family and a USPPD Private. This was only the tenth train to arrive in Cleveland post strike, it's cargo had gained attention outside. Garfield could hear the onlookers, he saw their faces from the window, many still bearing wounds, tears, and sorrow. Garfield grabbed his hat and walked with his wife onto the platform. Captain Gerry asked Garfield to stay there while he spoke to an army Lieutenant across the way.
Martial Law was still imposed in Cleveland, the Federal units in the city were given explicit permission by President Grant to stay in the major cities until threat levels reached near zero. Garfield's October 10th deadline for the troop removal was already rescinded by his successor. He couldn't help but be disappointed by that. He could never voice it though, at this point the whole east coast had turned on him for the pardons...
"Mr. President, this is Lieutenant John Coolidge, he's overseeing this sector of the city," Gerry gestured to the uniformed man who extended his hand.
"Lieutenant..." Garfield nodded and shook his hand.
"It's an honor sir, my son Calvin and I are big fans," Coolidge smiled
"Anyways, we'd like to get you home fast, but there is a large mob of people out front..."
"Is there a way around the crowd Lieutenant?" Gerry turned cold.
"I'm afraid not, the crowd has grown quite large, hard enough to keep them off the road. Good news, they shouldn't be a threat, they are also fans Mr. President," Garfield nodded.
"I won't hide from them Captain. Let's go to the carriage," Gerry looked troubled but relented. The three men left the platform and exited the train station, flanked by soldiers and suited USPPD protection. When Garfield exited the building there was mix of loud cheering and jeering. He looked at them all again, they looked disheveled, none of them were from the upper classes, that much was apparent. Garfield kept his head down and entered his carriage. It rode like the wind, being trailed by two military carriages down the winding roads.
Garfield kept his head down and eyes closed while in the city, he couldn't bear to look at the damaged buildings and half cleaned bloodstains. The only noticeably good thing about the new Cleveland was it's lack of smog and smoke, though once the army was done there, the smog and smoke was sure to return in force.
As they entered the Ohio countryside Garfield believed he could look outside again. For the first time in weeks, he smiled, he was home-
"FIRE!"
POP, POP, POP!
"CHRIST!" Garfield jumped up and held onto his wife, sitting next to him. Captain Gerry banged on the wood of the carriage.
"What in the fuck is going on?!" After a moment the driver responded.
"No worry sir! Looks like a firing squad!" Garfield turned his head to look at the window. Indeed it was, smoke rose in the distance and bodies fell to the ground. As the carriage sped by, the soldiers that had fired moved to clear the bodies into a ditch. Garfield turned away and held his head in his hands. He let out a tear and quickly wiped it away before Gerry or Lucretia could see.
"That's unacceptable, they were pardoned,"Lucretia exclaimed.
"No dear, not all of them..."
"Yes, the most egregious offenders are being handled..." Coolidge shifted with a determined look.
"AH! Here we are," Coolidge seemed relieved that the conversation could change as the Garfield's home came into view.
"Is that a fence? What did you do to my house?" Garfield turned to Coolidge who opened his mouth to respond before being stopped by Gerry.
"It was the Detachment's idea sir. It is not safe to hold impromptu porch parties these days." Garfield and Lucretia both looked shocked.
"Nonsense Captain!" Lucretia blurted out.
"Well, yessense? Madam. Before, anyone could just stroll up! You saw the crowd back in town, I'm sure you wouldn't want their kind sauntering up to the door..." Coolidge interjected.
"'Their kind'? Those are citizens of the United States! I have no problem with them coming to the door, tear that fucking fencing down," Garfield bursted, he was uncharacteristically angry.
"I'm afraid we can't do that sir, it's my duty to ensure your complete safety and the city is not safe, is that right Lieutenant?" Coolidge nodded to Gerry as the carriage came to a halt. A USPPD guard checked the carriage before opening the large metal gate. Garfield glared at him. The guard sheepishly nodded.
"What has this god forsaken country come to?"
"We're here sir," Gerry grabbed his coat and stood in the empty train car, bar the President, his family and a USPPD Private. This was only the tenth train to arrive in Cleveland post strike, it's cargo had gained attention outside. Garfield could hear the onlookers, he saw their faces from the window, many still bearing wounds, tears, and sorrow. Garfield grabbed his hat and walked with his wife onto the platform. Captain Gerry asked Garfield to stay there while he spoke to an army Lieutenant across the way.
Martial Law was still imposed in Cleveland, the Federal units in the city were given explicit permission by President Grant to stay in the major cities until threat levels reached near zero. Garfield's October 10th deadline for the troop removal was already rescinded by his successor. He couldn't help but be disappointed by that. He could never voice it though, at this point the whole east coast had turned on him for the pardons...
"Mr. President, this is Lieutenant John Coolidge, he's overseeing this sector of the city," Gerry gestured to the uniformed man who extended his hand.
"Lieutenant..." Garfield nodded and shook his hand.
"It's an honor sir, my son Calvin and I are big fans," Coolidge smiled
"Anyways, we'd like to get you home fast, but there is a large mob of people out front..."
"Is there a way around the crowd Lieutenant?" Gerry turned cold.
"I'm afraid not, the crowd has grown quite large, hard enough to keep them off the road. Good news, they shouldn't be a threat, they are also fans Mr. President," Garfield nodded.
"I won't hide from them Captain. Let's go to the carriage," Gerry looked troubled but relented. The three men left the platform and exited the train station, flanked by soldiers and suited USPPD protection. When Garfield exited the building there was mix of loud cheering and jeering. He looked at them all again, they looked disheveled, none of them were from the upper classes, that much was apparent. Garfield kept his head down and entered his carriage. It rode like the wind, being trailed by two military carriages down the winding roads.
Garfield kept his head down and eyes closed while in the city, he couldn't bear to look at the damaged buildings and half cleaned bloodstains. The only noticeably good thing about the new Cleveland was it's lack of smog and smoke, though once the army was done there, the smog and smoke was sure to return in force.
As they entered the Ohio countryside Garfield believed he could look outside again. For the first time in weeks, he smiled, he was home-
"FIRE!"
POP, POP, POP!
"CHRIST!" Garfield jumped up and held onto his wife, sitting next to him. Captain Gerry banged on the wood of the carriage.
"What in the fuck is going on?!" After a moment the driver responded.
"No worry sir! Looks like a firing squad!" Garfield turned his head to look at the window. Indeed it was, smoke rose in the distance and bodies fell to the ground. As the carriage sped by, the soldiers that had fired moved to clear the bodies into a ditch. Garfield turned away and held his head in his hands. He let out a tear and quickly wiped it away before Gerry or Lucretia could see.
"That's unacceptable, they were pardoned,"Lucretia exclaimed.
"No dear, not all of them..."
"Yes, the most egregious offenders are being handled..." Coolidge shifted with a determined look.
"AH! Here we are," Coolidge seemed relieved that the conversation could change as the Garfield's home came into view.
"Is that a fence? What did you do to my house?" Garfield turned to Coolidge who opened his mouth to respond before being stopped by Gerry.
"It was the Detachment's idea sir. It is not safe to hold impromptu porch parties these days." Garfield and Lucretia both looked shocked.
"Nonsense Captain!" Lucretia blurted out.
"Well, yessense? Madam. Before, anyone could just stroll up! You saw the crowd back in town, I'm sure you wouldn't want their kind sauntering up to the door..." Coolidge interjected.
"'Their kind'? Those are citizens of the United States! I have no problem with them coming to the door, tear that fucking fencing down," Garfield bursted, he was uncharacteristically angry.
"I'm afraid we can't do that sir, it's my duty to ensure your complete safety and the city is not safe, is that right Lieutenant?" Coolidge nodded to Gerry as the carriage came to a halt. A USPPD guard checked the carriage before opening the large metal gate. Garfield glared at him. The guard sheepishly nodded.
"What has this god forsaken country come to?"
1890 US CENSUS
TOTAL POPULATION: 65,901,111
MOST POPULOUS STATE: New York, 6,331,829
LEAST POPULOUS STATE: Nevada, 45,221
Lincoln is gaining another house seat
Sequoyah is gaining a seat
Dominica is staying the same
MIDTERM STUFF I NEED TO TALK ABOUT
-Teddy Roosevelt ends up losing to Grover Cleveland for the New York Governor's mansion. Cleveland is going to a third term albeit narrowly. Many blame the RNC who pulled much of the money from that race after Roosevelt gave support to a mixed approach on the issue of the Gold Standard.
-Representative William McKinley of the Liberals is elected Ohio Attorney General
-Ben Harrison returns to the Senate after years, being the only Republican gain of the midterms in the Senate
-Thomas Custer is elected the Ohio Governor by a very slim margin
-Professor Woodrow Wilson writes a novel about President Hancock, in it he praises the man and attempts to salvage his legacy along with President McClellan's. This gives Democrats a minor boost.
-Eugene Debs loses in a run for Congress.
-Robert LaFollete sucessfully runs for Congress.
-George Adams (son of JQA II) enters the MA legislature
-President of Union pacific railroad, Charles Francis Adams Jr. beats incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge for his Senate seat in a vote by the legislature. Continuing the 'Adams Streak'. No Adams has ever lost an election in Massachusetts statewide.
-In a third win for the Adams family, Henry Adams takes the MA Governor's mansion.
-After the election, in a family reunion the Lodge's and Cabot's it seems the 'Massachusetts Great Game' is first coined. They vow to take the Adams' Machine down.
TOTAL POPULATION: 65,901,111
MOST POPULOUS STATE: New York, 6,331,829
LEAST POPULOUS STATE: Nevada, 45,221
Lincoln is gaining another house seat
Sequoyah is gaining a seat
Dominica is staying the same
MIDTERM STUFF I NEED TO TALK ABOUT
-Teddy Roosevelt ends up losing to Grover Cleveland for the New York Governor's mansion. Cleveland is going to a third term albeit narrowly. Many blame the RNC who pulled much of the money from that race after Roosevelt gave support to a mixed approach on the issue of the Gold Standard.
-Representative William McKinley of the Liberals is elected Ohio Attorney General
-Ben Harrison returns to the Senate after years, being the only Republican gain of the midterms in the Senate
-Thomas Custer is elected the Ohio Governor by a very slim margin
-Professor Woodrow Wilson writes a novel about President Hancock, in it he praises the man and attempts to salvage his legacy along with President McClellan's. This gives Democrats a minor boost.
-Eugene Debs loses in a run for Congress.
-Robert LaFollete sucessfully runs for Congress.
-George Adams (son of JQA II) enters the MA legislature
-President of Union pacific railroad, Charles Francis Adams Jr. beats incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge for his Senate seat in a vote by the legislature. Continuing the 'Adams Streak'. No Adams has ever lost an election in Massachusetts statewide.
-In a third win for the Adams family, Henry Adams takes the MA Governor's mansion.
-After the election, in a family reunion the Lodge's and Cabot's it seems the 'Massachusetts Great Game' is first coined. They vow to take the Adams' Machine down.
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"The issue of 'new states' in the Great American Sahara had existed for some time. By the 1888 presidential election, three separate territories had written constitutions and applied for statehood. One thing basically every party agreed on was the admission of these new states, and Garfield pledged to admit all three after the election. Soon enough, it was, in fact, after the election. But even though it had broad support in Congress, broad support among the people, and overwhelming support out west, Congress delayed any admissions.
For once, the reason wasn't due to gridlock but to timing. You see, they had waited so long on the three territories that now another three were in the process of writing constitutions and were preparing to ask for admission. So, Congress waited out 1889 and went on recess. By the time they returned in 1890, the 'Frontier States Admission Act' had arrived in committee. Originally, it was set to admit Washington, Grant, North Dakota, South Dakota, Yellowstone, Adams, and Utah. That last state, Utah, caused problems in the early bill-making process. Many were unwilling to support Utah statehood for the time being due to some anti-Mormon attitudes. After all, the territory had just banned polygamy mere weeks before applying to join the Union. After a couple months, Utah's admission was dropped from the Act, and it left the committee in May. Yeah, May.
When the Great Panic began and Congress fell into total gridlock, purges, and disarray, the Frontier States Admission Act was quickly lost to the chaos. Once again, admission was delayed. After the Great Strike and a newfound growing distrust of populists, support for admission died down again, as many in the proposed states shared populist sympathies. At the end of the day, the Act wasn't much of a concern during the midterm elections and was again forgotten.
All hope of being admitted before 1892 seemed lost. That was until an unlikely savior arrived. President Grant came out in vocal and passionate support of the Frontier States Admission Act in 1891. He reasoned that by thrusting his weight onto the hopeless bill, he could gain support in the Great Plains. It worked; farmers quickly rallied around the president and renewed their push in Congress.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, James Weaver and the populists presented the bill to the House floor. It passed 298–41. (Only a small contingent of Liberals are voting no.) It soon reached the Senate and was approved by a similar margin, and President Grant happily signed the bill into law on August 2, 1891. All six of the new states were to be admitted on July 4th, 1892."
from How Each State Made It Through the Political Hurdle
by Rosie Garby, published in 2002
"The six states admitted via the 'Frontier States Admission Act', were Washington, Grant, North Dakota, South Dakota, Yellowstone, and Adams! Here is a brief description of All Six's journey to statehood!
Washington—The Northern Oregon Territory had been vying for statehood for some time. Initially, he wrote a constitution in the 1870s. By the time of the 1890s, the Washington Territory had become ripe with loggers, and the land was politically controlled by Liberals. Primarily bankrolled by Liberal businessmen in Seattle using the Territory status to bend some rules. Washington was by far the least populist state entering the Union in 1892.
Grant: 'The Rocky State' is made up of mostly mountainous terrain. The Grant Territory was split from the Adams and Idaho territories in 1885 after a referendum was held among the people living in the rocky parts of both territories who felt disconnected from the flatland territorial administrations, arguing that the geographical difference made it hard for the politicians to understand their plight. Many freedmen had moved to the Grant territory after the discovery of gold in the region soon after the admission of Lincoln. It was these freedmen who suggested the name Grant for the new territory. It would stick, moving into statehood. Grant has a strong Republican, Populist, and even Freedmen party all within its borders.
North/South Dakota: What used to be the large 'Dakota Territory' was split up by the 'Frontier States Admission Act'. This was due to another referendum. The North and South were quite different, and many feared that such a large state in terms of size would be difficult to govern. The North is a political safehaven for the populist movement, while the South has near-total Republican dominance.
Yellowstone: Named for the national park of the same name. Yellowstone is unique among the rest of the 92' states for its demand to the Federal Government in exchange for admission. Yellowstone Territory allowed women the right to vote. The state refused entry into the Union if this provision was not carried over. Considering it's miniscule size, most people in Congress didn't care, and Yellowstone became known as the 'Equality State.'
Adams-Adams Territory used to be known as Montana Territory. It was named such for the rocky mountains in its west; however, after almost all of those mountains joined the new Grant Territory, the name no longer seemed very fitting. After the assassination of President Adams in 1888, Montana Territory officially changed its name to the 'Adams Territory'. Not only in honor of JQA II but also in honor of all four Adams presidents. Ironically, for being so commemorative of famed Liberal leaders, the Liberals didn't have a very large presence in the Adams Territory. Instead, populists and Republicans had free speech.
Idaho- Idaho? What on earth is an Idaho, you might be saying? Well, Idaho used to be a territory in the US and applied for statehood along with the other states previously mentioned. Like the Montana Territory, Idaho lost a lot of its land to the Grant Territory. After this loss, Idaho Territory became even more obscure. When it applied for statehood, Congress had other plans; they hoped to carve the territory up instead. This was a compromise. Idaho was full of Chinese immigrants and populists, and as they were already admitting multiple populist states, they saw no use in admitting a small state that would produce two radical senators. So the Frontier States Admission Act split the territory between Grant, Oregon, Nevada, and Yellowstone. Most people in Idaho were unhappy, but there wasn't much they could do."
from the States of Our Union
By Jack Kirk, published in 1988
For once, the reason wasn't due to gridlock but to timing. You see, they had waited so long on the three territories that now another three were in the process of writing constitutions and were preparing to ask for admission. So, Congress waited out 1889 and went on recess. By the time they returned in 1890, the 'Frontier States Admission Act' had arrived in committee. Originally, it was set to admit Washington, Grant, North Dakota, South Dakota, Yellowstone, Adams, and Utah. That last state, Utah, caused problems in the early bill-making process. Many were unwilling to support Utah statehood for the time being due to some anti-Mormon attitudes. After all, the territory had just banned polygamy mere weeks before applying to join the Union. After a couple months, Utah's admission was dropped from the Act, and it left the committee in May. Yeah, May.
When the Great Panic began and Congress fell into total gridlock, purges, and disarray, the Frontier States Admission Act was quickly lost to the chaos. Once again, admission was delayed. After the Great Strike and a newfound growing distrust of populists, support for admission died down again, as many in the proposed states shared populist sympathies. At the end of the day, the Act wasn't much of a concern during the midterm elections and was again forgotten.
All hope of being admitted before 1892 seemed lost. That was until an unlikely savior arrived. President Grant came out in vocal and passionate support of the Frontier States Admission Act in 1891. He reasoned that by thrusting his weight onto the hopeless bill, he could gain support in the Great Plains. It worked; farmers quickly rallied around the president and renewed their push in Congress.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, James Weaver and the populists presented the bill to the House floor. It passed 298–41. (Only a small contingent of Liberals are voting no.) It soon reached the Senate and was approved by a similar margin, and President Grant happily signed the bill into law on August 2, 1891. All six of the new states were to be admitted on July 4th, 1892."
from How Each State Made It Through the Political Hurdle
by Rosie Garby, published in 2002
"The six states admitted via the 'Frontier States Admission Act', were Washington, Grant, North Dakota, South Dakota, Yellowstone, and Adams! Here is a brief description of All Six's journey to statehood!
Washington—The Northern Oregon Territory had been vying for statehood for some time. Initially, he wrote a constitution in the 1870s. By the time of the 1890s, the Washington Territory had become ripe with loggers, and the land was politically controlled by Liberals. Primarily bankrolled by Liberal businessmen in Seattle using the Territory status to bend some rules. Washington was by far the least populist state entering the Union in 1892.
Grant: 'The Rocky State' is made up of mostly mountainous terrain. The Grant Territory was split from the Adams and Idaho territories in 1885 after a referendum was held among the people living in the rocky parts of both territories who felt disconnected from the flatland territorial administrations, arguing that the geographical difference made it hard for the politicians to understand their plight. Many freedmen had moved to the Grant territory after the discovery of gold in the region soon after the admission of Lincoln. It was these freedmen who suggested the name Grant for the new territory. It would stick, moving into statehood. Grant has a strong Republican, Populist, and even Freedmen party all within its borders.
North/South Dakota: What used to be the large 'Dakota Territory' was split up by the 'Frontier States Admission Act'. This was due to another referendum. The North and South were quite different, and many feared that such a large state in terms of size would be difficult to govern. The North is a political safehaven for the populist movement, while the South has near-total Republican dominance.
