Progress and Reform - A Different 20th Century and Beyond
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Huey Long is a Republican
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« on: September 17, 2020, 09:10:46 AM »

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« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2020, 10:11:44 AM »

Very nice. Hughes is underappreciated.
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« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2020, 10:58:40 AM »
« Edited: September 17, 2020, 03:00:45 PM by Congrats Senator Manny Sethi »

Governor Hughes makes Major Policy Speech in New York City, Support for him rises massively

New York Times : Today, on January 31st, 1908, The State Governor, Charles Evans Hughes, elected in 1906, has made it clear his intentions to run for President of the United States on the Republican Ticket. Governor Hughes, who has made himself well known amongst Progressive, Reform-minded, and Moderate circles, with his governorship seeing the expansion of Civil Service positions, increased the power of the public utility regulatory commissions, and passed laws limiting the amount for political donations by corporations and required political candidates to track campaign receipts and expenditures. He also signed laws barring younger workers from several dangerous occupations and established a maximum 48-hour workweek for manufacturing workers under the age of 16, making popular amongst that demographic which will likely vote for him en masse when they turn the voting age of 21.

With him being so popular and being from the largest state in the country, many believe he is a shoe-in, though Former Attorney general and Pennsylvania Senator Philander C. Knox, Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana, and Speaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois are just as strong candidates. There also remains the unknown and popularly supported potential Roosevelt successor, Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio, who has yet to make his intentions known.

Today, he made a major policy speech, speaking the following "America has made amazing progress for the past 8 years under President Roosevelt, for we have seen ideas that only a mere decade ago would've been slammed and pushed away and we have the President to thank for that. While there are indeed some things that must be improved upon, such as work schedules and our military, we must also moderate on some other issues or we might become too radical to be accepted by the populace of America. We must continue to bust up trusts that seek to harm and abuse the American citizen, but we must allow those that have been beneficial to continue, for we could see major problems if we bust every trust in the United States. We must also ensure the progress of the African American Community abused in the South, progress seen by Presidents Roosevelt and McKinley but despised by the Democrats. It is time America makes a progressive move for reform and I do believe I am the best man able to lead such reforms." A short straw poll was conducted following his speech consisting of 1500 attendees and this was the following result

January 31st 1908 - Republican Nomination Straw Poll

Who do you favor more?


Charles Evans Hughes : 863 (57.53%)

William Howard Taft : 306 (20.40%) {Hasn't Announced intentions}
Philander C. Knox : 142 (9.50%)
Charles W. Fairbanks : 99 (6.60%)
Joseph G. Cannon : 77 (5.13%)
Others : 13 (0.84%)

Secretaries Taft and Root declare they won't run for President, both them and President Roosevelt endorse Hughes!

New York Times - Despite a long while of attempting to get Taft to run, President Roosevelt's potential and favored successor has refused along with Secretary of State from New York Elihu Root, both making Shermanesque speeches and going on to endorse the Progressive and Reform favorite, Governor Hughes. The President, following this announcement, has gone on to reluctantly endorse the Governor as well, seeing the Governor gain massive amounts of popularity and see all but his other three opponents leaving the race to the Convention halls. While many believe that Hughes is likely to win the Nomination, there is still a chance that Knox or Fairbanks can pull off a sneak win if he isn't careful.

For Vice President, however, Five candidates have lined themselves up, ready to be nominated at the convention : Illinois Governor Charles S. Deneen, Nebraska Governor George L. Sheldon, Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield of Ohio, Senator Albert J. Beveridge of Indiana, or Senator Johnathan P. Doliver of Iowa. While many would prefer a progressive candidate, there is much more widespread support for a Conservative candidate to be Vice President instead. Meanwhile, for the Democrats, it has become clear the Party is moving to nominate William Jennings Bryan a third time and it is even clearer that both parties expect him to lose in a landslide as his main issue he campaigned on in 1896 and 1900, Silver coinage over Gold, has become a nonissue. Only time will tell what is in store for the 1908 General Election.

This is what I've got so far for my TL. Feel free to post suggestions/comments below and here is a link to vote for the 1908 VP Nominee. At 12 Tomorrow, I'll check the results and select the highest performing candidates unless there is a majority : https://forms.gle/brYwfoSRL8KHzDqN6
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Huey Long is a Republican
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« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2020, 06:18:41 PM »

Feel free to cast your election predictions and such. Note that this TL will be written in a similar way to Kaiserdave and Old School Republian's TLs, with the elections and general administrations being described in brief summaries (except for major events, such as the one everyone knows is coming in 1914) and the election being covered in updates in the OSR style until the 1970s/1980s of TTL.
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« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2020, 03:21:52 PM »

1908 Republican Convention

June 16th-19th, 1908




Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Republican-National-Convention-1908.jpg

Chicago Tribune - Massive Crowds turn out today as the three day festival known as the Republican National Convention comes to a close. After what many believed would be a drawn out fight following Secretaries Taft, Root, and later Cortelyou stating they wouldn't run and President Roosevelt upholding his pledge to not run again, their endorsements of Governor Hughes proved effective in sending him over the top on just the First Ballot, with 786 (80.19%) Delegates to Knox's 92 (9.43%), Fairbanks' 62 (6.28%), La Follette's 26 (2.64%), and Cannon's 14 (1.46%), a landslide in the nomination battle. Meanwhile, for Vice President, Governor Charles S. Deneen of Illinois won the fight to be Hughes' running mate with 619 Delegates (63.21%) to Sheldon's 191 (19.48%), Garfield's 122 (12.47%), Beveridge's 38 (3.85%), and Doliver's 10 (0.99%).

Following the balloting, many favorites and strong progressives were allowed to speak, such as Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Indiana Senator Albert J. Beveridge, Michigan Senator Justin C. Burrows, and the President's Cabinet spoke out as well before the Nominees spoke and offered their platform. The party platform was a mix of many things, such as upholding the rights of African American and the Civil Service, support for war veterans, the admission of Arizona and New Mexico as states, the building of the Panama Canal, and celebrating the birthday of the Party's first President and the Nation's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, while deploring and disregarding any proposals the Democrats made.

"For the past 12 years," Republican Nominee, New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes, began shortly after the convention to a large crowd, "America has had a massive leap forward in progress and reform. Gone are the days of monopolies and trusts having more power than the people, gone are the days of the Gilded Age, where many politicians only were punished because they were caught. Gone are the days of financial instability and panic seen by President Cleveland. Instead, America has become stronger and mightier than even Britain would've expected us to ever be. It was under President Roosevelt that we saw Progressive Policies be brought in to change the United States, it was under President Roosevelt that America was able to uphold and enforce the Monroe Doctrine for the first time in our nation's history. But more can be done. It is time to pass Civil Rights legislation that ensures the voting rights of African Americans in the regions where they are being disenfranchised, we must have in our nation a Supreme Court that is both Progressive but also moderate. We must continue to strengthen our armed forces to dissuade any outside powers from interfering in our affairs, and we must keep our tariffs high to ensure that our goods and our industries are not hampered by products made from Britain, France, or Germany, and instead the American Worker continues to see growth that once seemed impossible.

