Government Action
With the rise of the Industry Age came a filthy rich class, a increase in immigration, a frustrated working class, and miles upon miles of railroads. The nation was both flourishing and falling at the same as labor unions were forming while the standard of living was increasing. The Government was trying to decide how to eliminate the problems. What needed to change? What didn't? It seemed to be working for the good of the people, but who was really in charge? Who was the government made up of, and who would they want to help?
Government- who was the government?
The wealthy proclaimed that they were justified by God to have so much wealth. They claimed that God gave them their money or they were a product of natural selection. Plutocracy, government controlled by the wealthy, took control of the Constitution. The clause that gave Congress sole jurisdiction over the interstate commerce was a bonus for the monopolists; they used their lawyers to thwart controls by state legislatures. Large trusts also sought safety behind the 14th Amendment, arguing that corporations were actually legal "people."
Rail road "kings" also extorted great amount of power as they bribed judges and government officials to do their bidding.
Political bosses, such as Boss Tweed,Big Tim Sullivan of New York and "Hinky Dink" Kenna of Chicago, also began emerging as the leaders in political parties who began controlling votes and dictating appointments.
Rail road "kings" also extorted great amount of power as they bribed judges and government officials to do their bidding.
Political bosses, such as Boss Tweed,Big Tim Sullivan of New York and "Hinky Dink" Kenna of Chicago, also began emerging as the leaders in political parties who began controlling votes and dictating appointments.
Action- what did they do?
- In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled in the Wabash case that individual states had no power to regulate interstate commerce.
- In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act. It prohibited rebates and pools, required the railroads to publish their rates openly, forbade unfair discrimination against shippers, and outlawed charging more for a short trip than for a long one over the same line.
- Also created was the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to administer and enforce the new legislation. The new laws provided an orderly forum where competing business interests could resolve their conflicts in peaceful ways. (The laws tended to stabilize the existing railroad business.)
- Hailing to public demand, Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. The Act forbade combinations in restraint of trade without any distinction between "good" trusts and "bad" trusts. (The law proved ineffective because it contained legal loopholes and it made all large trusts suffer, not just bad ones)