Yellowstone: Named for the national park of the same name. Yellowstone is unique among the rest of the 92' states for its demand to the Federal Government in exchange for admission. Yellowstone Territory allowed women the right to vote. The state refused entry into the Union if this provision was not carried over. Considering it's miniscule size, most people in Congress didn't care, and Yellowstone became known as the 'Equality State.'
Adams-Adams Territory used to be known as Montana Territory. It was named such for the rocky mountains in its west; however, after almost all of those mountains joined the new Grant Territory, the name no longer seemed very fitting. After the assassination of President Adams in 1888, Montana Territory officially changed its name to the 'Adams Territory'. Not only in honor of JQA II but also in honor of all four Adams presidents. Ironically, for being so commemorative of famed Liberal leaders, the Liberals didn't have a very large presence in the Adams Territory. Instead, populists and Republicans had free speech.
Idaho- Idaho? What on earth is an Idaho, you might be saying? Well, Idaho used to be a territory in the US and applied for statehood along with the other states previously mentioned. Like the Montana Territory, Idaho lost a lot of its land to the Grant Territory. After this loss, Idaho Territory became even more obscure. When it applied for statehood, Congress had other plans; they hoped to carve the territory up instead. This was a compromise. Idaho was full of Chinese immigrants and populists, and as they were already admitting multiple populist states, they saw no use in admitting a small state that would produce two radical senators. So the Frontier States Admission Act split the territory between Grant, Oregon, Nevada, and Yellowstone. Most people in Idaho were unhappy, but there wasn't much they could do."
from the States of Our Union
By Jack Kirk, published in 1988
-
HERE'S A BASIC MAP OF THE NEW STATES. (Minus Nevada and Oregon, they were already in the Union just gaining land.)
I'll do the Sequoyah stuff next chapter. I wanna try and mad dash to the 1892 Election so here's hoping we can get through the Grant Chapter and Conventions by the weekend!
HERE'S A BASIC MAP OF THE NEW STATES. (Minus Nevada and Oregon, they were already in the Union just gaining land.)
I'll do the Sequoyah stuff next chapter. I wanna try and mad dash to the 1892 Election so here's hoping we can get through the Grant Chapter and Conventions by the weekend!
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ANOTHER GRANT!
Chief Justice Stanley Matthews Administers the Oath of Office
-Washington Post, October 2nd 1890
GRANT TO EXTEND OCCUPATION OF THE STRIKER STATES
New York Times, October 9th 1890
STRIKER TO SUE THE GOVERNMENT
William Schultz, a Chicago resident and Imprisoned Striker is suing the Grant Administration for Cruel and Unusual Punishment While in Jail
New York Times, January 3rd 1891
SCHULTZ CASE GROWS
Eugene Debs Sues for False Imprisonment, Other Lawsuits are Also Brought From the Occupation
Columbus Dispatch, March 1st 1891
NO COMMENT FROM GRANT AS THE OCCUPATION CONTINUES
With Support for the Occupation High, the Administration Pursues No Change in Course
Harper's Weekly, March 3rd 1891
-----------------------------------
REPRESENTATIVE WASHINGTON IN TANDEM WITH LODGE AND THE DOJ PRESENT 'BOOKER BILL' TO THE HOUSE
The Booker Bill To Give the Feds Authority to Enforce Freedmen Voting Rights
Washington Post, April 9th 1891
--------------------------------
INDIAN VIOLENCE IN NEW STATES
Indian Attacks Ramp Up as Eviction Deadline Looms
San Francisco Chronicle, September 22nd 1892
-----------------------------------
HAITI IN FLAME
Military Coups the Haitian President, They Target American Businesses
Tallahassee Star, June 11th 1891
AFRICAN EXPEDITION ARRIVES IN LIBERIA
President Cheeseman Greets Lieutenant Pershing and his 2000 Men Before Their Journey Into the Heart of Darkness.
Liberty Dispatch, November 15th 1892
Chief Justice Stanley Matthews Administers the Oath of Office
-Washington Post, October 2nd 1890
GRANT TO EXTEND OCCUPATION OF THE STRIKER STATES
New York Times, October 9th 1890
STRIKER TO SUE THE GOVERNMENT
William Schultz, a Chicago resident and Imprisoned Striker is suing the Grant Administration for Cruel and Unusual Punishment While in Jail
New York Times, January 3rd 1891
SCHULTZ CASE GROWS
Eugene Debs Sues for False Imprisonment, Other Lawsuits are Also Brought From the Occupation
Columbus Dispatch, March 1st 1891
NO COMMENT FROM GRANT AS THE OCCUPATION CONTINUES
With Support for the Occupation High, the Administration Pursues No Change in Course
Harper's Weekly, March 3rd 1891
-----------------------------------
REPRESENTATIVE WASHINGTON IN TANDEM WITH LODGE AND THE DOJ PRESENT 'BOOKER BILL' TO THE HOUSE
The Booker Bill To Give the Feds Authority to Enforce Freedmen Voting Rights
Washington Post, April 9th 1891
--------------------------------
INDIAN VIOLENCE IN NEW STATES
Indian Attacks Ramp Up as Eviction Deadline Looms
San Francisco Chronicle, September 22nd 1892
-----------------------------------
HAITI IN FLAME
Military Coups the Haitian President, They Target American Businesses
Tallahassee Star, June 11th 1891
AFRICAN EXPEDITION ARRIVES IN LIBERIA
President Cheeseman Greets Lieutenant Pershing and his 2000 Men Before Their Journey Into the Heart of Darkness.
Liberty Dispatch, November 15th 1892
Last edited:
"On October 2, 1890, Vice President Frederick Dent Grant, a young man with no political experience and little interest in the actual workings of the White House, was inaugurated President of the United States. Grant and Garfield rarely spoke; this wasn't due to any contempt or dislike; it was mostly due to Grant's uncaring attitude towards his own job. Grant knew he was only there for his name during election season and saw the Vice Presidency as a useless token at best. Garfield was the youngest president in some time; it's not like he'd be going anywhere. So Grant went hunting, drinking, or traveling instead.
In fact, he spent most of the Great Strike on a hunting trip with his brother. He had to be tracked down and asked to return to Washington, D.C., after the strike became a serious issue. Upon his return to the White House, Grant mostly stayed out of cabinet meetings. He felt as if he wasn't wanted there anyway; Hayes never spoke to him, and he practically ran the government anyway. What was the point?
Well, on October 1st, President Garfield asked Grant to come into his office. He spoke with him and then informed him that he would be resigning. The stress had gotten to him. Garfield spent five hours catching Grant up to speed. He then gave him a pat on the shoulder and resigned the following morning without saying a word. He hadn't even told the cabinet; when Hayes read it in the papers, he thought it was a joke. When he rushed into Garfield's office to find him, he realized he was gone. Halfway back to Ohio. At that moment, Hayes' heart sank into his stomach.
Grant spent the first week of his presidency being hounded by everyone in Congress. He had gone from being obsolete to being the most powerful man in the nation. Grant was personally non-political. He was a Republican but really didn't think much about politics. All these people who devoted their lives to politics, some even to gaining his job, were pretty overwhelming to the young man. He would often refuse to speak to any politicians, instead surrounding himself with family and friends. Hayes quickly lost his influential position in the cabinet. Grant disliked him pretty violently too. He felt that Hayes was a party boss and a stain on the democratic process. Whether he was right or wrong is mostly irreverent. What is relevant is who he turned to as his main cabinet advisor.
Grant knew Nelson Miles quite well; they had served together in the service. In fact, Grant had served under Miles back in the day. During Garfield's time in office, Miles was one of the only men to speak to Grant as a man and not some nepotism baby brute."
from General Miles
by Justin Hsu, published in 1999
"The first major issue of the Grant presidency was how to handle the aftermath of the Great Strike. Garfield had ordered troops to stay in the Midwest until factories could reopen. This did end up happening, and in time, but many thought that their work wasn't over. Most in Congress, especially the liberals and straight Republicans, advocated for keeping the troops in the Midwest for at least a year. On top of that, they argued to extend the time they held some strikers in jail 'for security'. Secretary Miles most certainly agreed and began to pressure Grant.
Thus, on the 9th, Grant gave the order to extend the occupation of the Striker States indefinitely to assist in rebuilding and keeping order. Though he also promised he'd have the troops leave sometime in 1891, While seen as a stain on American history today, this move was widely applauded by most of the nation. Over the next few months, the feds would have near dictatorial control over the rust belt, working in tandem with the new state governments to crack down on any striking sympathies. In many ways, they were too successful at this.
It's disputed to what extent Grant knew about the methods of the occupation. It's not disputed as to what Miles knew, though. Regular executions, brutality, and unwarranted arrests were the order of the day. Union leaders like Debs and Gompers were practically exiled from the Midwest, terrified of another arrest. Grant did exactly what many wanted. He restored law and order. The cost, however, was human life, and more than a couple bent laws.
On the third of January, that came back to bite Grant. William Schultz was a striker from Chicago. He had stayed in the encampments while the military cleared them out, and he was brutally beaten and arrested. Schultz spoke little English and was personally German. His angry screams at the soldiers while he was beaten inspired a small skirmish. This led to the soldiers believing Schultz to be some sort of mastermind for the German workers. Over the next few months, Schultz was subjected to torture and was not among those pardoned by Garfield, being seen as too dangerous. While in prison, Schultz gained multiple fractured ribs, was malnourished, and was regularly waterboarded.
He said that he believed the hell would never end, but after the army realized that Schutz was no activist mastermind, he was promptly released and thrown back on the streets a week before Christmas in 1890. With little money, Schultz wandered the streets until being taken in by a family on Christmas Eve. This family happened to be hosting Eugene Debs, who had returned to Chicago to make a speech on Christmas morning. Upon hearing Schultz's story, Debs saw potential.
The following morning, Debs brought Schultz with him to his speech. He introduced the crowd to Schultz and told his story. Debs asked the laborers in the crowd to give anything possible to his legal fees. By the new year, Schultz had more than enough to sue and thus certainly did. Schultz v. US was the first of the Striker cases. Weeks later, nearly 25 lawsuits were filed, including one by Eugene Debs, against the government over the crackdown and subsequent occupation. In February, the Supreme Court agreed to take the cases in one package.
The Court would decide if strike-busting and martial law were constitutional.
Now it's important to note that a majority of the American public had little to no sympathy for the trial. In fact, they were in full support of Grant's actions and began to protest in favor of the federal government outside the Supreme Court. In a shock to no one, the working class greatly supported the strikers. They also planned protests in solidarity, but Grant expanded the occupation during the trial in an attempt to quell and discourage any violence.
In April, the Court announced that, in an 8-1 decision, they were nearly unanimously siding with the government. Chief Justice Stanley Matthews wrote the majority opinion. Arguing that since the Great Strike had turned violent, the strikers were acting as a rebellious force, and thus the Federal Government had every right to crush them and any following threat. The only dissent came from John Marshall Harlan, who argued that the federal reaction set a dangerous precedent for what can and cannot be done to strikers. This decision caused near-instant violence and protests in the Rust Belt. It was quickly put down, but the protests would lead to Grant announcing the occupation would continue until January 1st, 1892.
The other impact seen in the Striker decision was the second part of the majority opinion. 'the Federal Government had every right to crush them and any following threat.' Any following threat. Almost immediately, the Freedmen's Party argued that that same line could be attributed to the failed reconstruction states and their new voter suppression and segregation laws.
Representative Booker T. Washington wrote a bill that would give the federal government the authority to enforce the 15th Amendment and ban any voter suppression methods being used in these failed reconstruction states. The 'Booker Bill' was similar to the 'Lodge Bill' written by now Attorney General Henry Cabot Lodge three years prior. In April, Attorney General Lodge met with Washington and offered his support for a mix of the two bills. After some negotiation, the Republicans and Freedmen threw their weight behind the bill.
But instead of an easy passage, the bill was soon stuck in committee. The Liberals were hesitant. Speaker Reed personally supported the bill but wanted to wait until after the 1892 election. He told Washington that he couldn't guarantee enough liberal votes to pass the Democratic resistance. This was mostly due to the fact that the Democrats promised to filibuster the bill. Washington then tried to make a deal with James B. Weaver and the populists, hoping to enlist their help in breaking a potential filibuster. Again, Weaver supported the idea but was unwilling to give vocal support, fearing a populist split. At a dead end, Washington didn't know what to do. Upon telling Lodge about this, a new plan was formed. It was three-pronged.
First, Lodge would enlist the support of Grant and the RNC; they would ensure that the 'Booker Bill' was a major campaign piece in the upcoming election. Second, a large-scale media campaign would be launched in the north and west, building popular support. And finally, the Department of Equity would challenge these segregation laws in court and try to get them to the mostly Republican Supreme Court by 1892. If successful, the 'Booker Bill' would be ready for passage by 1893! They would just have to win in 1892."
from The Second Grant
by Hannah Juliet, published in 2005
"Indian affairs were disturbing during the Grant Presidency. It had been a dream of the RNC since the Sheridan days to clear out the Great Plains. This hope was largely dashed by a lack of Congressional support. When Garfield came into office, he hoped for reconciliation and pushed no further on any Indian conflict. Grant had different plans, however. Upon taking office, he knew that a landslide loss was coming in the midterms. That said, if he could pass any Congressional blank check before the next Congress was inaugurated, he'd be set. So, Grant, the RNC, and the populists of all people worked together to get a free reign bill passed.
That's right, the populists. Many of them were from the plains and supported removing the natives. They were actually quite glad to vote in full support of the bill. They also gained the support of the Freedmen representatives, who made impassioned speeches against native attacks! Even in the civilized lands of Sequoya. The Indian representatives walked out, refusing to face the mistreatment. On December 18th, the "Indian Relocation Bill" was passed. Giving the president the power to move Indian reservations at will. Instead of doing this immediately, Grant decided to wait until new states could be admitted to the Plains. We are hoping to use the state governments as assistance for the removal.
A year and a half later, on July 4, 1892, the plains states entered the union. On July 5th, Grant ordered all native tribes on reservations above the 40th parallel to move into New Mexico or Arizona Territory by January 1st, 1893. Grant hoped to center all natives in the Southwest, closer to Sequoya, making that area of the nation an evolved "Indian Territory." Obviously, many tribes didn't take this very well."
from The Second Trail of Tears
by Angie Kingsley, published 1982
On the foreign front, one of the major developments were seen during the Grant Presidency. First, Haiti exploded into civil war on June 10th. After multiple decades of disaster, the nation finally broke at the seams. A group of staunchly anti-American military officers charged the executive mansion in Port-Au-Prince after an election saw the selection of a pro-American president, one Monpoint Jackson. The violence quickly led to calls for help from American businesses in Haiti and the State of Dominica.
Though the issue was slept on for a few days, it couldn't be resolved after the 16th, when six Americans were killed by the Haitian Army in Port-au-Prince. All six worked for the American Sugar Company. A day later, the Haitian Army apologized for the incident and offered to accept any offer for peace from the US. Grant never responded.
On June 23rd, under the advice of Secretary Miles, Grant went before Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Haiti for the threat to American business and sovereignty. The House, in a 311-28 vote, agreed with the President. The Haitian-American War had begun.
General William Shafter was sent to Dominica with 5000 men with orders to restore order to Haiti and occupy the nation. General Shafter carried out his orders with diligence. Upon crossing the border into Haiti on July 6th, he quickly mopped up insurgents who had been attacking small Dominican farms over the past month. After a series of skirmishes on his way to Port-au-Prince, many in the Haitian military surrendered. The pro-American President and his forces quickly joined forces with Shafter, and he was practically given a military parade upon arriving at the Capitol. It had been liberated by President Jackson and a small American fleet sent from Florida a week prior. By July 29th, the war was over.
In the treaty, President Jackson would reassume control over the nation, General Shafter and the Army would remain in the nation to assist in 'Keeping Order' and American business would be given special privileges in the nation. In other words, Haiti was now an American puppet and one being queued up for annexation."
from The Haitian American War
by Henrietta Lee, published 1977
-
A FULL TIMELINE OF THE HAITIAN-AMERICAN WAR TO COME TOMORROW!
Also the 1892 Vignettes to come out tomorrow with the Conventions for 1892 soon to follow.
In fact, he spent most of the Great Strike on a hunting trip with his brother. He had to be tracked down and asked to return to Washington, D.C., after the strike became a serious issue. Upon his return to the White House, Grant mostly stayed out of cabinet meetings. He felt as if he wasn't wanted there anyway; Hayes never spoke to him, and he practically ran the government anyway. What was the point?
Well, on October 1st, President Garfield asked Grant to come into his office. He spoke with him and then informed him that he would be resigning. The stress had gotten to him. Garfield spent five hours catching Grant up to speed. He then gave him a pat on the shoulder and resigned the following morning without saying a word. He hadn't even told the cabinet; when Hayes read it in the papers, he thought it was a joke. When he rushed into Garfield's office to find him, he realized he was gone. Halfway back to Ohio. At that moment, Hayes' heart sank into his stomach.
Grant spent the first week of his presidency being hounded by everyone in Congress. He had gone from being obsolete to being the most powerful man in the nation. Grant was personally non-political. He was a Republican but really didn't think much about politics. All these people who devoted their lives to politics, some even to gaining his job, were pretty overwhelming to the young man. He would often refuse to speak to any politicians, instead surrounding himself with family and friends. Hayes quickly lost his influential position in the cabinet. Grant disliked him pretty violently too. He felt that Hayes was a party boss and a stain on the democratic process. Whether he was right or wrong is mostly irreverent. What is relevant is who he turned to as his main cabinet advisor.
Grant knew Nelson Miles quite well; they had served together in the service. In fact, Grant had served under Miles back in the day. During Garfield's time in office, Miles was one of the only men to speak to Grant as a man and not some nepotism baby brute."
from General Miles
by Justin Hsu, published in 1999
"The first major issue of the Grant presidency was how to handle the aftermath of the Great Strike. Garfield had ordered troops to stay in the Midwest until factories could reopen. This did end up happening, and in time, but many thought that their work wasn't over. Most in Congress, especially the liberals and straight Republicans, advocated for keeping the troops in the Midwest for at least a year. On top of that, they argued to extend the time they held some strikers in jail 'for security'. Secretary Miles most certainly agreed and began to pressure Grant.
Thus, on the 9th, Grant gave the order to extend the occupation of the Striker States indefinitely to assist in rebuilding and keeping order. Though he also promised he'd have the troops leave sometime in 1891, While seen as a stain on American history today, this move was widely applauded by most of the nation. Over the next few months, the feds would have near dictatorial control over the rust belt, working in tandem with the new state governments to crack down on any striking sympathies. In many ways, they were too successful at this.
It's disputed to what extent Grant knew about the methods of the occupation. It's not disputed as to what Miles knew, though. Regular executions, brutality, and unwarranted arrests were the order of the day. Union leaders like Debs and Gompers were practically exiled from the Midwest, terrified of another arrest. Grant did exactly what many wanted. He restored law and order. The cost, however, was human life, and more than a couple bent laws.