The Democrats offer you nothing but half-truths and poison. We learned this in 1892 when we elected Grover Cleveland and almost immediately went into financial chaos. The Democrats do not know how to govern, they never have. They are only concerned with appealing to their Southern base, those that once fought to leave this beloved union we Republicans hold so dear. We Republicans hold no such loyalties, we are not loyal to the South or any particular group of people, we are instead. We are instead beholden to the American citizenry, we listen to what you request of us and we work to make it happen, something the Democrats will never do.Now they go to Nominate a twice failed candidate, Former Congressman Bryan of Nebraska. He paints himself as Roosevelt's true successor, but he is anything but. Bryan's ideas have been modified to be workable, whereas his original plans were to radical for this, and perhaps the biggest example of this was his call for Bimetalism. He nearly won twice on that platform alone but now many Americans see the risks and dangers of potentially leaving the gold standard. He has tried to sneak away that part of his past, but who is to say he isn't planning on implementing it. If asked, he simply deflects to another issue. We have no time for deflections or half-truths, my fellow Americans.

America has reached progress under Roosevelt and will continue to do so under myself and Governor Deneen for we have worked hard to reform our state governments into stronger beacons of liberty for all to applaud. Thank you.
" Following his speech, the convention ended and the crowds dispersed. With the Democratic Convention a few weeks away, Governor Hughes has time to consolidate his national and party support and focus on the states that could prove troublesome in the general election. However, some straw polls, many of which are likely biased, do show the Governor leading Bryan 55-40-5 in an election match-up.


Source(s) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CEHughes.png ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:C.S._Deneen_LCCN2014716647_(cropped).jpg

1908 Republican Ticket : 36th Governor of New York Charles Evans Hughes and 23rd Governor of Illinois Charles S. Deneen


The Denver Post - In contrast to the loud and bustling crowds of the Republican Convention, the 1908 Democratic Convention saw a somewhat somber attitude as many believed it would be nigh impossible to beat Governor Hughes in the falls. The first major thing of note is the convention is the first to be in a Western State and in our beautiful city, no less. And another is that it is the second convention to host female Delegates, five of them, in fact. There were some initial hopes that Minnesota Governor John A. Johnson would overcome Bryan's support, but he was in the end overwhelmed by The Great Commoner, and his running mate was decided to be Former State Senator John A. Kern of Indiana. The Convention was unable to change the moods of many as the speakers were unable to effectively rally support and belief that Bryan was Roosevelt's successor, not Hughes. Instead, a New York Times article has recently disparaged this ticket and called it consistent by saying "a man twice defeated for the Presidency was at the head of it, and a man twice defeated for governor of his state was at the tail of it." and while Bryan's slogan, 'Shall the People Rule?' is seen as a good idea by some for his current campaign against special interests, the Republicans smartly countered with 'Vote Hughes Today, you can vote Bryan tomorrow or anytime after', referencing the Commoner's prior two runs. All in all, many believe that he will lose in 343-140 landslide, with him holding all 11 former confederate states and winning his home state of Nebraska, the state of Colorado, and the newly admitted state of Oklahoma. However, there are some indicators that Nebraska and Colorado may go to Hughes under the right circumstances.



Source(s) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WilliamJBryan1902.png ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnWKern.jpg

1908 Democratic Ticket : Former Nebraska Congressman and Two Time Presidential Nominee William Jennings Bryan and Former Indiana State Senator John W. Kern

New York Times - After months of campaigning, the 1908 Presidential Election is coming to a close as tomorrow, on November 3rd, the people across the country will go to cast their ballots for either the Animated Feather Duster or The Great Commoner. Many straw polls taken these past few months have shown indeed Governor Hughes has a steady lead against Bryan in all but 14 states, with Kentucky likely to be a dead heat race. With the end of the race end sight, it is time to reflect on what had happened during the campaign trail.

For the most part, Charles Evans Hughes had campaigned as his own man, with little, if any advice, coming from the President. Instead, he focused on the credentials he acquired as Governor of New York, pledging to pass civil rights legislation, as well as two other ideas that many were stunned by, being the Direct Election of Senators to Congress, and the passing of Women's suffrage, by the end of his first term in office. Bold, and big, promises indeed, the Governor was able to become hugely popular across the nation with these promises, especially in the west, where such progressive ideas are being demanded for on the daily, though in the deep south, as per usual with any Republican, he face little, if any support, but he could pull off a surprise victory in the state of Georgia due to the People's Party Nominee, former Georgia Congressman Thomas E. Watson, where in the peach state, current straw polls show Hughes just barely leading 33-32-31-3, but many from the Bryan have expressed doubt at such numbers and believe in the end, Georgia will come home for the Nebraskan. All in all, it all seems good for Governor Hughes and he looks poised to be in the White House by next March.

For The Great Commoner, he campaigned against Special Interests, calling for Campaign Finance Reform, labor issues, trusts, and imperialism, calling for things like an eight hour work day and an income tax on individuals and corporations, and even to split the Labor part of the Department of Commerce and Labor to form a new Department. However, the ghosts of his prior runs still follow him and as much as he tries to avoid it, he cannot escape being called out for his prior support for free silver and his endorsement of governor ownership of the railroads. The Democrats cried fowl when the newspapers reported this, but there is nothing but the truth to expect from things such as these circumstances.

In October, Hughes' gubernatorial opponent in 1906, William Randolph Hearst, revealed that Democratic National Committee treasurer and Oklahoma Governor Charles Haskell as well as Republican Senator Joseph Foraker of Ohio had accepted bribes the antitrust suit against the Standard Oil Company. Hughes, who had no real ties to Foraker due to him being from New York as opposed to being from Ohio, didn't have a single qualms about not just separating himself from Foraker and attacking him, demanding he resign in light of the scandal, those other Republicans, such as President Roosevelt and Secretary Taft, have yet to comment. Bryan, however, refused to do the same with Haskell, believing them to be false entirely. As a result, President Roosevelt has gone on to say that Bryan's association with and support of Haskell was a "scandal and disgrace." Hughes went even further, saying "The Democrats say they are for liberty and for the people, but who does their nominee support? Does he believe in the people and demand a man guilty of corruption to step down, as I have done? Nay, he does not! He refuses to believe the evidence right in front of our eyes! This is the true Bryan, my fellow Americans, a worm uninterested in anything except what he believes might benefit himself and the Democratic Establishment at large!" While the Bryan campaign has called these attacks hypocritical, the damage has been done as Straw Polls now give Hughes a 20 point lead, with the one from the newspaper you are currently reading having the election be 57-34-5-4 with the last 4% being undecided voters.

