Ivory Republic: The world which Knox begat

[TransUral]

Ivory Republic: The world which Knox begat​

America was an isolationist nation, or at least it fooled itself that it was. Yes, it engaged in a good few offensive wars in the 1800's against her neighbors and the native tribes within America's claimed territories. Yes, it engaged in the Spanish-American war in 1898 which had a casus belli which is considered dubious at best in the modern age. America had engaged in a sort of European Imperialism in that war, seizing several Guam Puerto Rico and the Philippines for America. However America was at least in ideals, an isolationist nation. That's what she believed.

It was for that reason, that the First World War was such a shock for Americans. Not how it began or how it was fought or how it changed the world, but how America was dragged into the messy affair kicking and screaming. America tried her damnedest to avoid the conflict.

President Wilson was elected resoundingly in 1912 after a split in the Republican party that was engendered by a major quarrel that broke out between Taft and Roosevelt. The situation between 1912 and 1916 changed substantially to say the least. In 1915 German submarines sunk the British Liner, RMS Lusitania, over 100 American nationals died in the attack and while Wilson said "America was too proud to fight" he was forced to put it frankly to the Germans: Further unrestricted submarine warfare would not be tolerated. The Germans being Germans, they did not take kindly to the concept of moderation in military affairs and the reprieve the Germans granted was short lived.

The 1916 election was a different beast. The Republicans had reunited and nominated the former Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Hughes who hadn't spoken on political issues since his joining the court and therefore was acceptable to both branches of the party. Wilson didn't take any chances and played the cards he was given to the best of his abilities. He kept the German-Americans, the Irish-Americans, and the isolationists quite firmly in his pocket by playing up his keeping of America out of the war with slogans like "America First." Hughes tried to hit back by stating Wilson was not taking necessary preparations in case of war and this only served to swing the vote further and further in Wilson's direction. Wilson would win the 1916 election - albeit very close with only 277 electoral votes for Wilson.

The short reprieve the Germans so graciously gave the world was revoked in January 1917 with the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans believed that this would in time lead to war with America one way or another, so they took a particularly dangerous risk in a peculiar gambit. The German Foreign Minister sent the Mexicans a telegram offering financial compensation and swaths of American territory if it joined the Central Powers and declared war on the United States. The British intercepted said telegram and would then presented the telegram to the American government. Wilson called for war in reaction and he Congress gave it to him.

The rest is for history books and for our boys missing limbs and faces to remember.

A victim of war​

President Wilson's policy shifted considerably after America's joining of the war. Wilson had previously been known as a strong supporter of isolationism but Wilson grew to strongly believe that the World War was to be one of, if not the final war. He wanted to establish an international order which would arbitrate on affairs to promote peace and minimize war. This order Wilson helped conceive and create was titled the "League of Nations."

The League of Nations and the new Wilsonian Internationalism was not entirely unpopular and was certainly not entirely rejected. Wilson was opposed in the government, not just the Irish and Germans who had come to view Wilson with a great deal of disdain. By the end of President Wilson's term the US (and the world) was hit with a sharp deflationary recession, leaving a dark mark on Wilson's already sinking reputation.

Wilson suffered a stroke in October 1919 and was effectively incapacitated for the rest of his life.

When the election season inevitably rolled around in 1920, Wilson was apparently still under the impression that he could go for another election. At the Democratic Convention in San Francisco President Wilson blocked the nomination of his own son-in-law William Gibbs McAdoo in a desperate attempt to cause a deadlocked convention and lead to his winning the nomination. James M. Cox, McAdoo, and A. Mitchell Palmer fought strongly with one another for a total of 44 ballots before Ohio Governor James M. Cox won out. The Democrats would then go onto select Franklin Delano Roosevelt (relative of former President Teddy Roosevelt) as Governor Cox's running mate and putting forth a Pro-League of Nations platform.

President Wilson breathed his last breath in the political arena as soon as the convention was over. No one needed to listen to an secluded and politically ruined President. A President with no power is no President after all.