On the third of January, that came back to bite Grant. William Schultz was a striker from Chicago. He had stayed in the encampments while the military cleared them out, and he was brutally beaten and arrested. Schultz spoke little English and was personally German. His angry screams at the soldiers while he was beaten inspired a small skirmish. This led to the soldiers believing Schultz to be some sort of mastermind for the German workers. Over the next few months, Schultz was subjected to torture and was not among those pardoned by Garfield, being seen as too dangerous. While in prison, Schultz gained multiple fractured ribs, was malnourished, and was regularly waterboarded.
He said that he believed the hell would never end, but after the army realized that Schutz was no activist mastermind, he was promptly released and thrown back on the streets a week before Christmas in 1890. With little money, Schultz wandered the streets until being taken in by a family on Christmas Eve. This family happened to be hosting Eugene Debs, who had returned to Chicago to make a speech on Christmas morning. Upon hearing Schultz's story, Debs saw potential.
The following morning, Debs brought Schultz with him to his speech. He introduced the crowd to Schultz and told his story. Debs asked the laborers in the crowd to give anything possible to his legal fees. By the new year, Schultz had more than enough to sue and thus certainly did. Schultz v. US was the first of the Striker cases. Weeks later, nearly 25 lawsuits were filed, including one by Eugene Debs, against the government over the crackdown and subsequent occupation. In February, the Supreme Court agreed to take the cases in one package.
The Court would decide if strike-busting and martial law were constitutional.
Now it's important to note that a majority of the American public had little to no sympathy for the trial. In fact, they were in full support of Grant's actions and began to protest in favor of the federal government outside the Supreme Court. In a shock to no one, the working class greatly supported the strikers. They also planned protests in solidarity, but Grant expanded the occupation during the trial in an attempt to quell and discourage any violence.
In April, the Court announced that, in an 8-1 decision, they were nearly unanimously siding with the government. Chief Justice Stanley Matthews wrote the majority opinion. Arguing that since the Great Strike had turned violent, the strikers were acting as a rebellious force, and thus the Federal Government had every right to crush them and any following threat. The only dissent came from John Marshall Harlan, who argued that the federal reaction set a dangerous precedent for what can and cannot be done to strikers. This decision caused near-instant violence and protests in the Rust Belt. It was quickly put down, but the protests would lead to Grant announcing the occupation would continue until January 1st, 1892.
The other impact seen in the Striker decision was the second part of the majority opinion. 'the Federal Government had every right to crush them and any following threat.' Any following threat. Almost immediately, the Freedmen's Party argued that that same line could be attributed to the failed reconstruction states and their new voter suppression and segregation laws.
Representative Booker T. Washington wrote a bill that would give the federal government the authority to enforce the 15th Amendment and ban any voter suppression methods being used in these failed reconstruction states. The 'Booker Bill' was similar to the 'Lodge Bill' written by now Attorney General Henry Cabot Lodge three years prior. In April, Attorney General Lodge met with Washington and offered his support for a mix of the two bills. After some negotiation, the Republicans and Freedmen threw their weight behind the bill.
But instead of an easy passage, the bill was soon stuck in committee. The Liberals were hesitant. Speaker Reed personally supported the bill but wanted to wait until after the 1892 election. He told Washington that he couldn't guarantee enough liberal votes to pass the Democratic resistance. This was mostly due to the fact that the Democrats promised to filibuster the bill. Washington then tried to make a deal with James B. Weaver and the populists, hoping to enlist their help in breaking a potential filibuster. Again, Weaver supported the idea but was unwilling to give vocal support, fearing a populist split. At a dead end, Washington didn't know what to do. Upon telling Lodge about this, a new plan was formed. It was three-pronged.
First, Lodge would enlist the support of Grant and the RNC; they would ensure that the 'Booker Bill' was a major campaign piece in the upcoming election. Second, a large-scale media campaign would be launched in the north and west, building popular support. And finally, the Department of Equity would challenge these segregation laws in court and try to get them to the mostly Republican Supreme Court by 1892. If successful, the 'Booker Bill' would be ready for passage by 1893! They would just have to win in 1892."
from The Second Grant
by Hannah Juliet, published in 2005
"Indian affairs were disturbing during the Grant Presidency. It had been a dream of the RNC since the Sheridan days to clear out the Great Plains. This hope was largely dashed by a lack of Congressional support. When Garfield came into office, he hoped for reconciliation and pushed no further on any Indian conflict. Grant had different plans, however. Upon taking office, he knew that a landslide loss was coming in the midterms. That said, if he could pass any Congressional blank check before the next Congress was inaugurated, he'd be set. So, Grant, the RNC, and the populists of all people worked together to get a free reign bill passed.
That's right, the populists. Many of them were from the plains and supported removing the natives. They were actually quite glad to vote in full support of the bill. They also gained the support of the Freedmen representatives, who made impassioned speeches against native attacks! Even in the civilized lands of Sequoya. The Indian representatives walked out, refusing to face the mistreatment. On December 18th, the "Indian Relocation Bill" was passed. Giving the president the power to move Indian reservations at will. Instead of doing this immediately, Grant decided to wait until new states could be admitted to the Plains. We are hoping to use the state governments as assistance for the removal.
A year and a half later, on July 4, 1892, the plains states entered the union. On July 5th, Grant ordered all native tribes on reservations above the 40th parallel to move into New Mexico or Arizona Territory by January 1st, 1893. Grant hoped to center all natives in the Southwest, closer to Sequoya, making that area of the nation an evolved "Indian Territory." Obviously, many tribes didn't take this very well."
from The Second Trail of Tears
by Angie Kingsley, published 1982
On the foreign front, one of the major developments were seen during the Grant Presidency. First, Haiti exploded into civil war on June 10th. After multiple decades of disaster, the nation finally broke at the seams. A group of staunchly anti-American military officers charged the executive mansion in Port-Au-Prince after an election saw the selection of a pro-American president, one Monpoint Jackson. The violence quickly led to calls for help from American businesses in Haiti and the State of Dominica.
Though the issue was slept on for a few days, it couldn't be resolved after the 16th, when six Americans were killed by the Haitian Army in Port-au-Prince. All six worked for the American Sugar Company. A day later, the Haitian Army apologized for the incident and offered to accept any offer for peace from the US. Grant never responded.
On June 23rd, under the advice of Secretary Miles, Grant went before Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Haiti for the threat to American business and sovereignty. The House, in a 311-28 vote, agreed with the President. The Haitian-American War had begun.
General William Shafter was sent to Dominica with 5000 men with orders to restore order to Haiti and occupy the nation. General Shafter carried out his orders with diligence. Upon crossing the border into Haiti on July 6th, he quickly mopped up insurgents who had been attacking small Dominican farms over the past month. After a series of skirmishes on his way to Port-au-Prince, many in the Haitian military surrendered. The pro-American President and his forces quickly joined forces with Shafter, and he was practically given a military parade upon arriving at the Capitol. It had been liberated by President Jackson and a small American fleet sent from Florida a week prior. By July 29th, the war was over.
In the treaty, President Jackson would reassume control over the nation, General Shafter and the Army would remain in the nation to assist in 'Keeping Order' and American business would be given special privileges in the nation. In other words, Haiti was now an American puppet and one being queued up for annexation."
from The Haitian American War
by Henrietta Lee, published 1977
-
A FULL TIMELINE OF THE HAITIAN-AMERICAN WAR TO COME TOMORROW!
Also the 1892 Vignettes to come out tomorrow with the Conventions for 1892 soon to follow.
1891
June 1st: President Legitime is assassinated by a disgruntled citizen.
June 9th: The Haitian Assembly selects Monpoint Jackson as the next President of Haiti over Florvil Hyppolite after an emergency election.
June 10th: Due to Jackson's pro-business stances and neutral American stances, General Tiresias Simon Sam of the Haitian army enters Port-Au-Prince and occupies governmental buildings. The same day Jackson flees the capitol, Sam inaugurates Hyppolite (a Haitian nationalist) to the presidency.
June 11th: Jackson flees to Saint Marc. There he meets with the Dominican Goods Corporation at their center in Saint Marc, who offers him monetary support.
June 12th: Hyppolite declares Jackson an outlaw and declares martial law across the nation.
June 13th: President Grant is informed of the situation just a few hours after Jackson declares Saint Marc to be the provisional capitol.
June 14th: Jackson's loyalists raise an army with the support of the Goods Corporation.
June 14th: Hyppolite sends out General Sam to Saint Marc with orders to capture the city.
June 15th: The Haitain Army camps outside Saint Marc and orders Jackson's surrender within 24 hours.
June 16th: The Battle of Saint Marc takes place, and a stray artillery shell hits the Goods Companies' refinery just outside Saint Marc. Six Americans are killed, along with 15 Haitian workers.
June 17th: President Grant is informed of the deaths. Secretary Miles formally requests a declaration of war against Haiti.
June 17th: The Battle of Saint Marc ends in an army victory. Jackson again flees, this time to the American border, along with some escaping American businessmen.
June 17th: President Hyppolite formally apologizes for the incident.
June 18th: As newspapers across the US pick up the story, Grant allows Jackson asylum in Dominica. He refuses to comment on the situation.
June 19th: President Hyppolite offers reparations and recompense for the deaths of the Americans.
June 20th–21st: Revolts and protests against Hyppolite begin across Haiti.
June 22nd: Grant announces that the six dead American lives will not be lost in vain.
June 23rd: President Grant asks Congress to declare war on Haiti for the killing of Americans, the threat to American businesses, and the threat to the State of Dominica. The resolution passes 311-28.
June 24th: Hypoplite declares that the US is no enemy and calls for peace.
June 25th: General William Shafter is dispatched to Miami with 5000 men. His orders are to sail to Dominica as soon as possible.
June 26th: The State Department cuts off all communication with Port-Au-Prince.
June 27th: Haitian insurgents and militias begin to cross the border into Dominica and attack American settlers. Within hours, the Dominican Nation Guard is ordered to send them back over the border. Without any losses, they are successful, killing 24 Haitians.
June 28th–July 5th: No major combat.
July 1st: Captain George Dewey is sent aboard the USS Iowa to Port-Au-Prince Bay. Iowa arrives just outside the bay on the 2nd; guns idle, she waits ominously on the horizon.
July 3rd: Shafter and American troops arrive in Santo Domingo and set out for the border.
July 6th: After handling the remaining Haitian insurgents in Dominica, Shafter crosses the border and occupies Cornillion within a day.
July 8th: Shafter meets with President Jackson and helps raise up American-supporting rebels.
July 11th: The first true skirmish of the war begins as the Haitian Army is caught in Shafter's trap outside Cornillion. After a crushing Haitian defeat, Shafter chases them down.
July 13th: General Sam loses a second skirmish to Shafter about halfway to Port-Au-Prince.
July 13th: After the skirmish, President Jackson is sent ahead with 500 American men and 2000 Haitian Loyalists in hopes that they will gain more support. Shafter, planning for a long game, moves north towards Saint Marc to free up the Dominican Goods Company.
July 15th: Jackson arrives in Port-Au-Prince; though initially outnumbered by Sam and the Army, a riot quickly begins among the terrified populace. Iowa finally decides to sail into the Bay directly.
July 16th: During the chaos, President Hyppolite flees the Capitol, going south.
July 18th: General Sam gets the upper hand on the rioters and President Jackson. Requests for help is sent to the Iowa in the Bay. Captain Dewey orders a bombardment of Port-au-Prince.
July 18th: The city cannons fire at the Iowa; three sailors are killed, but the city defense is no match for the guns. The coastline is leveled, and hundreds of civilians are killed. The chaos led to mass surrenders by the Haitian army. General Sam is captured.
July 19th: General Shafter fights a third skirmish outside Saint Marc before taking the city.
July 20th: Shafter supports the Dominican Goods Company in getting back up and running. He then learns of the battle in the Capitol and rushes south.
July 22nd: Shafter arrives in Port-Au-Prince and watches the second inauguration of Monpoint Jackson. Shafter and Dewey declare victory.
July 23rd: A manhunt for Hyppolite begins as the whole nation is placed under American occupation with little resistance.
July 25th: Shafter assists the Goods Company in gaining favorable contracts in every city in Haiti.
July 29th: Hyppolite officially surrenders. The next day, he is shot alongside General Sam.
August 28th: The Treaty of Savannah is signed, keeping Haiti "independent" though under American occupation.
September 3rd: Dewey and Shafter are given a parade in New York City. President Grant gives out medals to both.
June 1st: President Legitime is assassinated by a disgruntled citizen.
June 9th: The Haitian Assembly selects Monpoint Jackson as the next President of Haiti over Florvil Hyppolite after an emergency election.
June 10th: Due to Jackson's pro-business stances and neutral American stances, General Tiresias Simon Sam of the Haitian army enters Port-Au-Prince and occupies governmental buildings. The same day Jackson flees the capitol, Sam inaugurates Hyppolite (a Haitian nationalist) to the presidency.
June 11th: Jackson flees to Saint Marc. There he meets with the Dominican Goods Corporation at their center in Saint Marc, who offers him monetary support.
June 12th: Hyppolite declares Jackson an outlaw and declares martial law across the nation.
June 13th: President Grant is informed of the situation just a few hours after Jackson declares Saint Marc to be the provisional capitol.
June 14th: Jackson's loyalists raise an army with the support of the Goods Corporation.
June 14th: Hyppolite sends out General Sam to Saint Marc with orders to capture the city.
June 15th: The Haitain Army camps outside Saint Marc and orders Jackson's surrender within 24 hours.
June 16th: The Battle of Saint Marc takes place, and a stray artillery shell hits the Goods Companies' refinery just outside Saint Marc. Six Americans are killed, along with 15 Haitian workers.
June 17th: President Grant is informed of the deaths. Secretary Miles formally requests a declaration of war against Haiti.
June 17th: The Battle of Saint Marc ends in an army victory. Jackson again flees, this time to the American border, along with some escaping American businessmen.
June 17th: President Hyppolite formally apologizes for the incident.
June 18th: As newspapers across the US pick up the story, Grant allows Jackson asylum in Dominica. He refuses to comment on the situation.
June 19th: President Hyppolite offers reparations and recompense for the deaths of the Americans.
June 20th–21st: Revolts and protests against Hyppolite begin across Haiti.
June 22nd: Grant announces that the six dead American lives will not be lost in vain.
June 23rd: President Grant asks Congress to declare war on Haiti for the killing of Americans, the threat to American businesses, and the threat to the State of Dominica. The resolution passes 311-28.
June 24th: Hypoplite declares that the US is no enemy and calls for peace.
June 25th: General William Shafter is dispatched to Miami with 5000 men. His orders are to sail to Dominica as soon as possible.
June 26th: The State Department cuts off all communication with Port-Au-Prince.
June 27th: Haitian insurgents and militias begin to cross the border into Dominica and attack American settlers. Within hours, the Dominican Nation Guard is ordered to send them back over the border. Without any losses, they are successful, killing 24 Haitians.
June 28th–July 5th: No major combat.
July 1st: Captain George Dewey is sent aboard the USS Iowa to Port-Au-Prince Bay. Iowa arrives just outside the bay on the 2nd; guns idle, she waits ominously on the horizon.
July 3rd: Shafter and American troops arrive in Santo Domingo and set out for the border.
July 6th: After handling the remaining Haitian insurgents in Dominica, Shafter crosses the border and occupies Cornillion within a day.
July 8th: Shafter meets with President Jackson and helps raise up American-supporting rebels.
July 11th: The first true skirmish of the war begins as the Haitian Army is caught in Shafter's trap outside Cornillion. After a crushing Haitian defeat, Shafter chases them down.
July 13th: General Sam loses a second skirmish to Shafter about halfway to Port-Au-Prince.
July 13th: After the skirmish, President Jackson is sent ahead with 500 American men and 2000 Haitian Loyalists in hopes that they will gain more support. Shafter, planning for a long game, moves north towards Saint Marc to free up the Dominican Goods Company.
July 15th: Jackson arrives in Port-Au-Prince; though initially outnumbered by Sam and the Army, a riot quickly begins among the terrified populace. Iowa finally decides to sail into the Bay directly.
July 16th: During the chaos, President Hyppolite flees the Capitol, going south.
July 18th: General Sam gets the upper hand on the rioters and President Jackson. Requests for help is sent to the Iowa in the Bay. Captain Dewey orders a bombardment of Port-au-Prince.
July 18th: The city cannons fire at the Iowa; three sailors are killed, but the city defense is no match for the guns. The coastline is leveled, and hundreds of civilians are killed. The chaos led to mass surrenders by the Haitian army. General Sam is captured.
July 19th: General Shafter fights a third skirmish outside Saint Marc before taking the city.
July 20th: Shafter supports the Dominican Goods Company in getting back up and running. He then learns of the battle in the Capitol and rushes south.
July 22nd: Shafter arrives in Port-Au-Prince and watches the second inauguration of Monpoint Jackson. Shafter and Dewey declare victory.
July 23rd: A manhunt for Hyppolite begins as the whole nation is placed under American occupation with little resistance.
July 25th: Shafter assists the Goods Company in gaining favorable contracts in every city in Haiti.
July 29th: Hyppolite officially surrenders. The next day, he is shot alongside General Sam.
August 28th: The Treaty of Savannah is signed, keeping Haiti "independent" though under American occupation.
September 3rd: Dewey and Shafter are given a parade in New York City. President Grant gives out medals to both.
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January 18th, 1892
"What do you think, Fred?" Nelson Miles looked to Grant. Miles was in full military uniform; he wore it to every damn cabinet meeting. Miles removed his reading glasses and raised his eyebrows.
"Well, uh, I think Nelson is right. Any insurgents in Haiti ought to be put down with haste," the president slumped back in his seat. He was tired. These meetings had become tiresome; he wished that he could be the general occupying Haiti, but no, he was stuck with leading the Union. The worst goddamn job in the fucking Union.
"Very well! Shall I have the preliminary restrictions removed?" Miles again looked at Grant with a semi-stern look.
"Yes, Nelson, you should. Mr. Lodge, how's the end of the occupation in the rust belt going along?" Henry Cabot Lodge piped up and smiled at Grant.
"Well, Mr. President, it's going smoothly; the first and second corps are leaving as we speak. To my understanding, there has been no violence. The Illinois and Ohio guards did report some vandalism earlier in the morning, but nothing to worry about." Grant smiled. Some good news.
"Excellent Henry, thank you."
"Mr. President, if I may inquire, How has convincing the party bosses of the merits of the Booker Bill gone?" Grant slumped back down again.
"Well Henry,-" Grant was stopped. At the end of the table, an old man sat up and began to speak with a gravelly voice.
"I'm giving it my all, Mr. Lodge. The RNC is hesitant to make the bill so front and center on the campaign trail.” Rutherford B. Hayes looked a hundred, and despite all of Grant's contempt, that old man ran the party. Grant gritted his teeth. He looked at the men in his cabinet and then took a deep breath.
"Gentlemen, I've been meaning to tell you..." Hayes again piped up in the middle of Grant's sentence.
"You aren't running. Aren't you a boy?" Grant turned to look at Hayes. Hayes smiled so wide that he started to cough.
"How did you?"
"Thank christ."