That is all the news to report. On November 4th, we shall eagerly tell you the results of the Election and your 27th President.

Opinions on how this is going so far? Any suggestions for a cabinet should Hughes win? Currently, I have ideas for State (Replace Roosevelt choice), Treasury (keep), PG (Keep), Interior (keep), Agriculture (keep), and Commerce and Labor (keep). The rest I'm replacing except for Taft, who'll be kept until CJ Fuller dies
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« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2020, 07:06:58 PM »

ELECTION RESULTS, 1908



Governor Charles Evans Hughes (R-NY)/Governor Charles Samuel Deneen (R-IL) : 400/57.66% (8,585,195) [38 States] ✓
Former United States Representative and 1896 and 1900 Presidential Nominee William Jennings Bryan (D-NE)/Former State Senator and 1900 and 1904 Gubernatorial Nominee John Worth Kern (D-IN) : 83/33.26% (4,952,423) [8 States]
Former State Senator, and 1896, 1900, and 1904 Presidential Nominee Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (S-IN)/Printer and Labor Organizer Benjamin "Ben" Hanford (S-NY) : 0/4.48% (666,997)
Attorney at Law Eugene Wilder Chafin (Pro-IL)/Professor and Methodist Minister Aaron Sherman Watkins (Pro-OH) : 0/3.91% (582,121)
Others : 0/0.69% (99,082)

Strongest Hughes States + Margins

15. South Dakota (33.94%/38,955)
14. Idaho (35.85%/34,879)
13. Oregon (36.86%/40,874)
12. Pennsylvania (37.96%/481,124)
11. Rhode Island (38.27%/27,676)
10. Minnesota (39.13%/129,639)
9. North Dakota (39.25%/37,101)
8. Michigan (41.26%/223,559)
7. New Hampshire (41.88%/37,524)
6. New York (43.90%/702,853)
5. Massachusetts (45.01%/205,659)
4. Connecticut (46.49%/88,332)
3. Wisconsin (46.97%/213,450)
2. Maine (48.62%/51,700)
1. Vermont (70.29%/36,427)

Strongest Bryan States + Margins

5. Alabama (36.85%/38,667)
4. Texas (43.87%/128,871)
3. Louisiana (41.90%/31,474)
2. Mississippi (68.69%/45,956)
1. South Carolina (75.82%/50,328)

Closest States + Margins

15. Ohio (20.06%/224,984)
14. Indiana (18.55%/133,769)
13. Virginia (16.61%/22,766)
12. Montana (16.52%/11,369)
11. Arkansas (15.16%/23,016)
10. Nevada (14.75%/3,617)
9. Kentucky (13.94%/68,406)
8. Maryland (11.57%/27,598)
7. Missouri (10.77%/77,105)
6. Colorado (7.06%/18,628)
5. Oklahoma (6.47%/16,622)
4. Georgia (4.34%/5,751)
3. North Carolina (3.41%/8,612)
2. Nebraska (1.71%/4,562)
1. Tennessee (0.69%/1,775)

As many expected, the 1908 Presidential Election ended in Hughes' sweeping of the Electoral College in comparison to Bryan and his weak performance, though what was most surprising was Georgia, where Watkins got 24.67% and thus split the vote in that state enough for the New York Governor to barely win. However, what was even more interesting was the downballot results in which Joseph C. Helm, James H. Hemenway, William O. Bradley, John C. McKinley, Emlen Roosevelt, and Dennis T. Flynn in their Senate races, giving the Republicans four more seats, giving them 65 to the Democrats' 27. In the House, the Republicans gained 19 seats, giving them 242 seats to the Democrats' 149, and the Republicans were able to make massive gains in all but Deep Southern State Legislatures, winning the governorships of Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Tennessee, giving them 6 more Mansions, leading to there being 32 Republicans to 13 Democrats and 1 Silver Democrat.  At the end of the day, the Republicans had control of the control and could steer the ship however they liked until the 1910 midterms determined who would be in control. During the months before Hughes' inauguration, Roosevelt and Hughes got to working, first building his cabinet, which would be the following

Secretary of State : Albert J. Beveridge (R-IN) [Replaced in Senate by Indiana Attorney General James Bingham]

Secretary of the Treasury : George B. Cortelyou (R-NY)

Secretary of War : William Howard Taft (R-OH)

Attorney General : Charles W. Fulton (R-OR)

Postmaster General : George Meyer (R-MA)

Secretary of the Navy : Truman Handy Newberry (R-MI)

Secretary of the Interior : James Rudolph Garfield (R-OH)

Secretary of Agriculture : James Wilson (R-IA)

Secretary of Commerce and Labor : Oscar Straus (R-NY)

With most of the cabinet having already proven themselves by serving under Roosevelt, Hughes decided to add in an unexpected appointments : the President's son, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., as Assistant Secretary of War to Secretary Taft, who Hughes saw potential in to be the future of the Party. With the cabinet situated, the President-elect went to work, rallying support in Congress for the creation of a Department of Civil Rights and Liberties to combat Jim Crow laws of the South, while also pushing for Women's suffrage and direct elections of US Senators. The campaigning was so effective that the Republicans would see both potential Amendments be passed through Congress  and left to the state's to quickly and effectively ratify while the Department would be fillibustered for several weeks into Hughes' term.

The 27th President had started out on a high note, but there were doubts on if he could advance the progress he made forward.
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« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2020, 07:38:19 PM »

Hughes is replaced as NY Governor by former NYC Mayor Seth Low and Deneen is replaced by Chicago Mayor Fred A. Busse
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« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2020, 02:26:51 PM »



from Wikimedia Commons

The Hughes Administration

Charles Evans Hughes Sr. took the oath of Office on March 4th, 1909 in the Senate chamber due to the blizzard of the prior night making it too cold to be held outside. Chief Justice administered the Oath of Office and President Pro Tempore of the Senate William P. Fyre of Maine administered the Oath of Office for Vice President Charles Samuel Deneen. The President then followed up with giving a speech while Former President Roosevelt, Former Vice President Fairbanks, Vice President Deneen, Former Congressman Bryan, Former State Senator Kern, Chief Justice Fuller, and the senate looked on in silent acceptance of the 47 year old President. In his inaugural address, to the boos and jeers of many a Democrat from Southern States, he pledged to enact various civil rights programs, a continual increase in Tariffs to make sure American goods are not hampered by foreign ones, a strong navy and military to keep the nation, and western hemisphere, safe in case any power threatens war, and progressive ideas that had yet to be implemented. With the inauguration out of the way, the President would go on to see the Inaugural parade and later, attend the inaugural ball with First Lady Antoinette Carter Hughes and the first family, including his son and Harvard Law School Attendee, Charles Evans Hughes Jr.

