What reforms did Teddy Roosevelt achieve under his square deal?

Question

?

Answer 1

Roosevelt ascension to the presidency after Leon Czolgosz’s assassination of President McKinley (1901) was met with horror by Republican insiders, who referred to him as the “crazy man” in private.

--Initially, however, TR sought to mollify the “Old Guard”—Nelson W. Aldrich (RI), John Spooner (WI), Orville Platt (UT), and William Allison (IA)—by pledging to continue McKinley’s ways.

--Indeed, TR immediately met with Republican fundraiser Mark Hanna and Speaker Joe Cannon, assuring them that “no significant changes are at hand.

--It soon became clear, however, that Roosevelt would chart his own course for the nation, one that included vigorous reform efforts and a “balanced” approach to regulation.



The “Square Deal’s” Philosophy:

--Intent on being reelected in 1904, TR “moved to the middle” to court Progressive Republicans and moderates who were concerned about business’s hold on the party.

--His political philosophy, which came to be known as the “Square Deal,” had three principal tenets:



v Consolidation and Business Growth were Natural: TR denied that consolidation and business growth were necessarily bad. Instead, he argued that the government had to differentiate between “good” and “bad” trusts. The key, he said, was to distinguish between proper and improper size, which even conservatives and business leaders could accept.



v Big Business should be Balanced by Big Labor: Balance was critical to TR, who believed that “improper relations” were at the root of most economic and social ills. Each side, therefore, must be fairly represented, something that would influence TR’s actions in strikes (see below).



v An Active, Big Government should Regulate and Mediate: A firm believer in Hamiltonian federalism and “broad construction,” TR felt that strong executive action and a powerful central government were key to growth and fairness. Supposedly remarking, “What’s the Constitution among friends,” Roosevelt used executive power liberally.







II: THE “SQUARE DEAL” IN ACTION: LABOR, BUSINESS, & CONSUMER PROTECTION:



--Though TR saw all of his actions as part of an interrelated “system,” it is still easier to consider federal regulation in categories. To that end, I have divided his actions into three sections:



Labor-Capital Relations:

--Even before articulating the “Square Deal” in 1904, TR had begun to act on his convictions.

--The first such case came in the Coal Strike of 1902, during which George Baer and the mine owners had refused to negotiate with the United Mine Workers (UMW), led by John L. Mitchell.

--Concerned about heating shortages in the unusually chilly winter of 1902, TR forced both sides to accept “arbitration,” threatening to take over the mines with federal troops if the owners balked.

--The end result was a 10% wage increase for miners and a 9-hour day. While the owners in turn secured a price increase and did not have to recognize the UMW, this was clearly a victory for labor.

--Still, TR balanced this out by aiding management in subsequent strikes in Arizona (1903) and Colorado (1904), adhering to his concept of labor-capital “balance.”



Business Regulation & “Trusts”:

--Though the popular media seized on the euphonious term “trust buster” to describe TR’s business actions, the term was in many ways inappropriate.

--Nevertheless, TR significantly expanded federal regulation of Business in a series of actions:



v Created the Commerce Department (1903): A subset of commerce was the “Bureau of Corporations,” which could require business to “turn over their books” for federal investigation. This concept had begun earlier in the Northern Securities Case (1902), when Attorney-General Philander Knox ordered the “breaking up” of this powerful railroad holding company. In time, Standard Oil, the American Tobacco Company, DuPont, and Armor Meat Packing would also be disbanded.



v Helped shepherd the Elkins Act (1903): This strengthened the ICC (1887) by giving it the power to end railroad rebates. Though rail companies actually welcomed this act (because rebates cost them money), Elkins nevertheless set an important precedent for federal regulation.



v Supported the Hepburn Railway Act (1906): Following his landslide victory in 1904, TR used his “popular mandate” to create more stringent regulatory codes (see more below), including the Hepburn Act, which allowed the ICC to (a) set rate ceilings for Railroads and (b) expanded its jurisdiction to include waterways, trolleys, etc.



--Most of these actions were met with Conservatives’ contempt and Progressives’ cheers….



Consumer Protection / Conservation:

--TR also belatedly came to the aid of American consumers. Influenced by Samuel Hopkins Adams’ “Gullible America” and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, Congress passed two key pieces of legislation:



v Pure Food and Drug Act (1906): This stipulated that all food and drugs had to be free of harmful ingredients and that no substance could be “adulterated” or altered.



v Meat Inspection Act (1906): A direct response to Sinclair’s work, this mandated that all meat had to be federally inspected and graded and that no food could be shipped without inspection. This followed on the heels of the government’s prosecution of the Swift Meat Company for anti-trust violations.



--At the same time, TR lobbied hard on behalf of “conservation” and the national parks system.

--Appointing Gifford Pinchot as Head of the Forestry Department, TR supported the passage of:



v The Reclamation Act (1902): Provided that funds from southern and western land sales be used for irrigation projects in the arid West. Soon, battle lines formed between the “conservationists” (led by Pinchot) and the “preservationists” (led by John Muir, head of the Sierra Club).



atp

Answer 2

Teddy Roosevelt Reforms

Answer 3

The Square Deal (1904) was the term used by President Theodore Roosevelt and his associates for the domestic policies of his administration, particularly with regard to economic policies, such as enforcement. The term is a general reference to the concept of a square deal being an agreement that is made fairly between businesses and the consumers and workers.

To ensure market competition, President Roosevelt built into the Square Deal program the concepts that some "bad" trusts had to be curbed, and "good" ones encouraged. He wanted executive agencies to make the decision, not the Courts. It is also rumored by modern historians that the only distinction between "good" and "bad" trusts were those who donated to his re-election campaign, and those who did not, respectively.

Railroads were no longer allowed to give rebates or kickbacks to favored companies. Meat had to be processed safely with proper sanitation. Foodstuffs and drugs could no longer be mislabeled, nor could consumers be deliberately misled to make a profit

Answer 4

"To ensure market competition, President Roosevelt built into the Square Deal program the concepts that some "bad" trusts had to be curbed, and "good" ones encouraged. He wanted executive agencies to make the decision, not the Courts. It is also rumored by modern historians that the only distinction between "good" and "bad" trusts were those who donated to his re-election campaign, and those who did not, respectively.

Railroads were no longer allowed to give rebates or kickbacks to favored companies. Meat had to be processed safely with proper sanitation. Foodstuffs and drugs could no longer be mislabeled, nor could consumers be deliberately misled to make a profit."