Era of weak presidents

The Era of Weak Presidents

the compromise of 1877 - Hayes elected on the condition of removing trooops from the west

THE TWEED RING - William Tweed, responsibile for over 100mil on fraud, infiltrated with tammy hall NY

SOUTHERN CORRUPTION - scalawags, carpetbaggers and criminlas, arrange contratcts and commit fraud.

PATRONAGE - pork barell politicsCARTELS AND TRUSTS - large compnays that join together to control key markets. Use their political capitol to influence polititcians.

RUTHEFORD HAYES 1877-81

- narrow victory, involved in the compromise of 1877

- limited to only one term, weakened his power

- led to the 'solid south' - Democrats kept control of the south.

- failed to end the spoils system, oppoosed by the stalwarts (republican group)

JAMES GARFIELD 1881-81

- was a dark horse in his election

- clashed with stalwart faction to reduce patronage 

- appointed James Blaine (half-breed) as secretary of state

- assassinated in june 1881

- appointed James Garfield as his running mate ( a stalwart supporter) to bring unit

CHESTER A ARTHUR 1881-85

- was a NY republican, tied in to the tweed ring scandal - negative perception

- got congress to pass the pendleton civil service act - led to a 3 man comission that was going to appoint on merit jobs in the civil service - patronage power partially taken away from president.

-  'it would be hard indeed to better president Arthur's administation' - mark twain

GROVER CLEVELAND 1885-89

- first democrat president since 1868 - due to support from immigrants and southeners

- bourbon democrat - opposed high tariffs (maintain high tariffs for imported goods such as bourbon, whisky - whisky was heavily taxed and that money went straight to the federal govt. rather than the…