Volume 14 , Issue 35

The Bull Moose Years (1912-1916)

In 1912 rough politics was nothing new, and it still happens today. It was without question former President Theodore roosevelt, contesting the renomination of President William Howard Taft. Both Roosevelt and Taft were opposed by the militant reformer Senator Robert M. LaFollette of Wisconsin, who saw both of his opponents as too conservative.

The voice of the people was clear in the 1912 Republican primaries, but the voters were not allowed to speak in most states. This was also the first year in which there were presidential primaries. The primary system had developed on the state level for state offices from the 1890's onward. In the 1912 presidential primaries were introduced, promoted by supporters of Theodore Roosevelt. There were 36 states that had no direct popular Republican primary. These states delegates were chosen by state conventions, and delegates to state conventions were usually chosen in local conventions. It was a system dominated by professional politicians, particularly in the South where there were few Republicans and many delegates. Republicans in the South were often simply federal officeholders.

The republican National Committee, dominated by President Taft's supporters, had the power to decide the delegate disputes. The 53 members of that committee, 15 had not been elected delegates to the convention in 1912 with four coming from US territorial possessions and 10 from Southern states, areas where GOP politics was completely controlled by presidential patronage. These groups accounted for 29 members of the RNC (a majority).

Of the 254 contested seats, Roosevelt was awarded 19 and president Taft was given 235. The courts seldom got involved in party disputes in those days. The loss of 22 delegates would have denied Taft the nomination on the first ballot. The conclusion seemed obvious to Roosevelt's supporters at the Republican National Convention in Chicago in June of 1912.

Roosevelt's delegates walked out of the Republican convention and held a mass meeting to decided to bolt the Republican party and found a new party. Roosevelt agreed to lead a new party if nominated. In August 1912 the national convention of the new Progressive Party met in Chicago, nominating Roosevelt for president and governor Hiram W. Johnson of California for Vice President.

In November, 1912, the Republicans for the first and only time in history came i third in both the popular and electoral vote for president. Roosevelt came in second, and because of the split in the normal republican vote, Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected. The Bull Moose party welcomed women into leadership positions as no major party had done before. The high status of women in the Progressive party reflected the party's strong advocacy of women's suffrage and women's rights, and the emphasis that Theodore Roosevelt gave to women's issues.

Republican president Taft, running for re election and Democrat Woodrow Wilson endorsed women's suffrage on the national level. It was in 1912 women had the vote in several western states, but in no state east of the Mississippi River.

The Bull Moose party lasted until about 1916, but the cause of women's suffrage was surely advanced by four years of bull Moose campaigning. Women got the vote everywhere in 1920. The Progressive party (Bull Moose party) had opened a door to women, a door previously closed to them by Republicans and Democrats alike.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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