The Republicans were on a totally different wavelength at that point. They were still healing party wounds from back in 1912 and with the death of Teddy Roosevelt in 1919 the party more or less mended. Obviously there was to be pushing and pulling but there was no thought of a split in the party. A solid number of individuals threw their hat in the ring, but the party was to focus on three individuals in particular. The Liberals of the Republicans focused on US Army Leonard Wood, the Conservatives on Frank Lowden, and the solid Progressives had Hiram Johnson's back in the affair.

The ballots came back inconclusive until the 5th ballot when Leonard Wood and Hiram Johnson lost considerable ground and the Frank Lowden gained ground. Things became even more clear for Johnson once he closely considered the results. Warren G. Harding, a man whom Johnson loathed, was gaining quite steadily and could end up as a compromise candidate before long. This possible reality dawned on Johnson fully when he saw the known Harding associate Harry M. Daughtery "prancing" around Chicago as Johnson would later put it. *

"I saw Daughtery prancing around and seducing anything that moved. Something was going awry and Daughtery and Harding were a part of it."

With the fear of Harding winning the nomination as a compromise in the back of his head, Johnson released his delegates and directed them to personal friend and leaning Conservative Philander Knox. Knox was a lawyer who took part in the organizing of U.S. Steel but also served as Attorney General, Senator on multiple occasions, and Secretary of State. During Knox's tenure as Secretary of State he advocated for dollar diplomacy and would later remark that that the Versailles Treaty would inevitably lead towards war which put him as a slight interventionist. Knox could moderate himself in regards to his foreign policy and place emphasis on returning to pre-war America if need be. To accentuate this later on, the GOP would adopt an anti-League of Nations plank in their platform.

Philander Knox​

In reaction to the sudden shift on the 6th ballot, the Harding movement lost steam. Due to backroom dealings and a genuine interest in Knox, Philander Knox was accepted as Republican nominee. The pick for his running mate was a far less exciting event however. A brief draft movement for Harding was smothered by political bosses who didn't want to risk a Progressive third party run and the bosses put the mostly inoffensive Henry J. Allen of Kansas forward. The Conservatives were not all too thrilled by the choice but they would ultimately much prefer Knox and Allen than handing the election to the Democrats who were firmly Pro-League of Nations.

The major tickets were as follows:

Republican: Philander Knox/Henry J. Allen
Democrat: Frank M. Cox/Franklin D. Roosevelt
Socialist: Eugene V. Debs/Seymour Stedman

Following the conventions, a great deal of jockeying on the issue regarding the League of Nations occurred. While it was true that both the Republican and Democratic platforms were very direct on the issue, both candidates has some political butt to kiss. Knox took every opportunity to remind Republican compatriots that he opposed the League and in particular the controversial article 10 which would have the US join the League in any war a member nation got themselves wrapped up in. Cox looked to be ordained by President Wilson and made sure to speak highly of the League but quickly changed his tune when he saw that most of the Democrats were in opposition to the League, from then on out Cox was for the League but was in opposition certain elements - article 10 being the focus once again.

The greatest irony of the whole affair was that the electorate really didn't care either which way about the thing. The average fellow in America (and people all around the world really) just wants a decent job to work and food on the table. Anything more than that is just a nice gift to have for most people. Political contests like the ones the regarding the League were simply not something any working stiff gave much of a hoot about. In fact in the 1920 Presidential elections, it would be unfair to say the electorate gave much care regarding the current issues either which way. It came down largely to advertising budgets and the German/Irish outrage at Wilson. Knox's campaign outspent Cox's campaign five times over and focused on making Knox look good and promoting his "America First" campaign which promoted minimal focus in foreign affairs and a strong focus in domestic affairs.

Philander Knox's victory was a landslide. Perhaps understandably so. Knox outspent Cox a great deal, Cox lost support from the German-American and Irish-American Democrats who had a serious part in propelling the Democrats up north. Wilson couldn't surrogate because of his worsening illness. Nothing positive went for Cox. In the end, the Democrats were reduced back to their stronghold in the former CSA and even that was shaky. Both Tennessee and Kentucky were won with less than a percent. If a few thousand votes went a different direction Cox could have lost Kentucky and Tennessee, turning a disappointing defeat into a pathetic failure. Cox's political career was killed by the loss and he retired officially from politics in his concession speech.

