The 1912 Presidential Campaign: The Republicans, the Democrats and the Bull Moose Party

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, September 3, 1912: Nothing doing today.

Willaim Howard Taft — President William Taft (Republican)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Since nothing much happened in Grandma’s life a hundred years ago today, I’m going tell you a little about the 1912 presidential race.

(Somehow with the Republican convention last week and the Democratic one this week, this seems like an appropriate time to step back and take a look at the big picture.)

Lots of economic, social, and environmental issues dominated the campaign rhetoric in 1912:

How much power should corporations have?
Should tariffs be high or low?
Was the government corrupt?
Did political machines have too much power?
How important were environmental issues?
What role should government play in developing social welfare policies?
Should woman have the right to vote?
What role should Blacks have in the political process?
Should children be allowed to work?

In 1912, William Taft was the current president, but there was a three-way race between Taft (Republican), Theodore Roosevelt (Bull Moose Party), and Woodrow Wilson (Democratic).

There had been a schism in the Republican Party between Taft and Roosevelt, which led to Roosevelt breaking away to form the Bull Moose Party.

Roosevelt had been president early in the 20th century. He was part of the progressive wing of the Republican party, but in 1908 he decided that he did not want to run for re-election and supported Taft as the Republican nominee.

However, by 1912 Roosevelt felt that Taft had not appropriately continued the progressive path he’d begun, and ran against him for the Republican nomination. When Roosevelt lost the nomination he founded the Bull Moose Party.

(Roosevelt said that he was as fit as a bull moose—and somehow it ended up being the party name.)

This split basically ensured that Woodrow Wilson would win.

Wilson was the governor of New Jersey when he received the Democratic nomination. He’d previously been president of Princeton University—but in 1910 ran for governor because he was frustrated by the infighting within the university over issues such where the graduate school building should be located, and whether or not there should be eating clubs on the campus.

Wilson stayed out of the brawl between Taft and Roosevelt, and easily won the election.

Many of the campaign issues soon seemed less important. . .

. . . . in 1914, World War I would break out in Europe.

—-

How aware was Grandma of the national issues? Did she listen to any campaign speeches supporting one or another of the candidates? Did her father talk about who he planned to vote for? Did she hope that within a few years that she’d be able to vote?

Newspaper Headlines: Labor Day, 1912

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, September 2, 1912: Had to go to school, even if it is labor day. We had this day off last year.

Cold isn’t much better. Have to blow my whistle almost all the time, which constant usage make it rather sore and pink.

Labor Day, September 2, 1912 Chicago Morning Tribune Article — Source: Chicago Morning Tribune (September 2, 1912)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

It’s interesting that in 1911 the students didn’t have to go to school on Labor Day—but that in 1912 they did. Was Labor Day an important holiday in 1912?

A quick scan of newspaper headlines from September 2, 1912 shows that in 1912 the nation was engaged in a debate over the role of labor and unions (as well as whether woman should be paid the same as men).

Representative Newspaper Headlines

Labor Day, September 2, 1912

Cathedral Packed for Labor Service: Mgr. Lavelle Points Out Socialism’s Weakness to Vast Throng of Union Men (New York Times)

Labor Day Parade: Large Squad of Police Detailed to Assist in Keeping Order-Line of March (Los Angeles Times)

Labor Will Parade Today, While City Lends Cheers: Predicted That 50,000 Persons Will Attend Celebration at Armory (Minneapolis Morning Tribune)

Minnesota State Fair to Open This Morning: Exposition Gates to be Thrown Wide to Northwest Visitors: Labor Program Planned (Minneapolis Morning Tribune)

Urges Pay Raise to Save Women: Bishop Samuel Fallows Advocates Putting Them on an Equal Basis with Men: Bar to Immorality (Chicago Daily Tribune)

Sweaters a Hundred Years Ago

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, September 1, 1912:

What can be said of September,

Is very much I think,

But the thinking part is not with me now

Because my efforts so readily sink.

Went to Sunday School this morning. Took a slide on a bank coming out. Fortunately didn’t get myself very muddy. It’s raining now.