"Excuse me!" Grant raised his voice and looked at Hayes.
"Show some respect, Mr. Hayes," Miles said from the other side of the room.
"Mr. President, I think you should reconsider."
"I don't," again, Hayes was deadly serious, cutting Miles off. Again, Grant turned. Again, Hayes let out a cough.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" Grant screamed that time. It had gotten to him. Quickly, he realized his mistake. Hayes smiled and laughed.
"I am your boss, Pipsqueak! Who do I think I am? Who do you think you are, boy!?" Grant went quiet, as did the rest of the room.
"I'll tell you! You are jackshit! Your only worth comes from your name; you are a brute, a fool, and a failure! A failure upwards perhaps, but one nonetheless," Hayes stood up.
"DO NOT THINK THAT YOUR FANCY HOUSE MAKES YOU SKILLED! IT MAKES YOU PRIVLE, AH!" Hayes began to cough violently. He grabbed the table, then he grabbed his chest.
"CHRIST!" Hayes hit the ground, coughing. Miles rushed over and propped him up.
"Fuck, someone get a doctor!"
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January 6th, 1893
The soft sounds of the spoon clinking against the coffee cup emanated throughout the tent. Lieutenant John J. Pershing had woken up just ten minutes ago. It was now his 22nd day in this junglescape. He could hear the calling of exotic birds outside. Pershing hadn't wanted to map out and pre-settle land in West Africa. He had wanted to stay at West Point and continue his instruction. He felt like command was sending him away to the edge of the world for nothing.
At least morale was high enough. It's rare that the men are still chipper this far in; only five have been lost. Mostly malaria. One to some sort of bug bite.
"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!" A young scout rushed into his tent, covered in dirt. He haphazardly saluted Pershing.
"Christ, can it wait?" Pershing placed his mug down.
"No, sir, I'm afraid not! In the distance, a large army is coming!" Pershing's eyes widened.
"What?! A tribe?"
"No sir! I couldn't get a good look, but they looked white; there must be a few hundred rustling around out there. I couldn't get a good look with all the foliage." The scout was panting heavily.
"Breathe. It's alright." Pershing stood and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"How long do we have?" The scout looked up.
"A few hours at the latest."
"Did they seem hostile?"
"I couldn't tell."
"Thank you, private; get some rest." Pershing saluted the scout and then exited his tent.
"Jack!" An officer looked up.
"You heard, sir?" Pershing nodded.
"Yes, tell the men to be at attention." Captain Jack Fowler saluted and started yelling at the men to get up and be at attention. Pershing's son heard distant yelling. Before he had time to properly react, three horsemen rode into the center of the camp, causing a commotion. The men wore khaki and yelled out.
"Where is your commanding officer?!" Pershing strolled up to the horsemen and yelled back.
"That would be me! Lt. John Pershing, United States African Expedition!"
"Ah! Hello Lieutenant! I am Major Thomas Downing of her majesty's Sierra Leone garrison. I regret to inform you that you have seemingly trespassed into British territory." Downing smiled at Pershing, who gave him a perplexed look. Pershing looked to Jack, who quickly shrugged.
"Major, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Niger River is behind us, right?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, it is indeed."
"Well, then I regret to inform you that you are trespassing on American territory. In just under a month, some settlers are set to arrive and"
"You are mistaken, Mr. Pershing!"
"I am definitely not Mr. Downing!" The two men awkwardly stared at one another for a few moments before Downing spoke again.
"Well, this is unfortunate. Lieutenant, by order of Governor Fleming, you must leave this territory and return to Liberia within 48 hours," Pershing smiled.
"I see, well, Major, by order of the President, I am not to leave this territory until settlers arrive in a few weeks." Downing's demeanor changed from chipper to serious.
"If you do not vacate this territory, I shall have you forcibly removed from it."
"What if I don't want to be forcibly removed?" Pershing smiled.
"That would be a predicament, wouldn't it?" Pershing followed up. Downing opened his mouth to respond, but was beat to the punch again by Pershing.
"You three enjoy whiskey?" The Brits stared at Pershing.
"Maybe we can, uh, sort this out over a bottle."
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May 8th, 1892
"Dear Governor Custer,
You are honorably invited to the 1892 Liberal National Convention, to be held on the 15th of July inside the beautiful Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Sincerely,
The Liberal National Committee"
Thomas Custer placed the letter down on his desk and stared at it. Less of a letter and more of a note card. They didn't even write a thoughtful message. Custer let out a small laugh all alone in his office. He would finish what George started. Ever since 1888, Libbie has turned her attention to Thomas. After all, his political career was going somewhere, and George had seemingly gotten tired of it all.
Thomas took the letter and placed it in his drawer. He then put his reading glasses back on and continued to half-read his morning briefing. All the words were tiring; he'd have some aide read them out to him in simpler terms later. All of this was a sideshow anyway. The real game was about to begin.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 22nd, 1892
"The House is adjourned!" Speaker Reed hit the gavel to the podium, and the House began to light up with conversion. For the eighth week in a row, the silver bill has stagnated. Repressive William Jennings Bryan sat in the back of the room in extreme disappointment. These people were refusing to lift a finger to do damn near anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bearded man approach him.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Bryan. The Liberals won't do a damn thing," James Weaver said in a consoling tone.
"Oh yes, I understand that, Mr. Weaver. They cannot see sense in a good bill if they have the eyes of a hawk," Weaver frowned.
"The unfortunate truth of politics, Mr. Bryan. Have no fear; we will get that damn bill of yours through, just maybe not in this Congress. Speaking of, I was wondering if you planned to come to the People's Convention next month in Topeka," Bryan smiled.
"Yes, sir, I plan to return west for the occasion." Weaver smiled brightly at that response.
"I'm glad to hear it! If you weren't 32, I'd personally nominate you for the Vice Presidency!"
"Thank you, sir; it's an honor coming from you."
"You do plan to speak at the convention? Yes?"
"Yes, Mr. Weaver, I do."
"Good, in that case, could I ask you a favor?"
"Of course!" Weaver went into a hushed tone and leaned in.
"How would you like to nominate me for the presidency next month in Topeka?" Bryan looked up at Weaver in shock.
"Why, it would be the honor of my life, sir."
"Good. I'll see you there, Will." Weaver gave him a pat on the back and left the floor. Bryan sat, frozen in time.
"What do you think, Fred?" Nelson Miles looked to Grant. Miles was in full military uniform; he wore it to every damn cabinet meeting. Miles removed his reading glasses and raised his eyebrows.
"Well, uh, I think Nelson is right. Any insurgents in Haiti ought to be put down with haste," the president slumped back in his seat. He was tired. These meetings had become tiresome; he wished that he could be the general occupying Haiti, but no, he was stuck with leading the Union. The worst goddamn job in the fucking Union.
"Very well! Shall I have the preliminary restrictions removed?" Miles again looked at Grant with a semi-stern look.
"Yes, Nelson, you should. Mr. Lodge, how's the end of the occupation in the rust belt going along?" Henry Cabot Lodge piped up and smiled at Grant.
"Well, Mr. President, it's going smoothly; the first and second corps are leaving as we speak. To my understanding, there has been no violence. The Illinois and Ohio guards did report some vandalism earlier in the morning, but nothing to worry about." Grant smiled. Some good news.
"Excellent Henry, thank you."
"Mr. President, if I may inquire, How has convincing the party bosses of the merits of the Booker Bill gone?" Grant slumped back down again.
"Well Henry,-" Grant was stopped. At the end of the table, an old man sat up and began to speak with a gravelly voice.
"I'm giving it my all, Mr. Lodge. The RNC is hesitant to make the bill so front and center on the campaign trail.” Rutherford B. Hayes looked a hundred, and despite all of Grant's contempt, that old man ran the party. Grant gritted his teeth. He looked at the men in his cabinet and then took a deep breath.
"Gentlemen, I've been meaning to tell you..." Hayes again piped up in the middle of Grant's sentence.
"You aren't running. Aren't you a boy?" Grant turned to look at Hayes. Hayes smiled so wide that he started to cough.
"How did you?"
"Thank christ."
"Excuse me!" Grant raised his voice and looked at Hayes.
"Show some respect, Mr. Hayes," Miles said from the other side of the room.
"Mr. President, I think you should reconsider."
"I don't," again, Hayes was deadly serious, cutting Miles off. Again, Grant turned. Again, Hayes let out a cough.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" Grant screamed that time. It had gotten to him. Quickly, he realized his mistake. Hayes smiled and laughed.
"I am your boss, Pipsqueak! Who do I think I am? Who do you think you are, boy!?" Grant went quiet, as did the rest of the room.
"I'll tell you! You are jackshit! Your only worth comes from your name; you are a brute, a fool, and a failure! A failure upwards perhaps, but one nonetheless," Hayes stood up.
"DO NOT THINK THAT YOUR FANCY HOUSE MAKES YOU SKILLED! IT MAKES YOU PRIVLE, AH!" Hayes began to cough violently. He grabbed the table, then he grabbed his chest.
"CHRIST!" Hayes hit the ground, coughing. Miles rushed over and propped him up.
"Fuck, someone get a doctor!"
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January 6th, 1893
The soft sounds of the spoon clinking against the coffee cup emanated throughout the tent. Lieutenant John J. Pershing had woken up just ten minutes ago. It was now his 22nd day in this junglescape. He could hear the calling of exotic birds outside. Pershing hadn't wanted to map out and pre-settle land in West Africa. He had wanted to stay at West Point and continue his instruction. He felt like command was sending him away to the edge of the world for nothing.
At least morale was high enough. It's rare that the men are still chipper this far in; only five have been lost. Mostly malaria. One to some sort of bug bite.
"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!" A young scout rushed into his tent, covered in dirt. He haphazardly saluted Pershing.
"Christ, can it wait?" Pershing placed his mug down.
"No, sir, I'm afraid not! In the distance, a large army is coming!" Pershing's eyes widened.
"What?! A tribe?"
"No sir! I couldn't get a good look, but they looked white; there must be a few hundred rustling around out there. I couldn't get a good look with all the foliage." The scout was panting heavily.
"Breathe. It's alright." Pershing stood and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"How long do we have?" The scout looked up.
"A few hours at the latest."
"Did they seem hostile?"
"I couldn't tell."
"Thank you, private; get some rest." Pershing saluted the scout and then exited his tent.
"Jack!" An officer looked up.
"You heard, sir?" Pershing nodded.
"Yes, tell the men to be at attention." Captain Jack Fowler saluted and started yelling at the men to get up and be at attention. Pershing's son heard distant yelling. Before he had time to properly react, three horsemen rode into the center of the camp, causing a commotion. The men wore khaki and yelled out.
"Where is your commanding officer?!" Pershing strolled up to the horsemen and yelled back.
"That would be me! Lt. John Pershing, United States African Expedition!"
"Ah! Hello Lieutenant! I am Major Thomas Downing of her majesty's Sierra Leone garrison. I regret to inform you that you have seemingly trespassed into British territory." Downing smiled at Pershing, who gave him a perplexed look. Pershing looked to Jack, who quickly shrugged.
"Major, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Niger River is behind us, right?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, it is indeed."
"Well, then I regret to inform you that you are trespassing on American territory. In just under a month, some settlers are set to arrive and"
"You are mistaken, Mr. Pershing!"
"I am definitely not Mr. Downing!" The two men awkwardly stared at one another for a few moments before Downing spoke again.
"Well, this is unfortunate. Lieutenant, by order of Governor Fleming, you must leave this territory and return to Liberia within 48 hours," Pershing smiled.
"I see, well, Major, by order of the President, I am not to leave this territory until settlers arrive in a few weeks." Downing's demeanor changed from chipper to serious.
"If you do not vacate this territory, I shall have you forcibly removed from it."
"What if I don't want to be forcibly removed?" Pershing smiled.
"That would be a predicament, wouldn't it?" Pershing followed up. Downing opened his mouth to respond, but was beat to the punch again by Pershing.
"You three enjoy whiskey?" The Brits stared at Pershing.
"Maybe we can, uh, sort this out over a bottle."
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May 8th, 1892
"Dear Governor Custer,
You are honorably invited to the 1892 Liberal National Convention, to be held on the 15th of July inside the beautiful Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Sincerely,
The Liberal National Committee"
Thomas Custer placed the letter down on his desk and stared at it. Less of a letter and more of a note card. They didn't even write a thoughtful message. Custer let out a small laugh all alone in his office. He would finish what George started. Ever since 1888, Libbie has turned her attention to Thomas. After all, his political career was going somewhere, and George had seemingly gotten tired of it all.
Thomas took the letter and placed it in his drawer. He then put his reading glasses back on and continued to half-read his morning briefing. All the words were tiring; he'd have some aide read them out to him in simpler terms later. All of this was a sideshow anyway. The real game was about to begin.
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May 22nd, 1892
"The House is adjourned!" Speaker Reed hit the gavel to the podium, and the House began to light up with conversion. For the eighth week in a row, the silver bill has stagnated. Repressive William Jennings Bryan sat in the back of the room in extreme disappointment. These people were refusing to lift a finger to do damn near anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bearded man approach him.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Bryan. The Liberals won't do a damn thing," James Weaver said in a consoling tone.
"Oh yes, I understand that, Mr. Weaver. They cannot see sense in a good bill if they have the eyes of a hawk," Weaver frowned.
"The unfortunate truth of politics, Mr. Bryan. Have no fear; we will get that damn bill of yours through, just maybe not in this Congress. Speaking of, I was wondering if you planned to come to the People's Convention next month in Topeka," Bryan smiled.
"Yes, sir, I plan to return west for the occasion." Weaver smiled brightly at that response.
"I'm glad to hear it! If you weren't 32, I'd personally nominate you for the Vice Presidency!"
"Thank you, sir; it's an honor coming from you."
"You do plan to speak at the convention? Yes?"
"Yes, Mr. Weaver, I do."
"Good, in that case, could I ask you a favor?"
"Of course!" Weaver went into a hushed tone and leaned in.
"How would you like to nominate me for the presidency next month in Topeka?" Bryan looked up at Weaver in shock.
"Why, it would be the honor of my life, sir."
"Good. I'll see you there, Will." Weaver gave him a pat on the back and left the floor. Bryan sat, frozen in time.
-
NOMINATIONS TO BEGIN TOMMORROW!
NOMINATIONS TO BEGIN TOMMORROW!
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THE PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONVENTION: June 21st-June 25th 1892, Topeka Kansas
"The People's Party National Convention was the largest gathering of American Progressives in history. The Farmers Alliance, the Prohibition Party, the Knights of Labor, the Greenback Party, the Nationalist Clubs, representatives from the Democratic and Freedmen Parties, the Anti-Monopoly Party, and the Labor Reform Party all sent representatives. Former Republicans, Democrats, and even a couple Liberals were in the hall; the air was vibrant. Hundreds of journalists were there to take notes. 'The People's Convention' is incredibly well recorded.
A lot of politicians were floated for the nomination. Perhaps most interestingly was the number of people who predicted a labor nominee, someone who was tied to labor unions. After the 'Great Strike', labor had become violently unpopular out east, but in the west and among the lower classes, labor leaders were seen as American folk hero's. People like Eugene Debs and Terrence Powderly became household names. These more socialist options for the nomination represented a little under half of the delegates in Topeka. The other two major factions of the Party were the farmers, represented by western politicians, primarily the famed James Weaver, who had taken on a position as the de facto leader of the Party, and Charles Macune, who led the Farmers Alliance. Finally, there were the Southern Populists. Most of these men were former Democrats from failed reconstruction states who represented white populism. Weaver believed it vital to placate the south more than the north in the convention. He believed that it was possible to convince the Democrats to nominate the populist candidate if there was a southern populist on the ticket; after all, their party had become limited to just a regional party; if the populists did well, they'd be back in the game!
The candidates for the presidential nomination were all expected. Edward Bellamy and Terrence Powderly split the labor vote on ballot one. Weaver was immediately the frontrunner but was being split by Macune's farmers and Field's southern men. Weaver had gotten an early boost from a young Nebraskan congressman named William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had become famous for his efforts on a silver bill in Congress; his speech in nominating Weaver gained a 20-minute standing ovation, hailing him as the poor man's champion and the breaker of monopoly power. Bryan's speech was so good that when it made it to the papers, the People's Convention gained a lot more traction. Even people in New York started to follow the latest.
On the second ballot, Powderly and Bellamy teamed up, uniting most of the Labor vote, but it wasn't enough. As the third ballot approached, some began to get jittery over the prospect of a long haul. Bryan and some other strong orators began to whip farmer votes to show any sign of voting change. They were successful in raising Weaver's overall share. Afterwards, the flood gates broke open. Weaver promised to support a southern man for the Vice Presidency, and with the united southern and western votes and further promises to include labor leaders in any future administration, Weaver was selected as the nominee on the fourth ballot by a huge margin.
True to his word, by the time of the vice presidential ballot, Weaver and many farmers had supported a surprise choice. The former Democratic nominee for Vice President and South Carolinian Governor is Benjamin Tillman. Tillman shared nearly every view that your average populist had on the economy. One of the main reasons he hadn't joined the People's Party was its nonexistence in his home state. But for Weaver's hope of uniting the populists and Democrats, he was the perfect choice. Again, William Jennings Bryan was asked to give the speech, placing Tillman's name in contention. Once again, his speech was excellent and persuasive, tactfully ignoring Tillman's views on race and emphasizing his views on the economic woes of the nation. The vote was generally region-based, with the southern and western delegates supporting him and the midwestern delegates supporting the young Eugene Debs.
There was some discontent among the laborers over Tillman's white supremacist views, but Weaver and Bryan made some more concessions and agreements that convinced them not to bolt.
Tillman didn't know about his nomination until a day later. Upon learning this, he decided that he would only accept if the Democratic National Convention asked him too.
PEOPLE'S NOMINEES
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Benjamin Tillman
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: June 29th-July 1st 1892, Atlanta Georgia
SHALL WE NOMINATE MR. JAMES WEAVER FOR PRESIDENT AND MR. BENJAMIN TILLMAN FOR VICE PRESIDENT?
Almost as soon as the Democratic National Convention ended, the battle for the Democratic Party began. Populist donors and politicians hopped on trains from Topeka straight towards the south. For four days, heated negotiations began with every single one of the 910 Democratic delegates. Though Tillman didn't personally negotiate with anyone, he was almost certainly involved behind the scenes. Tillman pulled as many strings as he could without making it seem explicit, to gain votes moving into the convention.
When the actual convention finally came, all the populist handwork not only came to fruition but seemed to be a waste! Damn, everyone in the hall agreed to nominate the people's ticket. With the exception of some leftover Bourbon Democrats, the party was united in this decision. They knew more uniquely than anyone that their party was dying. Relegated to the south, with no defense but the marshes of Louisiana and no hope to convince anyone in the north to vote for them ever again, the People's Party was thus, to them, a saving grace, a deliverance from the heavens. The way the south can become prominent, one again...