Knox had the following appointments to his cabinet:

Secretary of State: Henry L. Stimson
Secretary of Treasury: Charles G. Dawes
Secretary of War: Hubert Work
Attorney General: Henry W. Anderson
Postmaster General: Miles Poindexter
Secretary of the Navy: Edwin Denby
Secretary of the Interior: Albert B. Fall
Secretary of Agriculture: Joseph Gurney Cannon
Secretary of Commerce: Frank B. Brandegee
Secretary of Labor: Joseph M. McCormick

---
*POD: Hiram Johnson considers the Harding movement more seriously and assesses it as a threat. He also takes evasive methods to avoid a Harding nomination, leading to Philander Knox's ascent.

 

[Unknown]

Interesting start; waiting for more, of course...

 

[TransUral]

The Presidency of Philander Knox from inauguration day until the 1922 midterms
​

President Philander Knox began his term in 1921 with what was an undeniable mandate to rule. He won the Presidential elections with just over 60% of the popular vote and swept both houses of Congress, putting the already weak Democrats into even more dire circumstances. In the Senate the Democrats won not a single race outside of the solid South, pushing the Democratic senators down to just 37 Senators and giving the Republicans a very comfortable majority. In the House of Representatives, things were also in a rough spot for the Democrats. The Republicans won a total 303 seats, putting them solidly above the two-thirds majority seats.

This certainly wasn't the end of the Democrats as some overexcited political pundits theorized, but this was a serious setback. A few astute watchers of American politics theorized that things were not as great as they seemed for the Republicans - and they were to be proven right. The Conservative wing and the Progressive wing were not all that enthused by Philander Knox as he was a quick fix rather than a long term solution. Both wings of the party would become more belligerent towards each leading up to the midterms.

President Knox's first order of business was rushing several important bills through Congress. The 67th Congress ushered in several landmark pieces of legislation. Most were in regards to domestic affairs but a few touched on the sphere of foreign policy. The most important domestic bills passed would have to be the Budget and Accounting Act which set forth the manner in which budgets and accounting occurred. Knox also signed the Emergency Quota act which set up a quota system which discriminated against minority groups from coming to the US in large numbers with a complicated and convoluted quota system. He also signed the Emergency Tariff Act of 1921 to ease farmers who were dealing with a decrease in crop prices. Knox also signed the Willis Graham Act which helped establish telephone companies as de facto natural monopolies, this was one of President Knox's most heavily promoted acts which he fought to get passed Congress.

The first and final act to deal with foreign affairs was the Porter resolution which was signed into effect at the White House on August 7th, 1921. There was a mild kerfuffle regarding negotiations between the Allies and Germany but ultimately it was solved after some application of political force on the part of Knox.

President Knox would then go on to use the Porter resolution to begin to promote his foreign policy views. Knox visited Europe and had state visits with the United Kingdom, France, Germany (of whom he was particularly sympathetic), the Netherlands, and finally Poland who was still dealing with the aftermath of the Polish-Soviet war. The British and the French were particularly disturbed by Knox's visit to Germany, and indeed the visit itself was controversial back home as well but Knox did his best to tie it into his new foreign policy without much success. His trip to Poland was received much better as he used the event to promote anti-Communism.

Friedrich Ebert: Friend of America?​

Knox's new foreign policy was in reality a return of his older "dollar diplomacy" that he first promoted under former President Taft. The new policy promoted closer economic ties by guaranteeing and giving loans to the nations of Asia and South America. It also promoted an activist foreign policy that had the administration encourage American Banker and Industrialist investment in the nations targeted by Dollar Diplomacy. In the newer model under Knox, America extended that policy to Europe in the hopes of taking advantage of the new nations of Europe and the exceptionally weak Weimar Republic. The response was largely negative from the government on both sides of the aisle who considered it too activist despite Knox's insistence that his policy was designed to avoid international alliances and entanglements.