I have one cracker jack of a cold. Got the worst part of it yesterday going to the picnic without a coat. Hope it doesn’t last long.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Sounds like a miserable day with miserable weather—and a miserable cold.

Instead of wearing a coat during the cool fall season, I wonder if Grandma ever thought about getting one of the stylish sweaters shown in the September, 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal:

The Autumn Sweaters

With the approach of autumn the new sweaters play a prominent part in the array of apparel for outdoor wear.

A very new idea for a coat sweater is the tailored model in ivory white (Number One), with cloth collar and cuffs embroidered in worsteds. This is very modish and is not intended for a general knockabout. The cap is of white cloth also, finished with an embroidered band.

The white sweater with the striped collar and cuffs (Number Two) suggests an appropriate style for outdoor sports.

The Week Flew By

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, August 30, 1912: This week went much faster, than the other weeks that preceded it. Ruth and I went up to Oakes’ this eve.

Recent photo of the farm where the Oakes family lived.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Friday night, after the first week of school! Yeah for Grandma—

And, for those of us in 2012: only one more day until the week-end.

The Oakes family lived on a farm near the Muffly’s. They had several children who were close in age to Grandma and her sister Ruth.

Weather Forecast for Steamships

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, August 29, 1912: Was real nice going to school this morning. You see it rained last night. Had our first visitors at school today. They were Miss Cakes and Miss Bryson. We had our last class, while they were there.

Recent photo of building that once housed McEwensville High School.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

It sounds like the rain the previous night broke a hot spell.

Here’s what the weather report in the New York Times for August 29, 1912 said.

The Weather

. . . Temperatures remain below the seasonal average in the Northeastern States, the region of the Great Lakes, and the Upper Mississippi Valley, and continue high in the Lower Ohio and Middle Mississippi Valleys and throughout the South. . . . .

Steamships departing Thursday for European ports will have moderate variable winds and overcast showery weather to the Grand Banks.

Cool—It’s amazing that there was a steamship forecast. How many steamships left the port of New York on a typical day? . . . How many people were on those ships? There must have been a lot or the New York Times probably wouldn’t have included the steamship forecast.

Visitors

I’m not sure who the two visitors were. Miss Bryson might possibly refer to Blanche Bryson, She was a friend of Grandma and her sister Ruth.

New Teacher Wore Pinchers

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, August 26, 1912: At last the day has dawned and back again to our studies we go. Have four new studies this year, so that may mean some energy expended upon them.

He is rather wide, wears a pair of pinchers, and has yellow hair. Not so very cross, but I believe he could be.

pince.nez.glasses — Someone (not Grandma’s teacher) wearing pinchers (Source: Wikipedia)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Yeah! The first day of school finally arrived. Grandma’s been waiting so long for it to start again. I hope that she likes her new teacher.

According to The History of McEwensville Schools by Thomas Kramm, the teacher of McEwensville High School for the 1912-13 school year was Bruce Bloom.

Pinchers (pince-nez) refer to glasses that pinch the wearer’s nose.

According to Wikipedia pinchers were popular from 1880 to 1900, so Grandma probably thought that they were out-of style and old-fashioned when her teacher wore them.

Using My Imagination to Fill in the Details

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, August 25, 1912: Won’t I be glad when tomorrow morn is here and this day is passed. Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Besse and Curt were here today.

DSC06186.crop — Basket of cookies (Source: Ladies Home Journal, August, 1912)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

With entries like this, I always create stories in my mind–even if the diary text doesn’t really provide enough information to tell whether my imagination is right or way off base.

For example, for this diary entry I picture Grandma, and her sister and brother-in-law, Besse and Curt Hester, sitting on the porch on a beautiful summer afternoon nibbling cookies. There’s a bit of a breeze–just enough to make the day seem really pleasant.

The zinnias and hollyhocks are blooming in a nearly flower garden. And, the young folks are catching up on all the gossip–who just got engaged, the runaway horse in downtown Watsontown, . . . and that school was going to start for Grandma the next day.

. . . or maybe there were thunderheads in the sky so Grandma, Besse, and Curt . . . .