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEES
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Benjamin Tillman
THE FREEDMEN NATIONAL CONVENTION: July 1st 1892-July 4th 1892, Sewardton, Grant
The stagnation in Congress, especially over the Booker Bill, had left the most influential Freedmen incredibly dismayed. As a whole, the last four years could be described as chaotic, deadlocked, and eventful to a detrimental degree. Famed Freedmen speakers thus put a lot of blame on the RNC, and in particular the FNC-RNC alliance from 1888. In 1892, the FNC once again wanted to make a splash on the national scene and show the RNC that if freedmen aren't given proper attention, that voting bloc can always go away.
There was also fear of Black Gold and the other burgeoning freedmen running companies in the US. With the rapidly growing populist movement and the willingness of the RNC to appeal to them, most businesses felt threatened. Black Gold planned to make generous contributions to the Liberals in 1892 in hopes that they would win the election. What made them different from other monopolies that were doing the same, though, was their massive contributions to the FNC as well. James Garfield's victory outright in 1888 can be generally attributed to the black vote. Black Gold hoped that if the black vote was once again supercharged and split off from the Republicans, then they could throw the election to a much more lobby-able house of representatives.
Ever since the 'Booker Bill' was introduced to Congress a year prior, the young rising representative Washington from Alabama was named the frontrunner for the Freedmen Nomination, should they run their own candidate. In the weeks before the convention, this was even more sure, as Washington had been making a name for himself among the electorate outside of Alabama. By the time of the presidential ballot, absolutely no one was shocked to see Washington take the stage with haste.
The vice presidential ballot was more contentious, though also somewhat forgone. It was generally agreed that the vice presidential candidate needed to be older and more experienced than Washington. There were many options, from Representative Robert Smalls to the Governor of Lincoln, Jefferson T. Moore, but the one who stood out the most was Representative John M. Langston of Virginia. Langston was born a freeman in 1829. A lawyer, diplomat, legislative aide, and Representative, he was a steady hand. After a strong performance on the first ballot, he was selected as the vice presidential nominee and the first ever free-born FNC nominee."
FREEDMEN NOMINEES
For President: Booker T. Washington
For Vice President: John M. Langston
-From Every National Convention in American History
by Jacob Cohen, published 2012
| Presidential Ballots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Vice Presidential Ballot | 1 |
| James B. Weaver | 433 | 435 | 506 | 795 | Benjamin Tillman | 602 |
| Edward Bellamy | 242 | 362 | 364 | 254 | Eugene Debs | 471 |
| James G. Field | 207 | 223 | 199 | 43 | Others | 33 |
| Terrence Powderly | 122 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Charles Macune | 88 | 82 | 35 | 13 | ||
| Others | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
"The People's Party National Convention was the largest gathering of American Progressives in history. The Farmers Alliance, the Prohibition Party, the Knights of Labor, the Greenback Party, the Nationalist Clubs, representatives from the Democratic and Freedmen Parties, the Anti-Monopoly Party, and the Labor Reform Party all sent representatives. Former Republicans, Democrats, and even a couple Liberals were in the hall; the air was vibrant. Hundreds of journalists were there to take notes. 'The People's Convention' is incredibly well recorded.
A lot of politicians were floated for the nomination. Perhaps most interestingly was the number of people who predicted a labor nominee, someone who was tied to labor unions. After the 'Great Strike', labor had become violently unpopular out east, but in the west and among the lower classes, labor leaders were seen as American folk hero's. People like Eugene Debs and Terrence Powderly became household names. These more socialist options for the nomination represented a little under half of the delegates in Topeka. The other two major factions of the Party were the farmers, represented by western politicians, primarily the famed James Weaver, who had taken on a position as the de facto leader of the Party, and Charles Macune, who led the Farmers Alliance. Finally, there were the Southern Populists. Most of these men were former Democrats from failed reconstruction states who represented white populism. Weaver believed it vital to placate the south more than the north in the convention. He believed that it was possible to convince the Democrats to nominate the populist candidate if there was a southern populist on the ticket; after all, their party had become limited to just a regional party; if the populists did well, they'd be back in the game!
The candidates for the presidential nomination were all expected. Edward Bellamy and Terrence Powderly split the labor vote on ballot one. Weaver was immediately the frontrunner but was being split by Macune's farmers and Field's southern men. Weaver had gotten an early boost from a young Nebraskan congressman named William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had become famous for his efforts on a silver bill in Congress; his speech in nominating Weaver gained a 20-minute standing ovation, hailing him as the poor man's champion and the breaker of monopoly power. Bryan's speech was so good that when it made it to the papers, the People's Convention gained a lot more traction. Even people in New York started to follow the latest.
On the second ballot, Powderly and Bellamy teamed up, uniting most of the Labor vote, but it wasn't enough. As the third ballot approached, some began to get jittery over the prospect of a long haul. Bryan and some other strong orators began to whip farmer votes to show any sign of voting change. They were successful in raising Weaver's overall share. Afterwards, the flood gates broke open. Weaver promised to support a southern man for the Vice Presidency, and with the united southern and western votes and further promises to include labor leaders in any future administration, Weaver was selected as the nominee on the fourth ballot by a huge margin.
True to his word, by the time of the vice presidential ballot, Weaver and many farmers had supported a surprise choice. The former Democratic nominee for Vice President and South Carolinian Governor is Benjamin Tillman. Tillman shared nearly every view that your average populist had on the economy. One of the main reasons he hadn't joined the People's Party was its nonexistence in his home state. But for Weaver's hope of uniting the populists and Democrats, he was the perfect choice. Again, William Jennings Bryan was asked to give the speech, placing Tillman's name in contention. Once again, his speech was excellent and persuasive, tactfully ignoring Tillman's views on race and emphasizing his views on the economic woes of the nation. The vote was generally region-based, with the southern and western delegates supporting him and the midwestern delegates supporting the young Eugene Debs.
There was some discontent among the laborers over Tillman's white supremacist views, but Weaver and Bryan made some more concessions and agreements that convinced them not to bolt.
Tillman didn't know about his nomination until a day later. Upon learning this, he decided that he would only accept if the Democratic National Convention asked him too.
PEOPLE'S NOMINEES
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Benjamin Tillman
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: June 29th-July 1st 1892, Atlanta Georgia
SHALL WE NOMINATE MR. JAMES WEAVER FOR PRESIDENT AND MR. BENJAMIN TILLMAN FOR VICE PRESIDENT?
| YES | NO |
| 866 | 44 |
Almost as soon as the Democratic National Convention ended, the battle for the Democratic Party began. Populist donors and politicians hopped on trains from Topeka straight towards the south. For four days, heated negotiations began with every single one of the 910 Democratic delegates. Though Tillman didn't personally negotiate with anyone, he was almost certainly involved behind the scenes. Tillman pulled as many strings as he could without making it seem explicit, to gain votes moving into the convention.
When the actual convention finally came, all the populist handwork not only came to fruition but seemed to be a waste! Damn, everyone in the hall agreed to nominate the people's ticket. With the exception of some leftover Bourbon Democrats, the party was united in this decision. They knew more uniquely than anyone that their party was dying. Relegated to the south, with no defense but the marshes of Louisiana and no hope to convince anyone in the north to vote for them ever again, the People's Party was thus, to them, a saving grace, a deliverance from the heavens. The way the south can become prominent, one again...
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEES
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Benjamin Tillman
THE FREEDMEN NATIONAL CONVENTION: July 1st 1892-July 4th 1892, Sewardton, Grant
| Presidential Ballot | 1 | Vice Presidential Ballots | 1 | 2 |
| Booker T. Washington | 1,002 | John M. Langston | 530 | 888 |
| Others | 62 | Others | 534 | 176 |
The stagnation in Congress, especially over the Booker Bill, had left the most influential Freedmen incredibly dismayed. As a whole, the last four years could be described as chaotic, deadlocked, and eventful to a detrimental degree. Famed Freedmen speakers thus put a lot of blame on the RNC, and in particular the FNC-RNC alliance from 1888. In 1892, the FNC once again wanted to make a splash on the national scene and show the RNC that if freedmen aren't given proper attention, that voting bloc can always go away.
There was also fear of Black Gold and the other burgeoning freedmen running companies in the US. With the rapidly growing populist movement and the willingness of the RNC to appeal to them, most businesses felt threatened. Black Gold planned to make generous contributions to the Liberals in 1892 in hopes that they would win the election. What made them different from other monopolies that were doing the same, though, was their massive contributions to the FNC as well. James Garfield's victory outright in 1888 can be generally attributed to the black vote. Black Gold hoped that if the black vote was once again supercharged and split off from the Republicans, then they could throw the election to a much more lobby-able house of representatives.
Ever since the 'Booker Bill' was introduced to Congress a year prior, the young rising representative Washington from Alabama was named the frontrunner for the Freedmen Nomination, should they run their own candidate. In the weeks before the convention, this was even more sure, as Washington had been making a name for himself among the electorate outside of Alabama. By the time of the presidential ballot, absolutely no one was shocked to see Washington take the stage with haste.
The vice presidential ballot was more contentious, though also somewhat forgone. It was generally agreed that the vice presidential candidate needed to be older and more experienced than Washington. There were many options, from Representative Robert Smalls to the Governor of Lincoln, Jefferson T. Moore, but the one who stood out the most was Representative John M. Langston of Virginia. Langston was born a freeman in 1829. A lawyer, diplomat, legislative aide, and Representative, he was a steady hand. After a strong performance on the first ballot, he was selected as the vice presidential nominee and the first ever free-born FNC nominee."
FREEDMEN NOMINEES
For President: Booker T. Washington
For Vice President: John M. Langston
-From Every National Convention in American History
by Jacob Cohen, published 2012
-
This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but my WiFi router died. It's back now!
The other conventions should be posted sometime in the next few hours.
Also Sewardton is a fake town, obviously. It's in the north of Grant in the rockies and has a good reputation as a resort town.
This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but my WiFi router died. It's back now!
The other conventions should be posted sometime in the next few hours.
Also Sewardton is a fake town, obviously. It's in the north of Grant in the rockies and has a good reputation as a resort town.
Last edited:
THE LIBERAL NATIONAL CONVENTION: July 15th-July 28th, Cleveland, Ohio
"'THE SECOND CONVENTION OF THE CENTURY' was the monecker given to the Liberal National Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio, throughout most of July. The first 'Convention of the Century' was the name for the 1872 RNC, given its long and exciting nature. The 1892 LNC, in many ways, mirrored it but took everything to a greater extreme. More candidates, more politics, a more unknown dark horse, and more ballots—lots more ballots. In many ways, it was a damn slog. The Liberals were expecting to see victory in the 1892 presidential election; everyone coming hoped to be the one to win; none of them were willing to rest.
There were upwards of 40 people who got a vote at the convention; we couldn't possibly go over all of them, so I narrowed the list down to the nine most interesting. Going into the first ballot, there was New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Cleveland had been a presidential hopeful for some time; his support was vast but not rooted; his support was generally spread thinly and equally among the factions of the Democratic Party. Next was Richard P. Bland. Bland represented the 'Silver Libs', the few more populist-minded libs left in the party. It was their hope to deadlock the convention and grow their influence. After him was Thomas Custer, the brother of the 1888 Liberal nominee. Custer was an excellent choice and incredibly inoffensive, except he wasn't seen as particularly smart and was often seen to be brutish. Next was Chauncey Depew, a New York Liberal who had been engrained in the New York scene; early on, he was a problem for Cleveland, splitting his home state vote. Then there was William Phelps, a former Republican Governor of New Jersey, who commanded some other Republican-minded Liberals, and finally (for the first ballot), there was J.C.S. Blackburn of Kentucky. Blackburn had control over the southern libs.
The first five ballots showed everyone how deadly this convention would be. Cleveland and Custer took early leads and were seen as the two most likely candidates, while favorite sons and smaller candidates assembled their voting blocs. By ballot five, Custer and Cleveland understood that there were upwards of 25 deals to be made without any contractions if they wanted the nomination. On ballot ten, Depew dropped out and ensured that his votes would be funneled towards Cleveland. A ballot later, Phelps also dropped out, asking for his support to hop ship towards Custer.
The next major change came on ballot 14, in which 33 delegates voted for John Sherman, a staple of Liberal politics at this point. They hoped his magnetic influence would be enough to finally crack the deadlock. On ballot 15, another 100 delegates flipped their votes; it seemed like things would finally end. Except, no. The fuse burned out by ballot 20. Why? Well, Sherman wasn't actually at the convention; he was in D.C. and wasn't showing much interest through telegram when he first learned of his vote increase. (Though this was probably due to his small numbers at first.) The next 21 ballots were all the same. Cleveland and Custer showed marginal increases as favorite sons began to be peeled off, while Bland and Blackburn held tight control over their wings of the party. On ballot 42, though Bland finally dropped out, a deal had been made with Cleveland.
On ballot 43, it became clear to Custer that Blackburn wouldn't drop out, so he employed a different strategy: just pick off the individual delegates. This was used to good effect until ballot 61, when no more delegates could really be peeled off. Then, once again, the convention was totally deadlocked. That was until another shot at compromise was found. Governor Robert E. Pattison of Pennsylvania was a very young man and one who had offended basically no one. The one primary achievement under his belt was cracking down on the Great Strike quickly, making Pennsylvania one of the least affected striker states. He was popular and unknown, the perfect combination for a dark horse. By 62, he had gained 23 votes. By ballot 63, he had gained one more. Then, by ballot 64, he had up to 69 votes. After that, the floodgates broke. Almost all of the undecided delegates broke ranks. Pattison's supporters began to preach him further as the perfect candidate, and votes from Custer and Cleveland began to fade.
Finally, on the 66th ballot, Robert E. Pattison was chosen as the Liberal nominee for President of the United States. In his acceptance speech, he endorsed his former opponent Thomas Custer to be his vice presidential nominee. The quick endorsement once again led to Cleveland being snubbed by Custer, now the third time in a row. With that, the 1892 LNC was over.
LIBERAL NOMINEES
For President: Robert E. Pattison
For Vice President: Thomas Custer
THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: July 22nd-July 23rd, Muskogee, Sequoya
SHALL WE NOMINATE MR. JAMES WEAVER FOR PRESIDENT?
The INC was a pretty huge upset for most Americans at face value. Presented before the INC was the question, "Shall we nominate James Weaver for the Presidency?" In other words, should the INC combine tickets with the populists in 1892? This passed by a somewhat lopsided margin. At face value, this may surprise you; after all, many populists from the west weren't very supportive of native rights. After the Great Relocation Plan went into action under Grant and many natives were shipped south, seeds of hate were further sown between natives and whites. In fact, almost every vote was from representatives of the northern tribes, still angry at populists for standing by as the migration happened.
So why then did the INC vote to nominate Weaver? There were two reasons: one was due to Weaver's lack of vote on the Relocation Plan in 1890. The second, and more importantly, was due to influence. The INC understood that it had a better chance going with the Democratic Party, and it was the initial plan to combine with their ticket, hoping to disenfranchise black-owned businesses like Black Gold, which had monopolized Sequoya's oil and robbed the state of vital funding. After the Democrats combined with the populists, though, this plan shifted to just nominating Weaver. Mostly for the same reasons.
The INC did agree to not nominate Tillman as Vice President, though, due to his vocal white supremacist views, he was seen as unsavory among the convention. Instead, Representative and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Samuel H. Mayes was selected to be Weaver's vice presidential nominee.
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Samuel H. Mayes
THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: August 2nd-August 5th, Lansing, Michigan
The ballad of the 1892 RNC is a ballad of war, a war between the straight Republicans and the federal Republicans. In March of 1892, President Grant announced he had no intention of seeking a full term as president. This wasn't because of unpopularity; in fact, if Grant had sought a full term, it was very likely he would've not only won the election but won it outright. The reason he didn't run again was because he didn't want to. He never wanted to be president, and his time in the office had only further proven the job's horrid nature. While some were still in support of him moving into the convention, most were not.
Luckily, a frontrunner for the nomination had been apparent ever since Grant made his announcement. Russell A. Alger was the governor of Michigan. He succeeded Governor Thomas during the Great Strike after his resignation. Alger soon became a household name for his speed and ferocity in putting down the strike in Detroit. He then became more popular for his cooperation during the occupation. Now this may make you believe that he was a straight Republican, but economically, Alger was more in tune with the Federal Republicans. In the lead-up to the convention, he was seen as the perfect choice to lead the Republicans to victory. It wasn't a surprise then that, by over a 2/3rds majority, Alger was chosen as the Republican nominee.
The actual fight came in the vice presidential nomination. The straight choice was Benjamin Harrison, the portege of the now deceased Rutherford Hayes and seemingly his successor in the unofficial RNC leader position. The Federal choice was Walter Gresham, a populist-minded Republican who argued that in order to combat the populists properly, it was necessary to incorporate many of their ideas. These two men were essentially polar opposites and old rivals; the feeling on the convention floor was, to say the least, tense. Alger stayed out of the whipping, saying his support would go to whichever of the two won the damn vote.
In the end, Harrison squeaked out a victory over Gresham; he was more influential, and the straight Republicans outnumbered the Democrats, especially after the strike and populist split. The dissatisfaction of the Federals was hard to contain. Gresham endorsed Alger but then left the Republican Party, becoming an independent. Many Federals walked out and endorsed Weaver. Alger and the Republicans had a mess of a party on their hands. How could they unite the nation?"
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES
For President: Russell A. Alger
For Vice President: Benjamin Harrison
-From Every National Convention in American History
by Jacob Cohen, published 2012
| Presidential Ballots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ...14 | 15 | ...22 | 23 |
| R. Pattison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Cleveland | 101 | 101 | 105 | 106 | 106 | 124 | 124 | 141 | 155 |
| R. Bland | 52 | 68 | 88 | 92 | 91 | 103 | 104 | 102 | 102 |
| T. Custer | 33 | 55 | 99 | 100 | 102 | 155 | 142 | 183 | 201 |
| C. Depew | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| W. Phelps | 22 | 28 | 28 | 55 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Blackburn | 19 | 42 | 66 | 109 | 110 | 119 | 119 | 118 | 120 |
| J. Sherman | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 33 | 133 | 9 | 1 |
| Others | 638 | 569 | 478 | 403 | 412 | 370 | 284 | 353 | 327 |
| ...34 | ...44 | ...61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | Vice Presidential Ballot | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 24 | 69 | 333 | 509 | T. Custer | 552 |
| 228 | 280 | 332 | 350 | 355 | 355 | 240 | 141 | G. Cleveland | 288 |
| 103 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | J. Blackburn | 51 |
| 210 | 277 | 355 | 355 | 355 | 355 | 302 | 256 | R. Bland | 8 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Others | 7 |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 166 | 101 | 55 | 56 | 51 | 58 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 199 | 236 | 158 | 122 | 110 | 63 | 22 | 2 |
"'THE SECOND CONVENTION OF THE CENTURY' was the monecker given to the Liberal National Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio, throughout most of July. The first 'Convention of the Century' was the name for the 1872 RNC, given its long and exciting nature. The 1892 LNC, in many ways, mirrored it but took everything to a greater extreme. More candidates, more politics, a more unknown dark horse, and more ballots—lots more ballots. In many ways, it was a damn slog. The Liberals were expecting to see victory in the 1892 presidential election; everyone coming hoped to be the one to win; none of them were willing to rest.