Nearly instantly, Hughes' cabinet was confirmed by the Republican controlled Senate and with the new administration mostly being filled with members of the prior one, many questioned whether or not Hughes would be his own man whilst governing and these concerns were pushed aside when President Hughes invited the two greatest leaders of the African American Community, Booker T. Washington W. E. B. Du Bois, to the White House, Republican Conference Chair Eugene Hale, and Democratic Conference Chair Horace Money. This move was entirely calculated and political s the Northern Democrats had been attempting to make inroads into the African American community for decades following their emancipation, but with their Senate Leader, Money, a Mississippian, decrying such a meeting as against the ideas of the Founding Fathers and the nation, all the inroads had been scrubbed away nearly overnight.

The President would work with the two African American leaders, as well as Senator Hale and Speaker Cannon, to craft a Civil Rights Bill that would assist African Americans as a current placeholder until something more permanent could replace it. Many lily-whites were enraged at what was going on, including Secretary of War Taft, but they were ignored, especially when Massachusetts Senator and author of the 1890 Lodge Bill, Henry Cabot Lodge. In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1909, which passed through the Senate on a 57-35 vote and the House on a 219-172 and was later signed into law by the President in August, included many of the things in the prior failed Lodge Bill, including federal regulation of the elections for State Legislatures, Governors, the U.S. House, and if it was ratified, which looked ever more certain, U.S. Senators, via an appointment of federal supervisors for such an election, and these supervisors would have the power to attend elections, inspect registration lists, verify doubtful voter information, administer oaths to challenged voters, stop illegal aliens from voting, and certify the vote count, though forcing of secure elections via deputy marshals, one of the most controversial parts of the bill 19 years prior. The Bill, nicknamed the Chappelle Act after the original Lodge Bill's strongest supporter, the late former Massachusetts State Representative from the Ninth Suffolk district in the 1880s, Julius Caesar Chappelle, was a landmark in legislation and, perhaps even more surprisingly, was upheld by the Supreme Court when holding a vote, with Chief Justice Fuller, Associate Justice Moody, Associate Justice Day, Associate Justice Harlan, Associate Justice Brewer, and Associate Justice Holmes voted to uphold the legislation while Associate Justices White, Brewer, and Peckham voted against.

This legislation ensured that now, African Americans would be able to legally vote and President Hughes even encouraged the use of military regiments/battalions in certain locations to ensure their voting rights are enforced. The President and the First lady was harassed to no end but Southern Democrats for the Act, such as dead rodents being mailed to them and their son who was still practicing at Harvard was nearly hit with rocks by some 'tourists' from the South. Furthermore, this sentiment was also followed up with South Carolina Senator Ben Tillman saying "The N----- citizen is not our equal, they are not nor will they ever be! I don't give a D--- what this N---- loving President believes! He is a traitor to all Americans!" The President would respond to Till by saying "I have no need to speak to such raving lunatics such as the Senator from South Carolina [Tillman]. I do have one thing to speak on behalf of all Americans, however. Rancor, and bigotry, racial animosities, , and intolerance are the deadly enemies of true democracy! There can be no friendly co-operation if they exist. They are enemies more dangerous than any external force for they undermine the foundations of our democratic effort."

While the first effects of this reform wouldn't be seen until the 1910 midterms, the President was able to see the quick and easy ratification of the 16th and 17th amendments, giving women the right to vote and making the direct elections of United States Senators respectfully, by the end of his first year in office, and he had also appointed Pennsylvania Senator and former Attorney General Philander C. Knox to replace the late Rufus W. Peckham on the Supreme Court, and Knox was appointed nigh unanimously except for 22 votes against, all from the Southern states. This appointment craze would continue as throughout 1910, 3 more Supreme Court Justices would pass away, being Associate Justices  Brewer and Moody and Chief Justice Fuller. Replacing them would Secretary of War Taft, who was replaced as Secretary of War by Major General Leonard Wood, as well as Associate Justices Brewer and Moody, who were replaced by United States District Attorney for the Southern District of New York Henry L. Stimson and Former California Attorney General Tirey Ford respectfully, already having the most court appointments since President Washington.

Meanwhile, throughout the year of 1910, the President would work for an expansion in military spending and training to keep America safe at home and abroad while also petitioning congress to create a national department to combat wild fires and ensure civil rights, during a speech to Congress. In said speech, the President stated whilst making his request for the Department of Civil Rights "In the past year, we have done more for our colored citizens then many Presidents of the past half century, but there is more to be done, I believe. Even now, today, we still are face to face to face with men with rampant bigotry and hatred," He looked at Senator Tillman of South Carolina and Congressman James T. Heflin of Alabama, among the President stanchest's critics, as he continued to speak, "and even now, they still refuse to see reason and blame every problem the poor white citizen has on our fellow colored folk. We must show the white citizenry of this nation in the rural areas that their enemy is not the colored folk who is in the same predicament, but instead those that put them in such a predicament, the elite men who have ruled the south for centuries, even going back to when we first set foot on this land in Jamestown. It is time we end their power over the white citizenry and bring us forward toward a path a racial progress." A voice, Mississippi Senator Hernando Money, then cried out "How do you intend to do that?!" in a mocking tone, causing many democratic southerners to laugh, believing they had caught the President without a plan.

However, the New Yorker simply gave a soft smile, nodded, and cleared his throat before continuing on with his speech, saying "I must thank the Senator from Mississippi [Money] for asking this question, as I believe had it would not have been asked if I simply continued to speak. While it is no place of my office to make demands, as it is no place of this congress to enforce anything unconstitutional, or the Supreme Court  to push anything that might make it more powerful than the other two branches of government, I must make a request. I request that, for the sake of our nation's future and our nation's present, you create and fund a Department of Education and a Department of Civil Liberties and Rights so the poor white citizenry cannot go to the schools of the elites and learn the nonsense of Jim Crow while we protect the colored folk of this great land from men like the South Carolina Senator who has been my fiercest opponent [Tillman] or those sadly far too gone for our educational ideas to assist. I must also request funds to be given to several African American Communities across the South and the Nation to help build up their communities and make them stronger and better than before. It is time the United States' rights the wrongs of past 50 years ever since its failure to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of Slavery under President Lincoln."