Upon return from his trip to Europe in October however, Knox suffered a serious set back when he suffered a minor stroke. He lost eyesight in his left eye and his speech became slurred and close to unintelligible if he spoke at a pace faster than a crawl. This would be a particularly damaging in the coming months for his reputation as he was no longer able to defend himself from attacks personally and had to rely on increasingly few political allies to defend him and his policies while he was sequestered and trying his best to recover from the stroke.

In the immediate few weeks following the stroke, most of Knox's support dropped out from under him. Hiram Johnson became a former friend when he cut off all ties following Knox's failure to moderate or dump Dollar Diplomacy in some public manner. Johnson had become increasingly annoyed with the President's increasingly Conservative domestic bent at home and his newly announced seemingly interventionist policy. In the end he wanted some form of either moderation or change to the program but Knox refused outright. In the end this cost Knox whatever support was left from the Progressives of the GOP. The Conservatives were not totally put off as President Knox was solidly Conservative on domestic policy.

The government continued without the executive for the most part. Republicans had a solid majority in both houses so the matter of passing bills didn't require much effort.

Naturally things could never go President Knox's way so he began to involve himself more and more in Congress, bypassing all nobility of having a Vice President route of attack and instead focusing on defending his policies both domestic and foreign when he felt they were under attack. This, along with an increasing anger from both wings of the party at each other rather than at the Democrats caused the old rifts that were thought to have been mended to reappear.

Things got worse both for President Knox and for the Grand Old Party on April 15th 1922. Progressive Republican Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin led an investigation to a budding new scandal regarding oil production rights near the Teapot Dome rock formation in Wyoming. Even worse, earlier that day President Knox suffered a massive stroke and lost the use of his body below his waist along several other odd side effects. The initial reports were stopped as the First Lady was afraid that President Knox was going to die, but when his health was stabilized she consented to releasing information regarding the stroke. To observers it appeared that President Knox suffered a stroke due to hearing about the investigation rather than Knox barely avoiding death.

Even more trouble for President Knox​

The Teapot Dome scandal and the later Great Railroad Strike of 1922 did much to destroy the reputation of a man who already had a tarnished reputation. Further investigations and probing by the Progressive and Democratic wing would cause major issues for the GOP down the line when the elections would start. Knox tried his best to rally the party behind unity and did his best to rid the government of individuals involved in the Teapot Dome scandal but ultimately this merely exhausted himself further and would lead to further medical issues in the future for the already seriously ill Knox.

With most of the political goodwill of the GOP and party fracture looking more and more possible, it surprised no one to see the results of the midterms.

Congressional Seat Listings:
Republican: 221 (-81) Seats in the House of Representatives, 51 (-8) Seats in the Senate
Democrat: 210 (+78) Seats in the House of Representatives, 44 (+8) Seats in the Senate
Farmer-Labor: 2 Seats (+2) in the House of Representatives, 1 (+1) Seat in the Senate
Socialist: 2 (+1) Seat in the House of Representatives, no (+0) Seats in the Senate

 

[1940LaSalle]

A couple of questions:

• Why would someone with a reasonable degree of judgment and acumen like Knox bring Fall and Denby into his cabinet? One could rationalize the cronyism of Harding (he actually thought of Fall for State, for crying out loud) but I have a hard time swallowing those two in light of the more intelligent and experienced Knox. It also makes *Teapot Dome* too convenient.
• How is it that Knox survived beyond his demise IOTL (October 1921)? And don't forget Knox would have been 68 at his inauguration, making him older than William Henry Harrison.

I'll grant you that Knox was approached at the 1920 convention with an offer to be a compromise candidate but he declined when approached by (I think) PA senator Boies Penrose. However, it seems to me there are a few holes in the plausibility of this premise of a Knox presidency.