There were upwards of 40 people who got a vote at the convention; we couldn't possibly go over all of them, so I narrowed the list down to the nine most interesting. Going into the first ballot, there was New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Cleveland had been a presidential hopeful for some time; his support was vast but not rooted; his support was generally spread thinly and equally among the factions of the Democratic Party. Next was Richard P. Bland. Bland represented the 'Silver Libs', the few more populist-minded libs left in the party. It was their hope to deadlock the convention and grow their influence. After him was Thomas Custer, the brother of the 1888 Liberal nominee. Custer was an excellent choice and incredibly inoffensive, except he wasn't seen as particularly smart and was often seen to be brutish. Next was Chauncey Depew, a New York Liberal who had been engrained in the New York scene; early on, he was a problem for Cleveland, splitting his home state vote. Then there was William Phelps, a former Republican Governor of New Jersey, who commanded some other Republican-minded Liberals, and finally (for the first ballot), there was J.C.S. Blackburn of Kentucky. Blackburn had control over the southern libs.
The first five ballots showed everyone how deadly this convention would be. Cleveland and Custer took early leads and were seen as the two most likely candidates, while favorite sons and smaller candidates assembled their voting blocs. By ballot five, Custer and Cleveland understood that there were upwards of 25 deals to be made without any contractions if they wanted the nomination. On ballot ten, Depew dropped out and ensured that his votes would be funneled towards Cleveland. A ballot later, Phelps also dropped out, asking for his support to hop ship towards Custer.
The next major change came on ballot 14, in which 33 delegates voted for John Sherman, a staple of Liberal politics at this point. They hoped his magnetic influence would be enough to finally crack the deadlock. On ballot 15, another 100 delegates flipped their votes; it seemed like things would finally end. Except, no. The fuse burned out by ballot 20. Why? Well, Sherman wasn't actually at the convention; he was in D.C. and wasn't showing much interest through telegram when he first learned of his vote increase. (Though this was probably due to his small numbers at first.) The next 21 ballots were all the same. Cleveland and Custer showed marginal increases as favorite sons began to be peeled off, while Bland and Blackburn held tight control over their wings of the party. On ballot 42, though Bland finally dropped out, a deal had been made with Cleveland.
On ballot 43, it became clear to Custer that Blackburn wouldn't drop out, so he employed a different strategy: just pick off the individual delegates. This was used to good effect until ballot 61, when no more delegates could really be peeled off. Then, once again, the convention was totally deadlocked. That was until another shot at compromise was found. Governor Robert E. Pattison of Pennsylvania was a very young man and one who had offended basically no one. The one primary achievement under his belt was cracking down on the Great Strike quickly, making Pennsylvania one of the least affected striker states. He was popular and unknown, the perfect combination for a dark horse. By 62, he had gained 23 votes. By ballot 63, he had gained one more. Then, by ballot 64, he had up to 69 votes. After that, the floodgates broke. Almost all of the undecided delegates broke ranks. Pattison's supporters began to preach him further as the perfect candidate, and votes from Custer and Cleveland began to fade.
Finally, on the 66th ballot, Robert E. Pattison was chosen as the Liberal nominee for President of the United States. In his acceptance speech, he endorsed his former opponent Thomas Custer to be his vice presidential nominee. The quick endorsement once again led to Cleveland being snubbed by Custer, now the third time in a row. With that, the 1892 LNC was over.
LIBERAL NOMINEES
For President: Robert E. Pattison
For Vice President: Thomas Custer
THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: July 22nd-July 23rd, Muskogee, Sequoya
SHALL WE NOMINATE MR. JAMES WEAVER FOR PRESIDENT?
| YES | NO |
| 566 | 331 |
| Vice Presidential Ballot | 1 |
| Samuel H. Mayes | 601 |
| Benjamin Tillman | 187 |
| Others | 99 |
The INC was a pretty huge upset for most Americans at face value. Presented before the INC was the question, "Shall we nominate James Weaver for the Presidency?" In other words, should the INC combine tickets with the populists in 1892? This passed by a somewhat lopsided margin. At face value, this may surprise you; after all, many populists from the west weren't very supportive of native rights. After the Great Relocation Plan went into action under Grant and many natives were shipped south, seeds of hate were further sown between natives and whites. In fact, almost every vote was from representatives of the northern tribes, still angry at populists for standing by as the migration happened.
So why then did the INC vote to nominate Weaver? There were two reasons: one was due to Weaver's lack of vote on the Relocation Plan in 1890. The second, and more importantly, was due to influence. The INC understood that it had a better chance going with the Democratic Party, and it was the initial plan to combine with their ticket, hoping to disenfranchise black-owned businesses like Black Gold, which had monopolized Sequoya's oil and robbed the state of vital funding. After the Democrats combined with the populists, though, this plan shifted to just nominating Weaver. Mostly for the same reasons.
The INC did agree to not nominate Tillman as Vice President, though, due to his vocal white supremacist views, he was seen as unsavory among the convention. Instead, Representative and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Samuel H. Mayes was selected to be Weaver's vice presidential nominee.
For President: James B. Weaver
For Vice President: Samuel H. Mayes
THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: August 2nd-August 5th, Lansing, Michigan
| Presidential Ballot | 1 | Vice Presidential Ballot | 1 |
| Russell A. Alger | 544 | Benjamin Harrison | 433 |
| Benjamin Harrison | 118 | Walter Q. Gresham | 392 |
| Walter Q. Gresham | 100 | Others | 7 |
| Frederick D. Grant | 59 | ||
| Others | 11 |
The ballad of the 1892 RNC is a ballad of war, a war between the straight Republicans and the federal Republicans. In March of 1892, President Grant announced he had no intention of seeking a full term as president. This wasn't because of unpopularity; in fact, if Grant had sought a full term, it was very likely he would've not only won the election but won it outright. The reason he didn't run again was because he didn't want to. He never wanted to be president, and his time in the office had only further proven the job's horrid nature. While some were still in support of him moving into the convention, most were not.
Luckily, a frontrunner for the nomination had been apparent ever since Grant made his announcement. Russell A. Alger was the governor of Michigan. He succeeded Governor Thomas during the Great Strike after his resignation. Alger soon became a household name for his speed and ferocity in putting down the strike in Detroit. He then became more popular for his cooperation during the occupation. Now this may make you believe that he was a straight Republican, but economically, Alger was more in tune with the Federal Republicans. In the lead-up to the convention, he was seen as the perfect choice to lead the Republicans to victory. It wasn't a surprise then that, by over a 2/3rds majority, Alger was chosen as the Republican nominee.
The actual fight came in the vice presidential nomination. The straight choice was Benjamin Harrison, the portege of the now deceased Rutherford Hayes and seemingly his successor in the unofficial RNC leader position. The Federal choice was Walter Gresham, a populist-minded Republican who argued that in order to combat the populists properly, it was necessary to incorporate many of their ideas. These two men were essentially polar opposites and old rivals; the feeling on the convention floor was, to say the least, tense. Alger stayed out of the whipping, saying his support would go to whichever of the two won the damn vote.
In the end, Harrison squeaked out a victory over Gresham; he was more influential, and the straight Republicans outnumbered the Democrats, especially after the strike and populist split. The dissatisfaction of the Federals was hard to contain. Gresham endorsed Alger but then left the Republican Party, becoming an independent. Many Federals walked out and endorsed Weaver. Alger and the Republicans had a mess of a party on their hands. How could they unite the nation?"
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES
For President: Russell A. Alger
For Vice President: Benjamin Harrison
-From Every National Convention in American History
by Jacob Cohen, published 2012
-
THERE YOU HAVE IT! The 1892 Nominations are done!
I'll have pictures and a breakdown of platforms out tonight
The election should come tomorrow or the next day depending on @InsertCoolUsernameHere schedule and my writing speed.
THERE YOU HAVE IT! The 1892 Nominations are done!
I'll have pictures and a breakdown of platforms out tonight
The election should come tomorrow or the next day depending on @InsertCoolUsernameHere schedule and my writing speed.
PEOPLE'S PARTY:
-An Anti-Trust Act month one
-Support free silver over the gold standard
-Favor extending the indian relocation deadline
-In favor of a federal income tax
-Wish to see senators directly elected
-Tacit support for temperance
-Even more tacit support for women's suffrage
-No mention of the Booker Bill
-Anti interventionist
-Admit Utah into the Union
REPUBLICAN PARTY:
-Finish western pacification
-Pass the Booker Bill
-Pass an Anti Trust Act
-Steady the ship, limit major changes
-Admit Utah into the Union
-Pro interventionist
-Infrastructure Reform
-Generally pro gold
LIBERAL PARTY:
-Extend the Indian relocation deadline until more money is available
-Raise tariffs
-Neutral on intervention
-Pass the Booker Bill (with caveats, after a supreme court case)
-Anti Utah admission
-Pro gold standard
-Laisse Faire economics
FREEDMEN'S PARTY:
-Pass the Booker Bill ASAP
-Fund smaller corporations
-Finish western pacification
-Infrastructure reform.
-An Anti-Trust Act month one
-Support free silver over the gold standard
-Favor extending the indian relocation deadline
-In favor of a federal income tax
-Wish to see senators directly elected
-Tacit support for temperance
-Even more tacit support for women's suffrage
-No mention of the Booker Bill
-Anti interventionist
-Admit Utah into the Union
REPUBLICAN PARTY:
-Finish western pacification
-Pass the Booker Bill
-Pass an Anti Trust Act
-Steady the ship, limit major changes
-Admit Utah into the Union
-Pro interventionist
-Infrastructure Reform
-Generally pro gold
LIBERAL PARTY:
-Extend the Indian relocation deadline until more money is available
-Raise tariffs
-Neutral on intervention
-Pass the Booker Bill (with caveats, after a supreme court case)
-Anti Utah admission
-Pro gold standard
-Laisse Faire economics
FREEDMEN'S PARTY:
-Pass the Booker Bill ASAP
-Fund smaller corporations
-Finish western pacification
-Infrastructure reform.
"The Presidential Election of 1892 was expected to be one of the most important in American history. The country was in a very dark time. The economy was in the gutter, the memories of the Great Strike were lingering, the populist split had radicalized a portion of the nation, and monopolies were shifting money around like they were playing with pennies. The country was clearly at a turning point. Each party had different suggestions for fixing everything. I want to start with the populists, as they are generally the most out there.
James B. Weaver and the Democrat/Populist Fusion Ticket ran a campaign based on reform and change. Even the richest and least populist man in the country could agree that Congressional inaction and gridlock contributed to the economic downturn. The populists made this fact a central tenant of their campaign. They told the people that Liberal and Republican elites had become too entrenched and too uncaring. The populist platform argued to pass almost everything that was lost in the congressional dustbin (save the Booker Bill; they had a southern base to appease). This had its expected supporters and detractors.
The Republicans campaigned on normalcy. Alger argued that much of the recent chaos could be chalked up to a lack of national pride. He said that the victories seen in Haiti and on the frontier against the natives had just begun to reunite the nation under a patriotic banner. Arguing to 'Revitalize the economy with revitalized pride', Alger said that the quicker we pacified the west and kicked out the Spaniards from Cuba, the quicker our country would be reunited.
Interestingly, Alger very rarely made any mention of the Booker Bill on the campaign trail. This was despite the fact that the RNC had placed the passage of the bill on the Republican platform. This wasn't because Alger was against the bill or anything; it was mostly because he felt that by pushing the Booker Bill to the front of the priority list, he'd undermine the 'Unity message' and bring more attention to the bills namesake.
Booker T. Washington ran nothing short of a masterful campaign. Washington had become a household name since his bill made the front page of the papers. He knew that he would be unable to make any impact on the race unless damn near every black man in the country was mobilized. So, mobilize, he did. Washington went only to states with large African American populations and made passionate speeches about the importance of the bill and the importance of reminding the establishment that the black vote matters. Washington made his whole campaign that of his bill, and with the lack of any discussion of it from the other parties, he even swayed some white men to his side, polling as high as three percent in states like Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio with white men. The Freedmen's Party had really never gained white votes in its history. Washington intended to change that.
Finally, there were the Liberals. Pattison knew that realistically, he would win the election. The Liberals were polling well in all the key states, and the vote splitting from the populists was greatly weakening the Republicans. But the Liberals wanted to avoid a deadlocked election, and the chaos of that in the past has led to lame ducks and massive failures. Pattison needed an outright victory. He campaigned extensively in the east. Hoping aboard the 'Bobby Train' he went up and down the east coast, making impassioned pleas for normalcy. He reminded the public that ever since the Liberals left power, everything went downhill.
Pattison also sent Custer out west to lock down key swing states like Ohio and Illinois. Every vote was going to count, and he unleashed the Custer machine. Thomas, George, and Boston would dawn the uniforms and viscously campaign in the midwest, cautiously avoiding the subject of the strikes. The Custers instead tried to inspire unity and a promise that no violence would ever come to the streets again under a Pattison administration.
The Liberals would also make extensive use of political machines and other unsavory campaign tactics to achieve their coveted majority. The Adams' in New England ensured that there would be no vote splitting up there. Custer raised a proto-paramilitary group made up of former veterans who would lockdown Ohio by turning laborers from the ballot boxes, and the Pattison campaign would go to great lengths to appease monopolies and gain donations."
-from The Bloody Election
By Lucretia King, published 1988
"The final results were a field day for the populists. Liberal, Republican and Freedmen vote splitting delivered the Democrats key victories all over the South. From Texas to the Virginias. The populists, though getting third in the popular vote, gained second place overall in the electoral vote and had just denied Pattison and the Liberals an easy victory.
The other major winner of the 1892 election was the Freedmen! Booker T. had secured three states for them, the biggest Freedmen win yet. A victory in Lincoln, Alabama, and Grant. Though Lincoln was a forgone conclusion, Alabama and Grant certainly weren't. Republican-Populist vote splitting along with a heavy turnout from the black settlers that defined Grant handed Washington the state narrowly. Alabama was even closer, only being won by 544 votes. Again, it was mostly vote splitting from whites and unity from blacks that gave the state to the Freedmen. Though Washington wouldn't be in the contingent election, his point was made. There is indeed popular support for the Booker bill.
Obviously, the two disappointments of the election were handed to Pattison and Alger. The Republicans were essentially locked in the midwest, and though they remained the second most popular party, the electoral votes in the midwest weren't enough to keep them in second or first place. A spot that they had held since the parties' foundation. The Liberals were also disappointed, perhaps more so. Without a majority in the electoral college, a chaotic contingent election was guaranteed. Something that they most certainly had no interest in spending political power on. Now the hope was that Congress would be an easy battleground.
Moving into December, as the Congressional elections became more clear, most people began to sigh breaths of relief. The Liberals had secured a strong majority of state delegations in the House and were only one seat short of a majority. Pattison would almost certainly be elected president and have a friendly House of Representatives during the first half of his term. What was unfortunate, however, was the deadlock in the Senate. The Liberals were now ten seats short of a majority.
The Democratic and Populist caucuses in the House and Senate combined into 'The People's Unity Caucus' in October, anticipating a deadlocked election and planning to act as a united front to hold up the voting process. After the Congressional Elections were finalized, it was clear that the Union would be unsuccessful in stopping Pattison from assuming the Presidency. However, the Senate was a different story.
Once it became clear that the Liberals would need to make a deal to get Custer in the second spot, the People's and Democratic Parties began to open up discourse with the Republicans. A plan was hatched. The opposition would hold the Vice Presidency hostage and force Pattison to make a deal once he was inaugurated to free up the Senate. The deal was simple: pass an anti-trust act and postpone action on the Booker Bill.
The Liberals were terrified of this deal, and many of the more civil rights-minded Republicans promised to turn their backs on it, but moving into January, it was unclear if the efforts to convince the Republicans off of this corrupt bargain would be successful."
-from 93'
By Jackson Hobbit, published 1993
James B. Weaver and the Democrat/Populist Fusion Ticket ran a campaign based on reform and change. Even the richest and least populist man in the country could agree that Congressional inaction and gridlock contributed to the economic downturn. The populists made this fact a central tenant of their campaign. They told the people that Liberal and Republican elites had become too entrenched and too uncaring. The populist platform argued to pass almost everything that was lost in the congressional dustbin (save the Booker Bill; they had a southern base to appease). This had its expected supporters and detractors.
The Republicans campaigned on normalcy. Alger argued that much of the recent chaos could be chalked up to a lack of national pride. He said that the victories seen in Haiti and on the frontier against the natives had just begun to reunite the nation under a patriotic banner. Arguing to 'Revitalize the economy with revitalized pride', Alger said that the quicker we pacified the west and kicked out the Spaniards from Cuba, the quicker our country would be reunited.
Interestingly, Alger very rarely made any mention of the Booker Bill on the campaign trail. This was despite the fact that the RNC had placed the passage of the bill on the Republican platform. This wasn't because Alger was against the bill or anything; it was mostly because he felt that by pushing the Booker Bill to the front of the priority list, he'd undermine the 'Unity message' and bring more attention to the bills namesake.
Booker T. Washington ran nothing short of a masterful campaign. Washington had become a household name since his bill made the front page of the papers. He knew that he would be unable to make any impact on the race unless damn near every black man in the country was mobilized. So, mobilize, he did. Washington went only to states with large African American populations and made passionate speeches about the importance of the bill and the importance of reminding the establishment that the black vote matters. Washington made his whole campaign that of his bill, and with the lack of any discussion of it from the other parties, he even swayed some white men to his side, polling as high as three percent in states like Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio with white men. The Freedmen's Party had really never gained white votes in its history. Washington intended to change that.
Finally, there were the Liberals. Pattison knew that realistically, he would win the election. The Liberals were polling well in all the key states, and the vote splitting from the populists was greatly weakening the Republicans. But the Liberals wanted to avoid a deadlocked election, and the chaos of that in the past has led to lame ducks and massive failures. Pattison needed an outright victory. He campaigned extensively in the east. Hoping aboard the 'Bobby Train' he went up and down the east coast, making impassioned pleas for normalcy. He reminded the public that ever since the Liberals left power, everything went downhill.
Pattison also sent Custer out west to lock down key swing states like Ohio and Illinois. Every vote was going to count, and he unleashed the Custer machine. Thomas, George, and Boston would dawn the uniforms and viscously campaign in the midwest, cautiously avoiding the subject of the strikes. The Custers instead tried to inspire unity and a promise that no violence would ever come to the streets again under a Pattison administration.
The Liberals would also make extensive use of political machines and other unsavory campaign tactics to achieve their coveted majority. The Adams' in New England ensured that there would be no vote splitting up there. Custer raised a proto-paramilitary group made up of former veterans who would lockdown Ohio by turning laborers from the ballot boxes, and the Pattison campaign would go to great lengths to appease monopolies and gain donations."
-from The Bloody Election
By Lucretia King, published 1988
"The final results were a field day for the populists. Liberal, Republican and Freedmen vote splitting delivered the Democrats key victories all over the South. From Texas to the Virginias. The populists, though getting third in the popular vote, gained second place overall in the electoral vote and had just denied Pattison and the Liberals an easy victory.