As soon as the speech, which happened in late June, was finished many Republicans and even a few Northern Democrats burst out in applauds as he was able to convince them to do the right thing, even after the years of the Lily Whites having attempted to take control. While Former President Roosevelt didn't mind personally either way, Chief Justice Taft and a few Conservative Republicans were getting concerned about Hughes potential becoming too much of a progressive and there were rumblings of pushing former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana to run against Hughes either as a Third Party or for the Nomination, though Arthur Jack C. Barrett wrote in his book 'Hughes : The Surprise Progressive Icon' "...In the leadup to the 1912 Election, Conservative Republican leaders such as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Howard Taft of Ohio, Former Secretary of State Elihu Root of New York, and Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois became concerned with the progressive policies of President Hughes, who had promised to govern as a Moderate and a Reformer, not an abashed Rooseveltian Progressive, and spoke at length about either pushing the semi-popular former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks to run against the President for the Nomination or split the Republican vote amongst progressives and conservatives by running a third party campaign. The first seemed unlikely due to several facts, mainly the revolt that had all but ousted Speaker Cannon from Power in March 1910, the fact that Hughes and Roosevelt had been able to craft a Republican Party that would reject a Nomination challenge, and finally the information that the last Incumbent President to have lost his Party' nomination was Republican Chester Arthur in 1884 (28 years prior) and the last president to have lost the nomination after winning a previous election in his own right was in 1856, when former Secretary of State James Buchannan was able to defeat President Franklin Pierce for the Democratic Nomination.

It was due to these reasons that the conservatives within the party looked toward a third party option and slowly, there was sufficient funding and support to create the Conservative Party, which was used to run in the 1910 Senate Election in Indiana with Fairbanks as the Party Nominee as a test run. It was expected that Fairbanks, who was not expected to win the senate race, would split the vote with the Republican Party enough to allow 1908 Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John W. Kern to win against Former Lieutenant Governor Hugh Thomas Miller. Indeed, it was hoped that the vote would be split between President Hughes and Former Vice President Fairbanks enough that a conservative or moderate Democrat, such as House Minority Leader Champ Clark of Missouri, who was the front runner for the Democratic Nomination at the time, would win the election in a landslide and would assist the Conservative Republicans in peeling away the Progressive reforms of Roosevelt's second term and Hughes' term. However, what happened instead was Fairbanks was almost completely rejected by his home state, only garnering 13.19% when there had been hopes he'd gain at the least 24%. Even worse, it seemed that it was Kern, not Miller, who suffered from Fairbanks' run for President, as he got 37.15% to Miller's 49.66%. Indeed, to many Democrats, including DNC Chair Norman Mack wrote in his memoirs that a Conservative ticket separate from the Republican could be the single worst thing to happen to the Democrats since the panic of 1894.

Upon realizing this, the heads of the Conservative Party attempted to woo the popular but quiet Vice President Charles S. Deneen of Illinois to run against Hughes either for the Nomination or under their Party. However, despite their hopes, the Vice President refused, professed his loyalty to the President, and just like that, Conservative Republicans hopes were dashed and upon the news of how the Conservative Party came to be and who convinced Fairbanks to run being released, Speaker Cannon lost his speakership to Hughes ally George W. Norris of Nebraska, Root would be forced to retire from politics in isolation and Taft would be watched by all Republicans with great scrutiny until it was too much, leading to his retirement in mid 1918 and the appointment of Benjamin N. Cardozo as his replacement. After this, the Conservative Party disintegrated and became nothing more than a what-if in the timeline of American Political History...
"

With the threats from the Conservatives truly a non-issue, the President continued to push for his reforms, which he stated would be the last ideas of the Progressive Age that needed to be accomplished while appeasing some Conservative Republicans by raising tariffs on foreign goods, such as fabric from Britain. What came as a shock to the President, however, was when he awoke the morning following the 1910 Midterm Elections and saw the results

1910 Senate Elections (MS Special Represented by Arkansas and WV Special Represented by Kentucky)



Republicans : 66 Seats (+1)
Democrats : 26 Seats (-1)

1910 Gubernatorial Elections



Republicans : 39 (+7)
Democrats : 7 (-7)

Republicans : 257 Seats (+15)
Democrats : 178 Seats (-15)

To his surprise, the Republicans had won in the deep south, taking home governorships and Senate Seats alike, along with a handful of House Seats, all likely due to the passing and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1909, allowing formerly disenfranchised African Americans and Southern, non lily white Republicans to vote in fair and free elections. While the loss of the New York Governorship to George B. McClellan Jr. stung, the President had secured a major victory as every senator and governor elected in the South expect for those in West Virginia and Tennessee were African Americans, including a 41 year old lady by the name of Minnie M. Cox of Mississippi who President Roosevelt had backed and President Hughes had urged to run. In fact, thanks to the passing of the 17th Amendment, the African Americans voted freely from their state legislatures and choose her, voting her in with 75.3% to her Democratic Opponents' 24.7%.

This was an indicator that while the Upper South, mainly Arkansas and Texas, along with Virginia, was still loyal to the Democrats, the Presidency of Hughes was bringing forward an end to Democratic dominance of the South. This would be followed in 1911 when Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, and Mississippi, as well as the new states of Arizona and New Mexico, voted in Republicans. The midterms were soon followed up with the creations of the Departments that President Hughes had spoke about in 1910 and he would appoint Booker T. Washington as the first Secretary of Civil Liberties and Rights and would appoint Congressman James F. Burke of Pennsylvania as the first Secretary of Education, with the first goals of the departments being the speedy education of whites and blacks together and the quickening progress of civil rights for African Americans.

As 1911 slowly turned to 1912, many questioned whether or not Hughes would run for a second term and to no one's surprise, he did, with the backing of his cabinet and Former President Roosevelt, with the Party saying they are behind him to the finish line. As the military and Navy spending increased further to protect America, Hughes would suffer a minor challenge from his left by Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, though he would only wind up winning the state he was from in the Party's first Primaries, which were a mere formality for President Hughes going into the Convention. Just before the Election season really ramped up, Justice Harlan passed away in 1911 and soon, he was replaced with Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Joseph Buffington, giving Hughes five supreme Court appointments.

The Democrats would face an interesting primary, where Champ Clark would face four opponents for the Nomination : New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, South Carolina Senator and fierce Hughes enemy Benjamin Tillman, Alabama Congressman James T. Heflin, and Indiana Congressman Thomas Marshall all seeking a chance at going against the extremely popular incumbent. As Election Season would begin at the conventions, many were unsure how they would go. One thing was a definitive fact, however, Hughes seemed the favorite to win, and win in a landslide.

