America in the Gilded Age: Third Edition

12. The Dawn of a Progressive Age

CHAPTER 1 2 The Dawn of a Progressive Age Just exactl y what th e United States had accomplishe d i n the Gilded Age was assessed in 1897 , somewhat caustically, by Mr. Dooley : I have seen America sprea d out from th ' Atlantic to th' Pacific, with a branch office iv th' Standard lie Comp'ny in ivry hamlet. I've seen th' shackles dropped fr'm th ' slave , so's h e cu d b y lynche d i n Ohio . . . . An' th ' invintion s .. . th ' cotton-gin an' th' gin sour an' th' bicycle an' th' flyin'-machine an' th' nickel-inth '-slot machin e an ' th ' Croke r machin e an ' th ' sody-fountai n an'—crownin ' wurruk iv our civilization—th' cash raygister. This emphasis on materia l progress without spiritua l satisfaction wa s disturbing t o man y Americans . Moreover , i t wa s no t onl y countryfol k who fel t displace d b y th e political an d industria l change s o f th e Gilde d Age. By 1900 middle-class Americans were responding to two challenge s to social stability . On e was the control o f political an d economi c life by big business . Th e othe r wa s unres t an d disconten t amon g th e lowe r classes, especiall y factor y worker s an d immigrants . A t th e tur n o f th e century th e mos t importan t politica l issu e wa s stil l monopolies , popu larly calle d "th e trusts. " I n 189 6 Charle s B . Spaur estimate d tha t on e percent o f th e populatio n owne d mor e tha n hal f o f th e tota l nationa l wealth. I n 189 7 th e tota l valu e o f al l corporation s individuall y wort h 354 As governo r o f Ne w York , Theodor e Roosevel t (1858—1919 ) initiated progressiv e legis lation independen t o f an d oppose d t o th e part y machin e o f Senato r To m Piatt . Piat t realized that, if Roosevelt remained i n office muc h longer , the day s of the ol d guard woul d be numbered , an d h e determine d t o b e ri d o f hi s exasperatin g proteg e b y havin g hi m elected vic e president . (Librar y o f Congress.) 356 The Dawn of a Progressive Age $i millio n o r mor e wa s $17 0 million . I n 190 0 th e tota l valu e wa s $ 5 billion. Whe n Andre w Carnegi e sol d ou t t o th e Hous e o f Morga n i n 1901 the bond s an d stock s issued by Morgan fo r th e United State s Steel Corporation wer e valued a t $1.4 billion . At this time the average annua l wage was between $40 0 and $500 . In thes e circumstance s i t i s no t surprisin g tha t historia n Mar k Sulli van , writing i n 1925 , should sugges t tha t th e averag e American ha d th e feeling tha t h e "wa s bein g 'pu t upon, ' hi s horizon s shortene d b y a n unseen enem y who m h e calle d th e Invisibl e Government , th e Mone y Interests; the Gold Bugs, Wall Street, the Trusts, and fo r Westerners, the East." I n 189 8 Mar k Twai n commente d sarcasticall y o f a fictitious "Blessings-of-Civilization Trust" : "Thi s world-girdlin g accumulatio n o f trained morals , hig h principles , an d justic e canno t d o a n unrigh t thing , an unfair thing , an ungenerous thing, an unclean thing. " The Attack on Monopolies Captains o f industr y ha d los t thei r heroi c imag e an d wer e roundl y condemned fo r corruptin g politic s an d exploitin g labor . Whe n Henr y Demarest Lloy d argue d agains t th e robbe r barons , he was speakin g fo r millions...