The other major winner of the 1892 election was the Freedmen! Booker T. had secured three states for them, the biggest Freedmen win yet. A victory in Lincoln, Alabama, and Grant. Though Lincoln was a forgone conclusion, Alabama and Grant certainly weren't. Republican-Populist vote splitting along with a heavy turnout from the black settlers that defined Grant handed Washington the state narrowly. Alabama was even closer, only being won by 544 votes. Again, it was mostly vote splitting from whites and unity from blacks that gave the state to the Freedmen. Though Washington wouldn't be in the contingent election, his point was made. There is indeed popular support for the Booker bill.
Obviously, the two disappointments of the election were handed to Pattison and Alger. The Republicans were essentially locked in the midwest, and though they remained the second most popular party, the electoral votes in the midwest weren't enough to keep them in second or first place. A spot that they had held since the parties' foundation. The Liberals were also disappointed, perhaps more so. Without a majority in the electoral college, a chaotic contingent election was guaranteed. Something that they most certainly had no interest in spending political power on. Now the hope was that Congress would be an easy battleground.
Moving into December, as the Congressional elections became more clear, most people began to sigh breaths of relief. The Liberals had secured a strong majority of state delegations in the House and were only one seat short of a majority. Pattison would almost certainly be elected president and have a friendly House of Representatives during the first half of his term. What was unfortunate, however, was the deadlock in the Senate. The Liberals were now ten seats short of a majority.
The Democratic and Populist caucuses in the House and Senate combined into 'The People's Unity Caucus' in October, anticipating a deadlocked election and planning to act as a united front to hold up the voting process. After the Congressional Elections were finalized, it was clear that the Union would be unsuccessful in stopping Pattison from assuming the Presidency. However, the Senate was a different story.
Once it became clear that the Liberals would need to make a deal to get Custer in the second spot, the People's and Democratic Parties began to open up discourse with the Republicans. A plan was hatched. The opposition would hold the Vice Presidency hostage and force Pattison to make a deal once he was inaugurated to free up the Senate. The deal was simple: pass an anti-trust act and postpone action on the Booker Bill.
The Liberals were terrified of this deal, and many of the more civil rights-minded Republicans promised to turn their backs on it, but moving into January, it was unclear if the efforts to convince the Republicans off of this corrupt bargain would be successful."
-from 93'
By Jackson Hobbit, published 1993
-
In an hour or so I will drop another Newspaper post. The next few months are about to be a bit, wild...
In an hour or so I will drop another Newspaper post. The next few months are about to be a bit, wild...
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PEOPLE'S UNION CAUCUS FOUNDED
The Democrats and Populists Join Interests in Congress
-Washington Post, January 2nd 1893
LIBERALS DETERMINED TO SEE PATTISON AND CUSTER IN OFFICE
-Washington Post, January 4th 1893
RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
British Ambassador issues formal complaint to Grant after Pershing's corps refuses to leave Niger River
-New York Times, January 14th 1893
GRANT: "We will not leave our territory due to petty threats"
Correspondents in D.C unsure of Presidents thought process while leaving office
-Chicago Tribune, January 16th 1893
CUSTER THREATENS BRITAIN
In the lead up to the Senate Contingent vote in February, Mr. Custer suggests reinforcing the African Expedition
-Boston Tribune, January 22nd 1893
CONTINGENT CANDIDATES KEEP QUIET
After Governor Custer's statement on the Niger affair, little comment has been made by other contingent Candidates to face the House or Senate next month
-Washington Post, January 27th 1893
The Democrats and Populists Join Interests in Congress
-Washington Post, January 2nd 1893
LIBERALS DETERMINED TO SEE PATTISON AND CUSTER IN OFFICE
-Washington Post, January 4th 1893
RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
British Ambassador issues formal complaint to Grant after Pershing's corps refuses to leave Niger River
-New York Times, January 14th 1893
GRANT: "We will not leave our territory due to petty threats"
Correspondents in D.C unsure of Presidents thought process while leaving office
-Chicago Tribune, January 16th 1893
CUSTER THREATENS BRITAIN
In the lead up to the Senate Contingent vote in February, Mr. Custer suggests reinforcing the African Expedition
-Boston Tribune, January 22nd 1893
CONTINGENT CANDIDATES KEEP QUIET
After Governor Custer's statement on the Niger affair, little comment has been made by other contingent Candidates to face the House or Senate next month
-Washington Post, January 27th 1893
IT'S OFFICAL! WITH A 24 STATE MAJORITY ROBERT E. PATTISON PRESIDENT ELECT!
Weaver is set as runner up and Alger in third.
-Washington Post, February 5th 1893
JOHN SHERMAN SELECTED SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
Sherman, famed for being the last of the 'Original Libs', promises that a Vice President Elect will be chosen shortly.
-Washington Post, February 8th 1893
SENATE REMAINS DEADLOCKED! NO ONE ELECTED VP ON FIRST BALLOT
Eight Republicans break with the unholy Populist Alliance. Not enough to break the deadlock.
-New York Times, February 9th 1893
13TH BALLOT DONE! STILL DEADLOCKED!
Sherman to call recess until a deal can be made.
-New York Times, February 15th 1893
Weaver is set as runner up and Alger in third.
-Washington Post, February 5th 1893
JOHN SHERMAN SELECTED SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
Sherman, famed for being the last of the 'Original Libs', promises that a Vice President Elect will be chosen shortly.
-Washington Post, February 8th 1893
SENATE REMAINS DEADLOCKED! NO ONE ELECTED VP ON FIRST BALLOT
Eight Republicans break with the unholy Populist Alliance. Not enough to break the deadlock.
-New York Times, February 9th 1893
13TH BALLOT DONE! STILL DEADLOCKED!
Sherman to call recess until a deal can be made.
-New York Times, February 15th 1893
GLADSTONE AND LIBERALS ACROSS THE POND PUSH ULTIMATUM ON D.C
10 Days to Order a Removal back to Liberia or Else
-Cleveland Star, February 16th 1893
10 Days to Order a Removal back to Liberia or Else
-Cleveland Star, February 16th 1893
OUTRAGE IN CONGRESS OVER BRITISH DEMANDS; PATTISON PROMISES TO KEEP THE AFRICAN EXPEDITION AFTER INAUGURATION
No word from President Grant
-Boston Tribune, February 18th 1893
TEN DAYS UP! STILL NO WORD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
Commander Pershing says "I haven't been told to leave, I intend not to."
-Boston Tribune, February 26th 1893
STILL NO DEAL IN THE SENATE! VP ELECT TO BE VACANT BY INAUGURATION DAY
-Washington Post, February 28th 1893
No word from President Grant
-Boston Tribune, February 18th 1893
TEN DAYS UP! STILL NO WORD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
Commander Pershing says "I haven't been told to leave, I intend not to."
-Boston Tribune, February 26th 1893
STILL NO DEAL IN THE SENATE! VP ELECT TO BE VACANT BY INAUGURATION DAY
-Washington Post, February 28th 1893
STANDOFF AT THE RIVER
American and British Forces stare each other down, threat of violence escalates
-New York Times, March 1st 1893
EXTRA EXTRA!
DISASTER! PATTISON SLAIN EN ROUTE TO DC!
TRAIN DERAILS KILLING NEAR EVERYONE ON BOARD!
FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED!
With the President Elect gone, who will take the Oath of Office?
-Washington Post, March 2nd 1893
EXTRA EXTRA!
STANDOFF ENDS IN GUNFIRE! BRITISH LAUNCH ATTACK! PERSHING ORDERS WITHDRAWAL TO HIGHER GROUND!
Multiple Casualties are being reported on both sides! Pershing retreated to higher ground to continue the standoff.
-Washington Post, March 4nd 1893
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE JOHN SHERMAN INAUGURATED PRESIDENT! PROMISES TO HOLD BRITAIN ACCOUNTABLE
Already there is large debate over the legitimacy of the Sherman Presidency, some argue the House should revote, Weaver should assume the Presidency or a special election should be held per the 14th Amendment
-Washington Post, March 4nd 1893
American and British Forces stare each other down, threat of violence escalates
-New York Times, March 1st 1893
EXTRA EXTRA!
DISASTER! PATTISON SLAIN EN ROUTE TO DC!
TRAIN DERAILS KILLING NEAR EVERYONE ON BOARD!
FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED!
With the President Elect gone, who will take the Oath of Office?
-Washington Post, March 2nd 1893
EXTRA EXTRA!
STANDOFF ENDS IN GUNFIRE! BRITISH LAUNCH ATTACK! PERSHING ORDERS WITHDRAWAL TO HIGHER GROUND!
Multiple Casualties are being reported on both sides! Pershing retreated to higher ground to continue the standoff.
-Washington Post, March 4nd 1893
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE JOHN SHERMAN INAUGURATED PRESIDENT! PROMISES TO HOLD BRITAIN ACCOUNTABLE
Already there is large debate over the legitimacy of the Sherman Presidency, some argue the House should revote, Weaver should assume the Presidency or a special election should be held per the 14th Amendment
-Washington Post, March 4nd 1893
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December 15th, 1892: Lieutenant Colonel John Pershing is sent beyond the borders of Liberia north, along the Niger River, with 2000 men of the 'African Expedition.' Meant to expand the Liberian borders. 200 men stay in Monrovia with orders to keep the Liberian government loyal.
December 18th, 1892: Pershing's boys set up their first camp ten miles from the Liberian border.
December 23, 1892: Camp One is abandoned.
December 23rd, 1892: Locals spot the Americans while they leave camp.
December 26th, 1892: At the second base camp, orders are sent via messenger that they ought to cross the Niger River and move west.
December 27th, 1892: Pershing's men agree, moving west into what is mostly uninhabited British-claimed territory.
December 29th, 1892: Locals, seeing the Americans, inform British authorities.
January 1st, 1893: The expedition finds a large clearing in the brush with suitable soil. He decides it is a good spot for a fort.
January 2, 1893: A messenger is sent back to Monrovia to inform them of the new fort location and asks for reinforcement, supplies, and preliminary settlers.
January 3rd, 1893: After receiving orders from London, Governor Flemming of the Sierra Leone Colony sends Major Thomas Downing and 2500 men to ask the Americans to return to their side of the Niger River.
January 6th, 1893: Downing and Pershing meet. After a tension-filled discussion, Pershing refuses to leave until orders return from Monrovia.
January 8th, 1893: The messenger returns from Liberia; he informs Pershing that supplies and settlers are on the way to the newly named Fort Grant. Pershing then sends him back to Monrovia with news of the British presence.
January 9th, 1893: Another 100 British forces arrive to support Downing outside Fort Grant.
January 10th, 1893: Downing and Pershing meet a second time and agree to avoid any violence.
January 10, 1893: Upon arriving in Monrovia and informing American command of the situation, word is sent to Washington, D.C. On the same day, Governor Flemming sent word to London of the situation.
January 11, 1893: President Grant gives orders to not retreat from the clearing and force the British to chicken out. The same day, Prime Minister Gladstone orders that Downing issue an ultimatum.
January 12th, 1893: Orders make it to the two commanders; both follow their orders, and nothing changes.
January 13th, 1893: Again, both American and British commands in Sierra Leone and Liberia inform their respective governments.
January 14, 1893: With great haste, the British Ambassador in Washington, D.C., issues a formal complaint to the President. News in both the UK and US picks up on the story.
January 15th, 1893: Monrovia gets to work on a telephone line between Fort Grant and Liberia. President Grant publicly refuses to order Pershing to retreat and pushes London to give up.
January 16th, 1893: Gladstone orders British troops to return to Freetown.
January 17th, 1893: Major Downing withdraws back to Freetown, and Pershing declares victory.
January 19, 1893: Newspapers report an American victory in the standoff.
January 20th, 1893: The British ambassador to America declares that the fight is not over.
January 25th, 1893: A telephone and telephone operator arrive at Fort Grant, shortly after the telephone line is connected.
January 26th, 1893: Extra-british forces leave Gibraltar for Freetown.
January 31st, 1893: Settlers arrive at Fort Grant along with the requested supplies. Including three pieces of artillery.
February 5, 1893: Fort Grant celebrates the House's election of Robert E. Pattison as president elect.
February 7th, 1893: 4600 British forces assemble in Freetown.
February 8th, 1893: D.C. is informed of the increased troop presence, and negotiations with London begin.
February 15th, 1893: Negations fall through as Britain refuses to allow Liberia to gain any territory. Downing and the 4600 men are ordered to once again stand off with Pershing.
February 16th, 1893: Gladstone officially issues a ten-day ultimatum for American removal.
February 17th, 1893: Panic starts in both the US and UK.
February 18th, 1893: Downing arrives outside Fort Grant.
February 19, 1893: Though saying nothing publicly, Grant sends a direct order to Pershing to not move no matter what happens.
February 21st, 1893: The State Department tells the press they believe the British will back down.
February 23rd, 1893: Major Downing privately urges Pershing to leave Fort Grant. He tells him that London was very serious about the situation. Pershing declines.
February 24th, 1893: Haitian war hero Commodore George Dewey and three United States naval vessels are sent from Savannah port towards Freetown.
February 26th, 1893: The ultimatum deadline expires. Downing receives no orders.
February 27th, 1893: Downing requests some sort of order.
February 28th, 1893: Freetown orders him to stay put.
March 1st, 1893: Dewey arrives just outside of Freetown. They pass by the shore before sailing to Monrovia to refuel.
March 2, 1893: President Pattison is killed in a train derailment, and the American government flies into chaos.
March 3rd, 1893, 7:22 AM: In the early morning, the Royal Navy sails to Monrovia and does the same intimidating sail by tactic Dewey employed. Dewey orders his ships to leave port and requests that the British ships leave.
March 3rd, 1893, 9:32: Freetown sends a message to Downing. To this day, the intent of the message is unknown. It states, '"New orders are to come soon, Yankees in chaos back home." This message causes British troops to be on edge.
March 3rd, 1893, 10:44: A young American private yells mocking terms over at the British. This has been a common occurrence, but usually the British don't respond. This time was different. Supposedly, British troops responded by making fun of Pattison's death. Something the American troops were yet to hear about.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:01: Once the death of Pattison was confirmed to the troops, both sides began to get angry. Yelling began.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:13: A gunshot rings out throughout the jungle. No one knows who shot first. Soon after, a gunfight begins.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:17: Close quarters combat begins as some American troops rush out of the makeshift walls of Fort Grant.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:22: Downing hears about the skirmish. Unsure of what to do, he tries to calm the situation.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:23: Pershing is awoken from his nap by screams. He is told the British attacked; he orders all men in Fort Grant to the walls and to the dugouts.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:25: The Americans lose close quarters combat and retreat back to Fort Grant under fire. Troops on the walls of Fort Grant fire at undefended British troops.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:28: Major Downing is told that the Americans in the Fort are firing on British troops; he is also told that the Americans started the engagement. Downing, seeing no other option, orders the British troops to storm Fort Grant.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:38: Cannon fire from the British camp hits the makeshift walls of Fort Grant. Pershing, now fearing a full-scale attack, orders the telephone operator to inform Monrovia of the British attack. Then he and his officers leave Fort Grant from the back and go to a nearby outpost on a hill.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:40: British troops begin their first assault of Fort Grant. At the same time, the telephone operator informs Monrovia of the chaos. Soon after, the telephone line was cut by British forces.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:42: American troops rush to wheel out artillery provided on January 31st and set it up on the walls.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:44: Commodore Dewey is informed of the situation in the jungle. Now, fearing that the British ships outside Monrovia will attack the city, he orders warning shots on the British vessels.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:46: Captain Hannity of the HMS Albert is confused by the escalation orders retaliatory warning shots. Hannity is told by his junior officers to withdraw.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:47: Dewey, now fearing the worst, orders a salvo from the USS Iowa, intended to miss the Albert.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:48: One shot of the slavo hits the HMS Albert. Captain Hannity, now knowing he was under fire, orders a retaliatory salvo as the other two British ships close in to support the Albert. Hannity is told again to withdraw, this time with far more intensity from his junior officers. After a second thought, he agrees. Hannity orders all three British ships to return to Freetown.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:50: The confused Dewey celebrates a victory; word is quickly sent to DC that the British have now tried to attack the Americans on land and sea.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:55: After American artillery from within Fort Grant is finally set up and fires on the British position, the British withdraw. Gunfire stops, and both sides dig in and prepare for another engagement in the near future.
March 3rd, 1893, 12:40: After counting the dead American casualties in the jungle, they stand at 13 and the British casualties stand at 7. With 33 injuries on both sides,.
March 3rd, 1893, 12:44: One British sailor had a heart attack and died shortly after the engagement with the Iowa. He is mourned aboard the HMS Kent.
March 4, 1893: John Sherman is inaugurated President of the United States. In his inaugural address, he informs the public of the battle in the jungle and at sea. He then informs the people that, due to the cutting of the phone line, they have no contact with the African expedition. He says "I MUST ADMIT! My friends the worst has entered my mind, that our boys in the jungle have been slaughtered! I promise you, we will not rest until justice is served. THAT BASTARD GLADSTONE MUST HAVE A DAMN GOOD EXPLANATION!" Earthquaking and shocked cheers rumbled throughout the Capitol steps.
March 4th, 1893: Shocked newspapers publish the news of the battles. Mass panic follows in the US, Canada and UK.
March 5th, 1893: 10 Downing Street officially places all blame on the Americans, saying that the attacks by the USS Iowa and the battle in the jungle were clear provocations and that Parliament would be considering anything at it's next session.
March 5th, 1893: Queen Victoria releases a statement. She condemns the United States for its actions in Africa and announces that she and Prime Minister Gladstone will ensure that justice upon the Americans is served. The Queen then issues a royal proclamation expelling the American ambassador from London.
March 5th, 1893: Sherman asks the British Ambassador to leave as well, he is given a train ticket to Ottawa. Now the only line between the two is a telephone line from the D.C to Ottawa. Sherman says that he will only hear British words from a Canadian diplomat who he "trusts more".
December 18th, 1892: Pershing's boys set up their first camp ten miles from the Liberian border.
December 23, 1892: Camp One is abandoned.
December 23rd, 1892: Locals spot the Americans while they leave camp.
December 26th, 1892: At the second base camp, orders are sent via messenger that they ought to cross the Niger River and move west.
December 27th, 1892: Pershing's men agree, moving west into what is mostly uninhabited British-claimed territory.
December 29th, 1892: Locals, seeing the Americans, inform British authorities.
January 1st, 1893: The expedition finds a large clearing in the brush with suitable soil. He decides it is a good spot for a fort.
January 2, 1893: A messenger is sent back to Monrovia to inform them of the new fort location and asks for reinforcement, supplies, and preliminary settlers.
January 3rd, 1893: After receiving orders from London, Governor Flemming of the Sierra Leone Colony sends Major Thomas Downing and 2500 men to ask the Americans to return to their side of the Niger River.
January 6th, 1893: Downing and Pershing meet. After a tension-filled discussion, Pershing refuses to leave until orders return from Monrovia.