And there we go. Please not that this was an absolute monster to type, so I hope you enjoyed and if anyone is interested, I can give you the links/data to back up what is happening in this TL. BTW, I snuck in an actual Hughes quote. Let me know if you found it. Until next time.
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« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2020, 03:18:13 PM »

Nice TL. Keep up the good work!
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« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2020, 07:34:20 PM »

1912 Republican Convention

June 18th-22nd, 1912



Delegates and the President's supporters attending the Convention

Chicago Tribune - Once more the Republican Convention is being held in our great city and now, the convention convenes and rallies around President Hughes, with him receiving all but 26 Delegates, all from Wisconsin and all going to Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette. Despite this, the Senator eagerly endorsed the President and this was further continued by the fact that important Speakers such as Chief Justice William Howard Taft, Secretary of State Albert J. Beveridge, Mississippi Senator Minnie M. Cox, and Speaker of the House George W. Norris of Nebraska all speaking on the President's moderate yet also progressive platform, what he had done for the country and what he might continue to do as the election continues. However, perhaps the most important speech came when Former President Theodore Roosevelt gave his passionate "We are doing the Lord's work!" speech to a crowd.



Roosevelt giving his "We are doing the Lord's work" speech to Republican Delegates and Voters at the convention in support of the President

In his speech, the ex-President stated "We Republicans are doing the Lord's work. Over the past 12 years, an unbelievable amount of progress and change has came and changed this country greatly. From the end of the corrupt law of Jim Crow in the South, leading to such wonderful men and women, like the Senator from Mississippi [referring to Senator Cox], to be here today and in the positions of power they are currently in. It is true that I don't share all the beliefs that President Hughes has, but we must be open to bring forth a new age, and that has begun under Hughes and it must continue under him. We are doing the Lord's work because we are fighting against tyranny, against the violent rule of the mob, against the evils of unjust systems, against monopolies and trusts that threaten the common, everyday citizen! We fight to bring education to those too poor to afford it and protect the civil rights and liberties of our colored citizens! We fight to bring an end to the Plantation system that ruled over the South in modern slavery following the end of our civil war. We fight to bring an end to Johnny Law and Judge Lynch, We fight to keep Jim Crow a dead page in our history, one America will never see again! The President has done more in one term than any of his naysayers believed possible! The south said he will never end Jim Crow, yet now we have colored folk in our congress for the first time since Reconstruction! The Conservatives said he'll never be able to keep America safe, but America currently has one of the strongest navies and militaries this world has ever seen, just behind France, Germany, Russia, and Britain!

America is moving forward, and it is because the Lord's Work is being done! We Republicans are making sure the Lord's Work is being done! We Progressives are ensuring the continuation of the Lord's Work! The Democrats, if given power, will take away all the movement we've made over the last decade to appease the Plantation owners who are enraged at our reforms, knowing their own power is slipping away from them! We cannot allow the Lord's Work to be ended! And that is why, in my greatest belief, that the nation must re-elect President Charles Evans Hughes of New York for a Second Term! It is imperative, for if he loses, everything we've done shall be undone!
" Following the end of the cheer, the crowd burst out in loud cheers and appraisal as the President bowed and left the stage, hinting at a potential run in four years by meeting with delegates from New York shortly afterward to speak about the future.

The Republican Party platform was initially extremely progressive, but Vice President Deneen was able to convince the more progressive elements to drop the more radical proposals and thus the platform is the following :

  • strict limits and disclosure requirements on political campaign contributions
  • registration of lobbyists
  • recording and publication of congressional committee proceedings
  • a minimum wage law for women
  • an eight-hour workday
  • farm relief
  • workers' compensation for work-related injuries
  • an inheritance tax
  • primary elections for state and federal nominations
  • the recall election (citizens may remove an elected official before the end of his/her term)
  • the referendum (citizens may decide on a law by popular vote) and,
  • the initiative (citizens may propose a law by petition and enact it by popular vote)

The Party also adopted a strong Trust-Busting Plank and Pro Civil Rights Plank that ensured broad support from all walks of life. When taking a straw poll, it was revealed that the President leads 56-40-4 against Champ Clark, who is likely to be the Democratic Nominee in the following weeks.



1912 Republican Ticket : 27th POTUS Charles Evans Hughes of New York and 27th VPOTUS Charles Samuel Deneen of Illinois

1912 Democratic Convention

June 25th-July 6th



Baltimore Sun - 60 years ago, a united Democratic Party selected the great city of Baltimore to hold their convention. Yes, in 1860 and 1872, their conventions were held here as well, but in the case of the former, the party was split in three ways and had re-convened from Charleston, and in the case of the latter, they nominated the Liberal Republican Ticket instead of choosing their own. Thus, this is the first legitimate Democratic Convention to be held in Baltimore since 1852. Going into the Convention, the main candidates for the Nomination was looking to be House Minority Leader Champ Clark of Missouri and Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey, with both having won their fair share of primaries and Clark entered the convention with more pledged delegates than Governor Wilson, but he lacked the necessary 2/3rds majority to be nominated on the first ballot.

The first Ballot instead would see Clark get 441 Delegates to Wilson's 324, South Carolina Senator Benjamin Tillman's 152, Alabama Congressman James T. Heflin's 83, and Indiana Congressman Thomas R. Marshall's 49, with the remaining 39 scattering. Due to the 2/3rds rule, no candidate ever gained the necessary majority needed to be nominated for President. Then, on the 11th Ballot, after Governor Wilson had dropped out of the convention, Clark's chances were marred when the corrupt Tammany Hall of New York endorsed his candidacy. While it did give him the majority, it failed to create a bandwagon of support around him, instead seeing three time Presidential Nominee William Jennings Bryan to speak out against Clark, though he didn't endorse Tillman, Heflin, or Marshall either. Eventually, he found an alternative and pushed him to run. On the 49th Ballot, Kentucky Congressman Ben Johnson, a delegate at the convention and one that had prior been supporting Wilson and then Tillman, entered the contest with Bryan's support and on the 57th Ballot, he would be nominated with 754 Delegates to Clark's 215, Tillman's 76, Heflin's 28, and the rest scattering, ending a long and contested convention. For the Vice Presidency, there was a push for either Thomas Marshall or former North Dakota Governor John Burke, but after 8 ballots, the party decided to push for an entirely southern ticket by choosing former South Carolina Governor Martin Frederick Ansel in the hopes of re-awakening the plantation owners and poor whites of the south to vote Hughes and the Southern Republicans out of office.