 

[TransUral]

A couple of questions:

• Why would someone with a reasonable degree of judgment and acumen like Knox bring Fall and Denby into his cabinet? One could rationalize the cronyism of Harding (he actually thought of Fall for State, for crying out loud) but I have a hard time swallowing those two in light of the more intelligent and experienced Knox. It also makes *Teapot Dome* too convenient.
• How is it that Knox survived beyond his demise IOTL (October 1921)? And don't forget Knox would have been 68 at his inauguration, making him older than William Henry Harrison.

I'll grant you that Knox was approached at the 1920 convention with an offer to be a compromise candidate but he declined when approached by (I think) PA senator Boies Penrose. However, it seems to me there are a few holes in the plausibility of this premise of a Knox presidency.

I don't really think Knox would be put off by most of these individuals, especially considering that he was involved in U.S. Steel, being involved in big business during the age I feel would make him more understanding to graft and such. Plus, it makes for a more dramatic story and if you tell an uninteresting story there's simply no point in reading it.

As far as Knox's death, I did research that I guess I should have made known in the notes for that post in retrospect, but Knox died in 1921 of a stroke quite suddenly. http://cdsun.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cornell?a=d&d=CDS19211013.2.2 I swapped it out with a minor stroke and continued from there.

 

[Knightmare]

Well, I'm interested.

 

[TransUral]

The Presidency of Philander Knox from the 1922 midterms until 1924
​

While it surprised no one to see the loss of the Republican super-majority, the Republican Party was still surprised at just how many seats they lost. It was figured to be impossible to keep the kind of majority that the Republicans had in Congress at the time, but no one expected such an unprecedented failure that was the Philander Knox Presidency. Many elements of the party were outraged at just how quickly their gains totally dissolved. With only 221 seats in the House of Representatives and 51 in the Senate, the GOP would normally be able to hang on with party loyalty and ride out the storm but in the increasingly fractured Republican Party there was no such thing as party loyalty any longer. The cracks in the party's facade that had be aggravated by the teapot dome scandal and the end of the Hiram Johnson endorsement but the midterm failures inflamed the wounds. There would be blood at the convention - that much was assured.

Regardless if you were a Conservative or a Progressive though, someone had to be blamed for the party's failure. The Progressive wing blamed Knox for his alleged betrayal of Hiram Johnson and also the teapot dome scandal. The Conservatives blamed Knox for the teapot dome scandal but also the Progressive Congressman LaFollette for what they termed "publicizing party failure" which was really just a long winded way of saying going against the party establishment and making a big deal about corruption. Naturally though, both sides heaped criticism on President Knox.

Congressman Lafollette (WI-R)​

During this stage of the government, it was fairly obvious that practically nothing was getting passed by Congress. There was simply too much infighting and anger directed in every direction to really pass any major bills. Yes, Congress always finds a way to come together when their salaries or some inoffensive legislation would come around, but nothing important or otherwise notable was passed in this period. Some would call this a "do nothing" Congress but it wasn't a major issue with anyone in particular. People were already too busy at each other's necks to have much concern for the legislative health of the nation.

As the 1924 election season approached, Knox was forced to accept reality. He was never under the impression that he would win the second election once he had his first stroke, but the constant failures and his second stroke were particularly sobering for him. He was a rather an exceptional lawyer and later a fairly successful Senator, but he had made one too many mistakes and his body gave way too quickly. Knox lamented his position and his life until then, but the saddest fact is that no one would ever come to feel much sympathy for President Knox. It was not until much later in American history that anyone would ever care to say: "Wow, Knox really had bad luck. Sucks to be him."

Several months before the conventions started in late February, Vice President Allen approached Knox. He had been mulling over how he wanted to proceed. It was obvious that the convention was going to be contested and that President Knox wasn't going to win. Allen knew that he was not exceptionally well known or connected, meaning that he had to do something to get influence, anything.

Henry J. Allen, Vice President​

"Phil, I'm sorry to annoy you but I'm sure you know what I plan on asking." Allen sat beside President Knox in his wheelchair as he stared blankly out a frosted window. Knox had a blanket on his lap and it rose and fell with each heavy breath.

