llow Republicans, the National Progressive Republican League, with Theodore Roosevelt as head, began a drive to take control of the Republican party. One important issued that distinguished Taft from the other Progressive Presidents was his position on trusts. He rebelled at the discretionary use of presidential authority overinstituting antitrust suits. The Sherman Act was unclear, yet enforced. “The New Nationalism” presented by Roosevelt stated that the federal government could be empowered to oversee big business to make sure it acted in public interest. The nation’s industrial corporations would be treated as if they were natural monopolies or public utilities and placed under direct public oversight.While the Republicans battled among themselves, the Democrats had stepped into position. In the 1910 elections, Democrats made dramatic gains, bringing Woodrow Wilson into the Presidential office in 1912. The Wilson administration brought together many of the policies and initiatives of the previous Republican administrations, and reform efforts in Congress by both parties. Wilson achieved a lower tariff reform (Underwood-Simmons Act, 1913) and a graduated income tax through the 16th amendment. The Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act not only pared rates down to an average of 23 percent but also spurred competition and reduce prices for consumers. Wilson favored a Federal Reserve Banking System, which provided regulation and flexibility to monetary policy. However, when it came down to economic situations, Wilson quickly resembled Roosevelt on his decisions and actions. Like Roosevelt, Wilson did not consider big business as “bad”, but the abuses of economic power. Nor did Wilson thinkthat the abuse of pwer could be prevented without a strong federal government. Where he parted company from Roosevelt was however how the authority of government should be used to restrain private power. Wilson proposedto deal with ...