There isn't much hope for victory due to the length of this convention, though many have stated that the campaign will be a lot better than the convention and Johnson can, in all likelyhood, pull off an upset, though this remains unlikely as Republican enthusiasm continues to surge. The Democratic Platform this year is simply to call for the removal of all of Hughes' policies and accomplishments and a total rejection of all of the Republican Platform, with there being a call for a constitutional amendment for an income tax, even if the Supreme Court disagreed.



1912 Democratic Ticket : United States Representative Ben Johnson of Kentucky and 89th Governor of South Carolina Martin Frederick Ansel




President Hughes campaigning in Winona, Minnesota on the Olympian

New York Times - After months of campaigning, election day is right around the corner with only two days left until the citizens of the nation go out to vote on whether President Hughes deserves a second term or if Congressman Johnson will be elected the 28th President of the United States. With things are looking in recent straw polls, however, it is likely to be a clean sweep for the President as when asked, many Americans approve of his accomplishments and the Republican Party platform for 1912. Meanwhile, Johnson's support has crumbled when, after a brief investigation by the House, it was revealed that he had taken bribes as collector of internal revenue for the fifth district of Kentucky in the 1890s, getting nearly $4 Million in bribes to allow some individuals to not have their revenue be checked. Because of this scandal, Johnson would have to defend himself for the month of October and the first two days of November. Meanwhile, the President has simply went to the three states that might be the closest, such as Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana but otherwise laying low and relaxing as his surrogates campaign for him, with state straw polls showing him outpolling Johnson by as much as 60 or even 70 points in some states, and has shown Johnson placing a distant third behind Socialist Candidate Eugene Debs in New York, Ohio, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Illinois, a shocking result.

Now, only the final count matters and when the last vote comes in, you can bet your rear end that we at the New York Times will give you the full story. Until then, this is a message to go out and express your right to vote, vote, vote!

All images are from Wikimedia Commons
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President of the civil service full of trans activists
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« Reply #10 on: September 20, 2020, 07:37:09 PM »

Re-elect the President, though I was hoping that Tillman would get the nod so he'd get embarrassed.
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Huey Long is a Republican
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« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2020, 07:48:19 PM »

Re-elect the President, though I was hoping that Tillman would get the nod so he'd get embarrassed.

I assume you know that Tillman's seat is up in 1912?

And that you know who Ida B. Wells is?

But in all seriousness, the Democrats would not be so stupid as to nominate someone like him to be the top of the ticket. Too much risk for too little reward.

There will be a Dixiecrats in office, though. And he'll be from one of the four central deep south states. I'll let you guess who.
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« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2020, 03:19:03 PM »

ELECTION RESULTS, 1912



President Charles Evans Hughes (R-NY)/Vice President Charles Samuel Deneen (R-IL) : 502/70.13% (10,551,215) [46 States] ✓
United States Representative Ben Johnson (D-KY)/Former Governor Martin Frederick Ansel (D-SC) : 29/12.26% (1,843,684) [2 States]
Former State Senator, and 1896, 1900, and 1904 Presidential Nominee Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (S-IN)/Milwaukee Mayor Emil Seidel (S-WI) : 0/12.27% (1,845,585)
Attorney at Law Eugene Wilder Chafin (Pro-IL)/Professor and Methodist Minister Aaron Sherman Watkins (Pro-OH) : 0/4.60% (691,322)

To say the ultimate result of the 1912 Election was a shock to all the parties, even the Republicans, was an understatement. For the first time in American Political History, a third party had overtaken, albeit barely, the popularity of a Major Party and been in the top two of the Popular Vote, being the Socialist Ticket of Eugene Debs and Emil Seidel many Democrats agree that it was likely that it was an all Southern Ticket, the drawn out convention, and the bribery scandal that cost Johnson heavily, with the only region him doing remotely well in being the upper South and the Southern States not overwhelmingly or near overwhelmingly Republican in the deep south, being Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

On the Downballot, every state but Arkansas and Texas flipped in the Governor's mansion for the Republicans while for the Senate, the Republicans won the new seats from New Mexico and Arizona. There were also pickups in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and West Virginia flipped for the Republicans, giving them 10 more and further solidifying their hold on Congress. To add to this further, 16 seats were gained in the House, meaning the President and his allies now had firm control of the Government and now, it seemed, they were intent on pushing the nation forward, into an era of untold prosperity under the 1912 platform.

If only the President had known what would happen within a year and a half from his major victory in the second term.

Here is the result of the 1912 Election, a major, crushing victory for the Republicans but don't count the Dems out just yet. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to make predictions as to what you think the 1916 tickets will be.
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« Reply #13 on: September 23, 2020, 12:01:20 PM »

Any interest in this TL going further?
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Snazzrazz Mazzlejazz
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« Reply #14 on: September 23, 2020, 05:27:06 PM »

Absolutely, this is a very interesting start.
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Elcaspar
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« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2020, 05:44:35 PM »


I concur.
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« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2020, 10:30:58 AM »

Yes
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« Reply #17 on: September 25, 2020, 02:14:00 PM »

I am loving this timeline so far, please continue it.
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« Reply #18 on: September 26, 2020, 04:33:38 PM »



from Wikimedia Commons

The Hughes Administration

Following the 1912 Election, President Hughes would be re-inaugurated on March 4th to a crowd of hundreds, where he and Vice President Deneen received the Oath of Office delivered by Chief Justice Taft while watched by former President Roosevelt, Former Vice President Fairbanks, and the 1908 and 1912 Democratic Tickets (the latter ticket came to the inauguration to show respect and solidarity for the President). Upon entering office, the President acknowledged the resignation of Booker T. Washington as Secretary of Civil Rights and instead, to his surprise, appointed W. E. B. DuBois to the position, where the man planned to continue to serve for as long as he could.

As expected, many southern democrats and even a few northern ones (such as Governor Wilson) decried the appointment as obviously biased due to the fact that DuBois would support any African American over any white citizen. This was indeed the case when several situations across the south in which many African Americans were accused of crimes such as burglary and rape, though most, if not all, were faked or false accusations in an attempt to lynch some blacks. One of the biggest voices against lynchings, newly christened South Carolina Senator Ida B. Wells who unseated Hughes critic Benjamin Tillman in the down ballot senate election in a landslide, pushed for and was able to successfully pass a bill that outlawed lynching on the local and federal level. Further laws were also pushed for that would allow for AAs to arm themselves for defense, give them the right to ask for a lawyer, and end segregation on the school and public utility level. Finally, as a deathblow to Segregationists everywhere, the President would desegregate the United States Military and allowed for the full integration of black and white units. While many voices protested, they were in a severe minority and thus couldn't do much to challenge them.