"I won't give it up." Knox's strained voice was almost silent.

"I just want you to announce you don't want to run. That's all." The Vice President tried to make it easier for him.

"Fine." Knox spoke slow so that his words were heard well and clear. He knew that it was coming regardless if he wanted to or not. The Vice President could just have something written up and have it published without his consent. What could he do, complain to his nurse? No one cared about him. At least this way he could give one last command. "I'll give you...an endorsement t-too."

"It's fine Phil. Don't stake your political legacy on me." Allen patted the President's withered shoulder and Knox scowled. The lack of any requested endorsement to his Vice President's campaign was what gave him the worst pain out of anything he had to deal with as President. He could survive anything the world threw at him. Even if he wasn't going to be remembered well, he would have had his dignity. But to be a non-person, someone so poisonous his own Vice President didn't want him. Knox wished to have control of his legs back even if just for a moment so that he could jump up from his ball-and-chain and wring the neck of his one time political ally.

"Henry J. Allen you sonovabitch!" Old Sleepy Phil as he was once affectionately called raged inside his mind as his last political ally closed the door to his bedroom. Knox wanted to cry but didn't have the strength. It was over, all over.

The following day a statement from the desk of the President announced that current President Philander Knox would not be in the running for the Presidency in any capacity. For the rest of his time as President, Philander Knox would spend his time holed up in his bedroom, not speaking with anyone. His life was done and he knew it. Now it was just a matter of finding the time to die.

---
Sort of a short one because I don't have time to go into detail regarding the elections or conventions of 1924, especially considering both conventions are set to be totally bonkers.

Poor Phil. I actually feel a little bad for torturing him so badly.

Up next: The conventions and election of 1924 and foreign affairs since 1920.

 

[TransUral]

The Conventions and Elections of 1924​

Going into the 1924 conventions the Republicans were suffering seriously from the enlarging divide between the Conservatives and the Progressive wings of the party. The Democrats themselves suffered a similar, but far less obvious split, particularly regarding the preferred candidate at the upcoming convention. The GOP however was very much aware that there were major and painful party fissures whereas the Democrats were largely coalesced and loyal to the Democratic Party still. This changed when the first ballots were brought forward at the Democratic convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

William Gibbs McAdoo (D-CA)​

The first ballots came in and it revealed a major dilemma for the Democratic Party. The two front runners in the first ballot were Al Smith of New York and William Gibbs McAdoo of California. If the party nominated Al Smith, then they would alienate the south and also the vast majority of non-Catholics in the party due to Al Smith being not only a Catholic but also being a wet, something which the south was opposed to entirely. If they nominated William Gibbs McAdoo it would cause major issues with the Catholics who were instrumental in winning the north. It also didn't help that McAdoo's luster had been significantly lessened since the last time he tried for the nomination after getting caught receiving money from individuals linked to the teapot dome scandal. He quickly righted his wrong, but it didn't prevent damage to McAdoo's reputation.

As such, two wings emerged. First of which being a Anti-McAodo faction, most of which were from the North and were both party reformers and typically wets in the alcohol debate. The second faction of course was the Pro-McAdoo faction, they were mostly Southerners who were drys and were often times in favor of the KKK. That isn't to say that the factions themselves were all that cut and dry, but generally that was the lines on which they fell. The two factions went back and forth with their own intrigues and it carried the convention forward quite some time.

The first and arguably the most major intrigue was the regarding the platform. There was some interest by anti-KKK delegates such as Oscar Underwood to put an official condemnation of the KKK in the party platform, some say to embarrass McAdoo. The movement failed by a slim margin and the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in a New Jersey field just across the water from New York City and burned a cross to celebrate. The Klansmen also attacked effigies of Al Smith before returning to the convention the next morning. Needless to say, the event left things at a fever pitch.

