The Politics of Progressivism

Robert M. La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855–June 18, 1925) was an American Republican (and later a Progressive) politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was the governor of Wisconsin, and was a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin from 1906 to 1925. He ran for president of the United States as the nominee of his own Progressive Party in 1924, carrying Wisconsin and winning 17 percent of the national popular vote. La Follette has been called, "arguably the most important and recognized leader of the opposition to the growing dominance of corporations over the Government," and is one of the key figures pointed to in Wisconsin's long history of political liberalism. He is best remembered as a proponent of Progressivism and a vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, World War I, and the League of Nations.

As governor of Wisconsin, La Follette championed numerous Progressive reforms, including the first workers' compensation system, railroad rate reform, direct legislation, municipal home rule, open government, the minimum wage, non-partisan elections, the open primary system, direct election of U.S. Senators, women's suffrage, and Progressive taxation. He created an atmosphere of close cooperation between the state government and the University of Wisconsin in the development of Progressive policy, which became known as the "Wisconsin Idea." The goals of his policy included establishing the recall, referendum, direct primary, and initiative. All of these were aimed at giving citizens a more direct role in government.

The Wisconsin Idea promoted the idea of grounding legislation in thorough research and expert involvement. To implement this program, La Follette began working with University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty. This made Wisconsin a, "laboratory for democracy" and, "the most important state for the development of Progressive legislation." As governor, La Follette signed legislation that created the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library (now Bureau) to ensure that a research agency would be available for the development of legislation.

Another system of efficiency during the Progressive Era was Fordism, "the eponymous manufacturing system designed to spew out standardized, low-cost goods and afford its workers decent enough wages to buy them." It has also been described as, "a model of economic expansion and technological progress based on mass production: the manufacture of standardized products in huge volumes using special purpose machinery and unskilled labor." Although Fordism was a method used to improve productivity in the automotive industry, the principle could be applied to any kind of manufacturing process. Henry Ford and his senior managers did not use the word "Fordism" themselves to describe their motivations or worldview; however, many contemporaries framed their worldview as an "ism" and applied that name to it. Fordism's major success stemmed from the following three principles:

1. The standardization of the product (nothing is handmade: everything is made through machines and molds by unskilled workers)
2. The employment of assembly lines, which use special-purpose tools and/or equipment to allow unskilled workers to contribute to the finished product
3. The payment of higher "living" wages to workers, so they can afford to purchase the products they make

These principles, coupled with a technological revolution during Henry Ford's time, allowed for this form of labor to flourish. It is true that his assembly line was revolutionary, but it was in no way original. His most original contribution to the modern world was breaking down complex tasks into simpler ones with the help of specialized tools. Simpler tasks created interchangeable parts that could be used the same way every time. This allowed for flexibility and created a very adaptable assembly line that could change its constituent components to meet the needs of the product being assembled.

Public officials during the Progressive Era put passing and enforcing strong antitrust policies high on their agenda. President Theodore Roosevelt sued 45 companies under the Sherman Act, and William Howard Taft sued 75. In 1902, Roosevelt stopped the formation of the Northern Securities Company, which threatened to monopolize transportation in the Northwest (see Northern Securities Co. v. United States).

One of the most well-known trusts was the Standard Oil Company; John D. Rockefeller in the 1870s and 1880s had used economic threats against competitors and secret rebate deals with railroads to build a monopoly in the oil business, though some minor competitors remained in business. In 1911, the Supreme Court agreed that in recent years (1900–1904) Standard had violated the Sherman Act. It broke the monopoly into three dozen separate competing companies, including Standard Oil of New Jersey (later known as Exxon and now ExxonMobil), Standard Oil of Indiana (Amoco), Standard Oil Company of New York (Mobil, which later merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil), and so on. In approving the breakup, the Supreme Court added the "rule of reason." Not all big companies, and not all monopolies, are evil; and the courts (not the executive branch) are to make that decision. To be harmful, a trust had to somehow damage the economic environment of its competitors.

Prohibition was mandated under the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Volstead Act set the rules for enforcing the ban and defined the types of alcoholic beverages that were prohibited. For example, religious uses of wine were allowed. Private ownership and consumption of alcohol were not made illegal under federal law; however, in many areas, local laws were stricter, with some states banning possession outright.

Although alcohol consumption did decline as a whole, there was a rise in alcohol consumption in many cities along with significant increases in organized crime related to its production and distribution. The sale of alcohol was illegal, but alcoholic drinks were still widely available. People also kept private bars to serve their guests. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled in from Canada overland, by sea along both ocean coasts, and via the Great Lakes. The government cracked down on alcohol consumption on land within the United States. It was a different story on the water, where vessels outside of the three-mile limit were exempt. Legal and illegal home brewing was popular during Prohibition. "Malt and hop" stores popped up across the country and some former breweries turned to selling malt extract syrup, ostensibly for baking and "beverage" purposes.

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