With Civil Rights finished up, the President pressed Congress to pass his platform from the election and while many in Congress did indeed push for it, there was hold-up across the South and Plains when it came to Non-White Representatives and Senators. Despite them overwhelmingly supporting the President, they had the bargaining chip of their votes being needed and decided to push him on the one they wanted themselves. This was, of course, the banning of the consumption of Alcohol by Constitutional Amendment, or Prohibition as many called it. While the President had taken neither a 'wet' nor a 'dry' stance on the issue, here he was politically trapped and in August, he submitted to the pressure. Planks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 would be pushed for in Congress as actual legislation while planks 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12 would be pushed for as Constitutional Amendments 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 once Prohibition was ratified.

The President, however, was still satisfied with how successful he had been in leading the nation and upon seeing the passing of the 7 bills through Congress that saw his platform become stabilized, he believed that the United States would be better suited for future events. However, what came in June of 1914 was something nobody could've expected unless they had paid close attention.


That moment, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, set off a massive chain of events that would see the nations of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Sweden (the last of which due to the stupidity of one Russian Admiral) against the nations of France, Russia, and Serbia. Greece, Bulgaria, and the Ottomans, despite not being a part of the original alliance, had been convinced by the Germans and internal politics that the Central Powers were the right choice while Italy, bound to Austria and Germany through a defensive war, had no choice but to declare war on France and thus the Entente or look untrustworthy. The first opening moves of the war would see France attempting to take Elsass-Lothringen from the Germans in a major Offensive as Italy secured themselves by turning Albania into a mere puppet state of theirs before planning out a future invasion of Serbia as at this time, Greece and Bulgaria, as well as the Ottomans.

Meanwhile, the Russians launched a desperate offensive on the Germans and Austrians in the hopes of knocking both out in a quick war and while they saw quite a bit of success against the latter, due their focus mostly being on Serbia in the opening months, the Germans, who themselves were planning an Eastern Offensive after it was decided a Western One through Belgium would be too risky as it was likely to bring the British Empire into the War, easily defeated them and annihilated the three main Russian Armies at the Battle of Tannenburg/Masurian Lakes. This would coincide with the Swedish offensive into Finland that took the entire Entente by surprise. With Sweden the dominant power in Scandanavia, however, Germany decided to take an opportunity and convince Sweden to a plan : Following the end of the War, Germany will have the lower half of Estonia and the rest of the Baltic as several Puppet states, Sweden can directly annex Estonia up to Finland, make Finland a puppet state by placing King Gustav V's second eldest son, Prince Wilhelm, as King of Finland and giving them Karelia.

While many in America were unconcerned with a European War, the President realized the potential problems it could bring should America be unprepared to go to war. As ready as ever, former President Theodore Roosevelt requested the ability to create a volunteer unit of nearly 500 men to fight in the front-lines and send news back home and he was given permission by the President and by Congress. However, the President would be horrified to hear that along with Assistant Secretary of War Theodore Roosevelt Jr., his own son, Charles Evans Hughes Jr., would also join the volunteers. Both men would serve with Teddy's volunteers as reserves for the French Armee during the battle for Metz throughout mid-late 1915, picking up valuable information that they knew they'd need for future events.

Meanwhile, for President Hughes, the war in Europe gave him the proper excuse to shore up American possessions abroad and increase the budget for both the navy and military to ensure that America is ready and able to defend itself should war happen upon them. When the french, desperate to combat the Germans in any way they can, open fired on several American convoys heading to Germany to give food and clothing, the President reacted harshly, condemning the attack on American shipping and demanding an apology by the French. While not officially in the war, the British would back up their ally and say they were attempting to put down the German menace and that the Germans had weapons on those envoys to reinforce their supplies. Suffice to say, this incident forced Hughes to call for the withdrawal of Roosevelt's Volunteers in November of 1915.

And then came 1916 and with that, an election year began, as the Democrats struggled to find their footing, the Republican Party, which initially saw a long primary battle between Former President Roosevelt, running for an unprecedented Third Term and Speaker of the House George W. Norris, the Party soon began to coalesce around surprise black horse candidate, Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou of New York, who was able to get the support of Vice President Deneen and Interior Secretary Garfield before running and then outmaneuvered both Secretary of State Albert J. Beveridge and Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks in Indiana to become the front-runner. Following his wins in New York and New Jersey, Roosevelt dropped out and endorsed him and upon realizing a Progressive could rule the White House for another 4 years, Fairbanks dropped out and declared the rebirth of the Conservative Party with the hopes of splitting the vote enough to give the Democrat, hopefully a Conservative one, the win. He would choose Chief Justice William Howard Taft of Ohio as his Running Mate.

As the Election began, the President pushed for a bill he personally created with the help of several others. Known as the "End of the Lame Duck Session Act", until a constitutional amendment could make it permanent, federal law would decree that in times of internal calamity, war across the globe, or severe economic strife during an election year and it continuing after said year, the Presidential inauguration date would be moved from March 4th to January 20th while the inauguration for Congress would be moved to January 3rd. Of course, if the three requirements weren't happening, then the inauguration dates would be changed back to March 4th. This was to prevent a lame duck session when the United States would desperately need a leader.

Thankfully, it passed mostly due to Hughes' agreement with Prohibitionists earlier on and he agreed to push for a federal income tax for extra support on the bill. With all of Hughes' plans completed and his response to the raid on Columbus, New Mexico satisfactory, as well as the intervention in the Mexican Civil War and occupations of Veracruz, Matamoros, Ciudad Jaurez, Altamira, Tampico, and Tijuana to ensure no more harm would come to American citizens, it was the first effective use of Hughes' military spending and it showed as following the response and Pancho Villa's capture, no more raids would be attempted across the border. To make sure nothing like this would ever happen, Mexico was to recognize all territory 15-30 miles south of the American Border/Rio Grand River as a demilitarized zone and any placement of armed forces there without express American permission, such as the use of police to take out bandits, then it will be considered an act of war.

Now, all the President could do was wait and see how history would look upon his tenure in office.

And there, got 1913-1916 done. Not as detailed as I'd like, but I think I did a pretty good job regardless. What do you all think? Also, feel free to make 1916 predictions below. Ciao!
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« Reply #19 on: September 27, 2020, 11:19:23 AM »

Interesting twist on World War One.

Though I'm not sure if France and Russia would have been able to hold out against the Germans without British or American help through the fall of 1916.
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Huey Long is a Republican
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« Reply #20 on: September 27, 2020, 01:59:20 PM »

Interesting twist on World War One.

Though I'm not sure if France and Russia would have been able to hold out against the Germans without British or American help through the fall of 1916.

Russia was able to do well enough against the CP despite not being connected to their allies. As for France, currently Germany is on the defensive in the West and so France won't be under much pressure, for now. Just know that Britain is covertly funding France through War Subsidies, though.
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