Photo from the New Jersey Klanbake, as it was later called.
​

The splintered and rowdy atmosphere continued for some time, with both the Pro and Anti factions trying their best to come up with schemes to have the other side forced into an unwinnable situation. The Anti faction ran up the totals on the hotels in the hopes that the mostly out of town Pro faction would be forced to go home. The Pro faction also tried to reconvene at a new location to deprive the anti faction of their home field advantage. The delegates only found solace by the 70th ballot, long after any semblance of party unity had been tossed by the wayside and both factions were fighting blatantly for self interest.

McAdoo and his faction had begun to realize how foolish and ultimately how impossible the fight was. Smith's faction wasn't giving up any time soon and neither were they, but they weren't willing to split the party in 2 a la 1860. He knew what happens when the Democrats split up. In the end, McAdoo considered his options and floated a name he figured both sides to agree with. He put forward a one Samuel M. Ralston of Indiana who was supported by the Klan and had gained national prominence after putting down a riot and solving Indiana's longstanding financial woes. The anti-McAdoo faction was ultimately also running out of juice and seeking a name. The two factions came together after brokering a good many positions in the cabinet for an admittedly very odd and very surprising combination.

On the 70th ballot, sitting Senator from Indiana Samuel M. Ralston was selected to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What happened next was rather interesting. Too appease the Anti-McAdoo faction, the former enemy Al Smith was selected to be the Vice Presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. It was a radical solution to the problem but it satisfied the Anti faction and numerous promised cabinet appointments for Pro McAdoo men. The selection was not unanimous and there was said to have been quite a bit of booing from the crowd, but it occurred all the same.

The Republican Party went through a similar but much more radical version of what the Democratic Party experienced in New York City. The Republican playing field going into the convention was practically open with President Knox not able or interested (officially, at least) in taking part in the convention. With the GOP already almost formally split, the race not having a clear front runner did much to damage the party even further.

The Progressive wing was loud and brash but was undone by vote splitting. Most of the personalities in the Progressive wing were simply uninterested in working with or collaborating with each other - never mind the moderates they could have worked with. The result was the Conservatives coalescing around a few choice candidates around the 10th ballot and the Progressives quickly sliding lower and lower in the ballots as the various Progressive ideologues fought each other vociferously and engaged in all sorts of schemes. By the 15th ballot, all hell broke loose. George Norris attempted to broker an alliance between himself, Johnson, and La Follette, pointing out that the Conservatives became closer and closer to coming to a decision without them. His warnings fell on deaf ears.

Frank Lowden of Illinois was selected to be the nominee for the Republican Party after the last of the Conservative forces coalesced around him and the last of Henry J. Allen's supporters left him. The Progressives reacted poorly by and large. Most bolted immediately but some, most notably Borah, stayed to the end. La Follette himself promised a general election challenge. After getting wind of La Follette's declaration Lowden and the GOP establishment nominated Charles Curtis of Kansas for Vice President to minimize any damage done to the party in the Midwest.

Several days later, La Follette did exactly as he promised. He convened a Progressive Party convention in Chicago with representatives from all over the map. Delegates came from Morris Hilquit's Socialist Party of America, the Farmer-Labor Party, and even from various major unions. La Follette had became the budding group's leader in the days following Teddy Roosevelt's death and so he was nominated unanimously and with Miles Poindexter as his running mate. This isn't to say that all was well with the party, William Z. Foster of the Communist Party characterized it as "Reactionary" whereas the Republicans termed them as "turncoats" instead.

How they performed in the election was of course another matter entirely. The Republicans focused on minimizing the Progressive gains in the Midwest and holding out against Democratic advances in the north. The Democrats focused on nibbling away at the Republicans every chance they had in the North and the Midwest, hoping to utilize the vote splitting to its fullest. The Progressives tried to extend their reach and take the whole of the Midwest and perhaps the Pacific West if they so dared.

The results were, in many ways, quite surprising.

​

No one had expected the Democratic coalition to hold, yet it did. It may have been tenuous at best but it did well in the North and the South. Indeed, if the Democrats had won New York (a state which was won by the GOP by less than 2%) then they could have sent the election to Congress. It would have been a major victory despite a solid, growing economy and the teapot dome scandal fading away. In the end, it prevented a party split and both the Pro and Anti McAdoo factions were again forced to mull over the election results bitterly for another 4 years.

