Back ديمقراطي البوربون Arabic Bourbondemokraterne Danish Bourbon-Demokrat German Démocrate bourbon French Demokrat Bourbon ID Bourbon Democrat Italian Bourbon Democrat Polish Бурбонные демократы Russian 波旁民主党人 Chinese
Bourbon Democrats | |
|---|---|
 1884 cartoon illustrating the decline of the "Democrat Bourbonism" (represented as an empty jug) by Joseph Keppler | |
| Prominent members | Charles O'Conor Samuel J. Tilden Grover Cleveland John M. Palmer Alton B. Parker |
| Associated parties | Straight-Out Democratic Party National Democratic Party |
| Founded | 1872 |
| Dissolved | 1912 |
| Ideology | Classical liberalism Conservative liberalism Merit system Anti-corruption Laissez-faire Anti-imperialism Pro-Gold Standard Fiscal conservatism[A] |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
There was no term fiscal conservatism at the time, but in the context of modern American politics, Bourbon Democrats is called "fiscal conservatives" in that it was in the opposite position to "progressives" or "radical liberals".[1] | |
Bourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States in the later 19th century and early 20th century (1872–1904) to refer to members of the Democratic Party who were ideologically aligned with fiscal conservatism or classical liberalism,[1] especially those who supported presidential candidates Charles O'Conor in 1872, Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, President Grover Cleveland in 1884, 1888, and 1892 and Alton B. Parker in 1904.
After 1904, the Bourbons faded away. Southerner Woodrow Wilson made a deal in 1912 with the leading opponent of the Bourbons, William Jennings Bryan: Bryan endorsed Wilson for the Democratic nomination and Wilson named Bryan Secretary of State. Bourbon Democrats were promoters of a form of laissez-faire capitalism which included opposition to the high-tariff protectionism that the Republicans were then advocating as well as fiscal discipline.[2][3] They represented business interests, generally supporting the goals of banking and railroads, but opposed to subsidies for them and were unwilling to protect them from competition. They opposed American imperialism and overseas expansion, fought for the gold standard against bimetallism, and promoted what they called "hard" and "sound" money. Strong supporters of states' rights[2] and reform movements such as the Civil Service Reform and opponents of the corrupt city bosses, Bourbons led the fight against the Tweed Ring. The anti-corruption theme earned the votes of many Republican Mugwumps in 1884.[4]
The term "Bourbon Democrats" was never used by the Bourbon Democrats themselves. It was not the name of any specific or formal group and no one running for office ever ran on a Bourbon Democrat ticket. The term "Bourbon" – Bourbon whisky is a Southern drink – was mostly used disparagingly by critics complaining of viewpoints they saw as old-fashioned.[5] A number of splinter Democratic parties, such as the Straight-Out Democratic Party (1872) and the National Democratic Party (1896), that actually ran candidates, fall under the more general label of Bourbon Democrats.
- ^ a b Alexandra Kindell; Elizabeth S. Demers Ph.D., eds. (2014). Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 86.
Bourbon Democrats were a combination of several constituencies including southerners, political and fiscal conservatives, and classical liberals.
- ^ a b Thomas E. Vass (2006). Reclaiming The American Democratic Impulse. GABBY Press.
- ^ Morton Keller (2007). Americas Three Regimes: A New Political History. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Horace Samuel Merrill, Bourbon Leader: Grover Cleveland and the Democratic Party. Boston: Little, Brown, 1957, pp. 18, 45, 83, 92, 151, 202.
- ^ Hans Sperber and Travis Trittschuh. American Political Terms: An Historical Dictionary. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1962.
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