January 8th, 1893: The messenger returns from Liberia; he informs Pershing that supplies and settlers are on the way to the newly named Fort Grant. Pershing then sends him back to Monrovia with news of the British presence.
January 9th, 1893: Another 100 British forces arrive to support Downing outside Fort Grant.
January 10th, 1893: Downing and Pershing meet a second time and agree to avoid any violence.
January 10, 1893: Upon arriving in Monrovia and informing American command of the situation, word is sent to Washington, D.C. On the same day, Governor Flemming sent word to London of the situation.
January 11, 1893: President Grant gives orders to not retreat from the clearing and force the British to chicken out. The same day, Prime Minister Gladstone orders that Downing issue an ultimatum.
January 12th, 1893: Orders make it to the two commanders; both follow their orders, and nothing changes.
January 13th, 1893: Again, both American and British commands in Sierra Leone and Liberia inform their respective governments.
January 14, 1893: With great haste, the British Ambassador in Washington, D.C., issues a formal complaint to the President. News in both the UK and US picks up on the story.
January 15th, 1893: Monrovia gets to work on a telephone line between Fort Grant and Liberia. President Grant publicly refuses to order Pershing to retreat and pushes London to give up.
January 16th, 1893: Gladstone orders British troops to return to Freetown.
January 17th, 1893: Major Downing withdraws back to Freetown, and Pershing declares victory.
January 19, 1893: Newspapers report an American victory in the standoff.
January 20th, 1893: The British ambassador to America declares that the fight is not over.
January 25th, 1893: A telephone and telephone operator arrive at Fort Grant, shortly after the telephone line is connected.
January 26th, 1893: Extra-british forces leave Gibraltar for Freetown.
January 31st, 1893: Settlers arrive at Fort Grant along with the requested supplies. Including three pieces of artillery.
February 5, 1893: Fort Grant celebrates the House's election of Robert E. Pattison as president elect.
February 7th, 1893: 4600 British forces assemble in Freetown.
February 8th, 1893: D.C. is informed of the increased troop presence, and negotiations with London begin.
February 15th, 1893: Negations fall through as Britain refuses to allow Liberia to gain any territory. Downing and the 4600 men are ordered to once again stand off with Pershing.
February 16th, 1893: Gladstone officially issues a ten-day ultimatum for American removal.
February 17th, 1893: Panic starts in both the US and UK.
February 18th, 1893: Downing arrives outside Fort Grant.
February 19, 1893: Though saying nothing publicly, Grant sends a direct order to Pershing to not move no matter what happens.
February 21st, 1893: The State Department tells the press they believe the British will back down.
February 23rd, 1893: Major Downing privately urges Pershing to leave Fort Grant. He tells him that London was very serious about the situation. Pershing declines.
February 24th, 1893: Haitian war hero Commodore George Dewey and three United States naval vessels are sent from Savannah port towards Freetown.
February 26th, 1893: The ultimatum deadline expires. Downing receives no orders.
February 27th, 1893: Downing requests some sort of order.
February 28th, 1893: Freetown orders him to stay put.
March 1st, 1893: Dewey arrives just outside of Freetown. They pass by the shore before sailing to Monrovia to refuel.
March 2, 1893: President Pattison is killed in a train derailment, and the American government flies into chaos.
March 3rd, 1893, 7:22 AM: In the early morning, the Royal Navy sails to Monrovia and does the same intimidating sail by tactic Dewey employed. Dewey orders his ships to leave port and requests that the British ships leave.
March 3rd, 1893, 9:32: Freetown sends a message to Downing. To this day, the intent of the message is unknown. It states, '"New orders are to come soon, Yankees in chaos back home." This message causes British troops to be on edge.
March 3rd, 1893, 10:44: A young American private yells mocking terms over at the British. This has been a common occurrence, but usually the British don't respond. This time was different. Supposedly, British troops responded by making fun of Pattison's death. Something the American troops were yet to hear about.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:01: Once the death of Pattison was confirmed to the troops, both sides began to get angry. Yelling began.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:13: A gunshot rings out throughout the jungle. No one knows who shot first. Soon after, a gunfight begins.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:17: Close quarters combat begins as some American troops rush out of the makeshift walls of Fort Grant.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:22: Downing hears about the skirmish. Unsure of what to do, he tries to calm the situation.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:23: Pershing is awoken from his nap by screams. He is told the British attacked; he orders all men in Fort Grant to the walls and to the dugouts.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:25: The Americans lose close quarters combat and retreat back to Fort Grant under fire. Troops on the walls of Fort Grant fire at undefended British troops.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:28: Major Downing is told that the Americans in the Fort are firing on British troops; he is also told that the Americans started the engagement. Downing, seeing no other option, orders the British troops to storm Fort Grant.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:38: Cannon fire from the British camp hits the makeshift walls of Fort Grant. Pershing, now fearing a full-scale attack, orders the telephone operator to inform Monrovia of the British attack. Then he and his officers leave Fort Grant from the back and go to a nearby outpost on a hill.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:40: British troops begin their first assault of Fort Grant. At the same time, the telephone operator informs Monrovia of the chaos. Soon after, the telephone line was cut by British forces.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:42: American troops rush to wheel out artillery provided on January 31st and set it up on the walls.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:44: Commodore Dewey is informed of the situation in the jungle. Now, fearing that the British ships outside Monrovia will attack the city, he orders warning shots on the British vessels.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:46: Captain Hannity of the HMS Albert is confused by the escalation orders retaliatory warning shots. Hannity is told by his junior officers to withdraw.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:47: Dewey, now fearing the worst, orders a salvo from the USS Iowa, intended to miss the Albert.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:48: One shot of the slavo hits the HMS Albert. Captain Hannity, now knowing he was under fire, orders a retaliatory salvo as the other two British ships close in to support the Albert. Hannity is told again to withdraw, this time with far more intensity from his junior officers. After a second thought, he agrees. Hannity orders all three British ships to return to Freetown.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:50: The confused Dewey celebrates a victory; word is quickly sent to DC that the British have now tried to attack the Americans on land and sea.
March 3rd, 1893, 11:55: After American artillery from within Fort Grant is finally set up and fires on the British position, the British withdraw. Gunfire stops, and both sides dig in and prepare for another engagement in the near future.
March 3rd, 1893, 12:40: After counting the dead American casualties in the jungle, they stand at 13 and the British casualties stand at 7. With 33 injuries on both sides,.
March 3rd, 1893, 12:44: One British sailor had a heart attack and died shortly after the engagement with the Iowa. He is mourned aboard the HMS Kent.
March 4, 1893: John Sherman is inaugurated President of the United States. In his inaugural address, he informs the public of the battle in the jungle and at sea. He then informs the people that, due to the cutting of the phone line, they have no contact with the African expedition. He says "I MUST ADMIT! My friends the worst has entered my mind, that our boys in the jungle have been slaughtered! I promise you, we will not rest until justice is served. THAT BASTARD GLADSTONE MUST HAVE A DAMN GOOD EXPLANATION!" Earthquaking and shocked cheers rumbled throughout the Capitol steps.
March 4th, 1893: Shocked newspapers publish the news of the battles. Mass panic follows in the US, Canada and UK.
March 5th, 1893: 10 Downing Street officially places all blame on the Americans, saying that the attacks by the USS Iowa and the battle in the jungle were clear provocations and that Parliament would be considering anything at it's next session.
March 5th, 1893: Queen Victoria releases a statement. She condemns the United States for its actions in Africa and announces that she and Prime Minister Gladstone will ensure that justice upon the Americans is served. The Queen then issues a royal proclamation expelling the American ambassador from London.
March 5th, 1893: Sherman asks the British Ambassador to leave as well, he is given a train ticket to Ottawa. Now the only line between the two is a telephone line from the D.C to Ottawa. Sherman says that he will only hear British words from a Canadian diplomat who he "trusts more".
NEITHER DC OR LONDON HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH MAJOR DOWNING OR LIEUTENANT PERSHING BY MARCH 5TH
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"Sherman didn't have a cabinet. The Senate would refuse to give him one. In a 55-39 vote, the Senate decided not to table the vote on a vice presidential elect. The new President pro Tempore Connecticut Liberal, Orville H. Platt, promised to hold another vote on March 6th. Sherman called this move preposterous. Saying that adding any chaotic constitutional confusion during a time of such a crisis was ill-informed and dangerous. Platt didn't seem to care; the vast majority of the Liberal Party disliked Sherman. They saw the old man as a relic of the old Liberal Party; they only made him the Pro Temp to isolate him in a distant position. Obviously, they didn't expect him to become president. Platt and the Liberals wanted to see him exchanged for Custer as soon as possible. The Populists were also no friends with Sherman; as they saw it, considering Weaver came in second place, Tillman and the Populists should take control. They were united in their votes for Tillman. The final faction in the Senate then was the Republican Party. Inherently, the Republicans weren't opposed to Sherman, nor were they opposed to his internationalist leanings.
Sherman identified them as his only hope for staying in office. Sherman sat down with Cushman Davis on March 5th and agreed to a tacit alliance. The Republicans would deadlock the Senate vote for as long as possible until something more suitable could be arranged between Sherman and the Liberal leadership.
On March 6th, four votes were held in the Senate to elect a president. Though there were a lot of heated attempts to break the deadlock, the vote remained steady at
39 for Custer (36 Liberals, 3 Republicans)
30 for Tillman (all 30 People's Unionists)
19 for Harrison (16 Republicans, 3 Freedmen)
2 Abstentions (2 Liberals)
all short of the 48 needed for a majority. Cushman had clearly kept his word. Sherman and his gutted bureaucracy have now turned to the British issue. On March 7th, word from the jungle finally made it to Monrovia. Exact casualties from the skirmish of the 4th were reported; they were minimal, but Pershing expected another attack to come soon. Pershing was requesting further orders. Sherman ordered Monrovia to send him a messenger ordering him to stay in steadfast defense, not parley with the British, and fire on them if they approached. Sherman then ordered another 5,000 men from South Carolina to Liberia ASAP. He also sent another four ships to connect with Dewey. All of these orders were given on the 7th.
From our knowledge, on the same day, London gave orders to Freetown as well. These orders were explicit: Downing outnumbered Pershing, gave Pershing another ultimatum, and prepared to move in again in a heartbeat. Gladstone authorized Governor Flemming to raise troops and sent another 2000 British regulars from Gibraltar to Freetown.
On the 8th, Gladstone went before Parliament, and responses began to be weighed. Gladstone held a minority government, but he knew that retaliation was popular among the Tories. Though war was brought up, the idea was pulled from debate by Gladstone himself. Gladstone proposed instead that Parliament endorse the sending of more troops and vessels to Freetown. (This was a play for extra political standing.) Parliament overwhelmingly passed the endorsement. Soon after, they passed another resolution condemning the United States. After this session of Parliament, it is known that Gladstone discussed the idea of war with the Queen, though he did not suggest it to her. (This was on purpose, as any suggestion of war would bind Victoria to declaring it.) The aging Queen also approved of Gladstone's most recent military actions.
From what could be gathered, both DC and London understood that war was not inevitable. Sherman, in his parleys with the Canadian ambassador between the 4th and 8th, seemed at least semi-willing to back down or at the very least pay some form of reparation.
On March 9th, news arrived from Paris. From President Sadi Carnot. The French offered to arbitrate the conflict. Mere hours later, two more offers for arbitration would arrive. One from Tzar Alexander in St. Petersburg and a second from King Umberto of Italy in Rome. Once the arbitration offers were extended, Gladstone and Parliament were strongly against French arbitration, still only semi-trusting Paris. They rejected the offer. They also rejected the Tzar's offer on the 10th, fearing grudges from the Crimean conflict. Gladstone accepted the Italian offer, believing it would be the most fair.
Gladstone then made a speech to with full force to Parliament on the 10th, where he hedged all his bets on arbitration. He told Parliament that peace was at hand and that once Sherman inevitably agreed to the deal, all would be well. Gladstone decided to play as the Great Peacemaker, the way he'd save his premiership from sinking any further into irrelevancy.
Congress was fine with all three nations arbitrating. Once the British had outright declined the French and Russian offers, Speaker Reed and Pro Temp Platt urged Sherman to take the Italian deal and handle the crisis over pen and paper. From what we know, he planned to do just that in the lead up to March 11th—that is, until he got word from his allies in the Senate.
Davis and the Senate Republicans planned to end the constitutional crisis at home and vote for Custer when Sherman accepted Italian arbitration. They were just waiting for the threat of war to get out of their way. After getting this confirmed on March 12th by outside sources, Sherman came to the realization that he would lose his job.
John Sherman had sought the presidency his whole life; he envisioned for himself the grandest presidency of all. He knew he was destined for great things; he would far surpass his brother in relevance; he would be the president who beat Britain and brought the country back together after these hard decades.
We don't know exactly what he did, but we do know this. On March 13th, Commodore Dewey was ordered to pass Freetown a second time. While passing the shore, two stories were crafted.
The one that the British newspapers ran with and widely publicized was that the American vessels entered British waters. Three destroyers left dock to meet them, mere seconds after the American vessels fired at the British ones. The British quickly returned fire and triumphantly sank the vile USS John Quincy Adams. The Americans fired back, damaging the starboard bow of the HMS Albert. After the American ships fled with their tails between their legs, shocked at British prowess!
The one that the American newspapers ran with and widely publicized was that US vessels peacefully passed by Freetown on a regular patrol outside British waters. Then they were confronted with British ships. After firing warning shots to get them to move, the British vessels returned fire, sinking the great USS John Quincy Adams. The shocked and honorable Commodore Dewey returned fire, damaging a British ship, and withdrew to avoid any more casualties.
The truth is probably a mix of the two. All we truly know is what came next.
A speech in Westminster before the Commons
And a Speech in Congress before both houses..."
-from The Trilogy
by Kieren Hutchison, published 1999
Sherman identified them as his only hope for staying in office. Sherman sat down with Cushman Davis on March 5th and agreed to a tacit alliance. The Republicans would deadlock the Senate vote for as long as possible until something more suitable could be arranged between Sherman and the Liberal leadership.
On March 6th, four votes were held in the Senate to elect a president. Though there were a lot of heated attempts to break the deadlock, the vote remained steady at
39 for Custer (36 Liberals, 3 Republicans)
30 for Tillman (all 30 People's Unionists)
19 for Harrison (16 Republicans, 3 Freedmen)
2 Abstentions (2 Liberals)
all short of the 48 needed for a majority. Cushman had clearly kept his word. Sherman and his gutted bureaucracy have now turned to the British issue. On March 7th, word from the jungle finally made it to Monrovia. Exact casualties from the skirmish of the 4th were reported; they were minimal, but Pershing expected another attack to come soon. Pershing was requesting further orders. Sherman ordered Monrovia to send him a messenger ordering him to stay in steadfast defense, not parley with the British, and fire on them if they approached. Sherman then ordered another 5,000 men from South Carolina to Liberia ASAP. He also sent another four ships to connect with Dewey. All of these orders were given on the 7th.
From our knowledge, on the same day, London gave orders to Freetown as well. These orders were explicit: Downing outnumbered Pershing, gave Pershing another ultimatum, and prepared to move in again in a heartbeat. Gladstone authorized Governor Flemming to raise troops and sent another 2000 British regulars from Gibraltar to Freetown.
On the 8th, Gladstone went before Parliament, and responses began to be weighed. Gladstone held a minority government, but he knew that retaliation was popular among the Tories. Though war was brought up, the idea was pulled from debate by Gladstone himself. Gladstone proposed instead that Parliament endorse the sending of more troops and vessels to Freetown. (This was a play for extra political standing.) Parliament overwhelmingly passed the endorsement. Soon after, they passed another resolution condemning the United States. After this session of Parliament, it is known that Gladstone discussed the idea of war with the Queen, though he did not suggest it to her. (This was on purpose, as any suggestion of war would bind Victoria to declaring it.) The aging Queen also approved of Gladstone's most recent military actions.
From what could be gathered, both DC and London understood that war was not inevitable. Sherman, in his parleys with the Canadian ambassador between the 4th and 8th, seemed at least semi-willing to back down or at the very least pay some form of reparation.
On March 9th, news arrived from Paris. From President Sadi Carnot. The French offered to arbitrate the conflict. Mere hours later, two more offers for arbitration would arrive. One from Tzar Alexander in St. Petersburg and a second from King Umberto of Italy in Rome. Once the arbitration offers were extended, Gladstone and Parliament were strongly against French arbitration, still only semi-trusting Paris. They rejected the offer. They also rejected the Tzar's offer on the 10th, fearing grudges from the Crimean conflict. Gladstone accepted the Italian offer, believing it would be the most fair.
Gladstone then made a speech to with full force to Parliament on the 10th, where he hedged all his bets on arbitration. He told Parliament that peace was at hand and that once Sherman inevitably agreed to the deal, all would be well. Gladstone decided to play as the Great Peacemaker, the way he'd save his premiership from sinking any further into irrelevancy.
Congress was fine with all three nations arbitrating. Once the British had outright declined the French and Russian offers, Speaker Reed and Pro Temp Platt urged Sherman to take the Italian deal and handle the crisis over pen and paper. From what we know, he planned to do just that in the lead up to March 11th—that is, until he got word from his allies in the Senate.
Davis and the Senate Republicans planned to end the constitutional crisis at home and vote for Custer when Sherman accepted Italian arbitration. They were just waiting for the threat of war to get out of their way. After getting this confirmed on March 12th by outside sources, Sherman came to the realization that he would lose his job.
John Sherman had sought the presidency his whole life; he envisioned for himself the grandest presidency of all. He knew he was destined for great things; he would far surpass his brother in relevance; he would be the president who beat Britain and brought the country back together after these hard decades.
We don't know exactly what he did, but we do know this. On March 13th, Commodore Dewey was ordered to pass Freetown a second time. While passing the shore, two stories were crafted.
The one that the British newspapers ran with and widely publicized was that the American vessels entered British waters. Three destroyers left dock to meet them, mere seconds after the American vessels fired at the British ones. The British quickly returned fire and triumphantly sank the vile USS John Quincy Adams. The Americans fired back, damaging the starboard bow of the HMS Albert. After the American ships fled with their tails between their legs, shocked at British prowess!
The one that the American newspapers ran with and widely publicized was that US vessels peacefully passed by Freetown on a regular patrol outside British waters. Then they were confronted with British ships. After firing warning shots to get them to move, the British vessels returned fire, sinking the great USS John Quincy Adams. The shocked and honorable Commodore Dewey returned fire, damaging a British ship, and withdrew to avoid any more casualties.
The truth is probably a mix of the two. All we truly know is what came next.
A speech in Westminster before the Commons
And a Speech in Congress before both houses..."
-from The Trilogy
by Kieren Hutchison, published 1999
-
NEXT UP! LATER TONIGHT A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF SHERMAN'S "LIBERTY OR DEATH" SPEECH IN CONGRESS!
NEXT UP! LATER TONIGHT A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF SHERMAN'S "LIBERTY OR DEATH" SPEECH IN CONGRESS!
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