The Progressive Party in particular were a notable disappointment. Many of its supporters perhaps foolishly expected a sweep of the West and Midwest as well as being competitive on the Eastern seaboard. As election day rolled around, the reality set in. It was not a total failure, it showed that the population had a genuine interest in a Progressive Party, but that they needed better planning and organization. Hiram Johnson bit the bullet and the week after the election contacted La Follette and attempted to bridge the gap in the hopes of upending the Republican and Democratic order - by any means necessary.

---
I was going to post an update of foreign affairs of 1920 to 1924 alongside this post but I've already written quite a great deal tonight and I'm tired. I tend to or at least try to update twice per week, so sometime this week (sometime this weekend no doubt) I'll do an update of domestic politics from 1924 to the 1926 midterms and foreign affairs from 1920 to 1926.

 

[TransUral]

The update is postponed until Monday because of me being busy and the update being exceptionally large.

 

[Unknown]

That's fine; it's still a good TL...

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Interesting

Since you do not mention it in your update covering 1920-24, did the Washington Naval Treaty not occur, or did it occur but not be mentioned?

 

[TransUral]

That's fine; it's still a good TL...

Thanks for the compliment.

Interesting

Since you do not mention it in your update covering 1920-24, did the Washington Naval Treaty not occur, or did it occur but not be mentioned?

I forgot actually.

I'll cover it in the foreign affairs part of the next post.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Thanks for the compliment.

I forgot actually.

I'll cover it in the foreign affairs part of the next post.

It's likely different then, the OTL treaty is a lot more what Secretary of State Hughes wanted than what the US Navy wanted

 

[TransUral]

Domestic Affairs from 1925 to 1928

Frank Lowden campaign button
​

President Lowden was an odd man politically. He was something of a budget hawk and managed to introduce a budget system to state expenses as governor of Illinois making him more of a Conservative, yet at the same time he promoted Women's suffrage strongly. He was a strong pro-death penalty law and order type yet he was also in favor of the Volstead act and was a dry. On the other hand, he was married to the daughter of George Pullman yet he favored the Pro-Isolationist viewpoint in regards to the League of Nations. In 1920 he could have been a unifying President, but in 1925 the party already had a word for his type. The "Knox Progressives" as they were called were a small but hated group among the Progressives. The "Knox Progressives" are said to supposedly court Progressive causes but in reality support Conservatism and are ultimately followers of the failed Knox foreign policy. They were more like strawmen than anything real, but then again, there was always Lowden to point to.

Lowden gave a half-hearted peace treaty after his victory to the Progressives, offering that several Progressives join his cabinet and in return the Progressives wouldn't run a ticket in 1928. It was a poor attempt to mend the severed ties between the two factions at best. Johnson, who had effectively become the big cheese in the Progressive movement since the death of La Follette rejected it totally. He stated that it was impossible to reconcile with the Conservatives and rather, the Conservatives should reconcile with the Progressives. After that, organized discussion broke off between the two.

President Lowden's first step as President was to pivot on domestic policy, promising a "return to normalcy" after the world war and President Knox's controversial four years. He promised to quash the lawlessness and crime that had taken hold, especially in regards to alcohol smuggling and production. He also made it a point to go after Socialists and so called "rowdy" labor reformers. Lowden promoted and signed the National Security Act (typically known as the Lowden Law) which banned organizations that promoted the revolution or armed resistance against the government. The Lowden Law was used liberally to damage labor unions and leftist political organizations. The largest banning was the IWW which led to a series of bombings and assassination attempts.

For his anti-left, anti-labor stances, and for Eugene Debs' death in prison in 1925, he was the subject of an attempted assassination in early 1927 by a young Italian immigrant named Luigi Bresci. Bresci fired a shot at the President during a public appearance he was making in Chicago to promote his war on crime. Bresci's gun misfired and the would be assassin was tackled by security personnel. As the story goes, upon hearing the news Mussolini wrote an apologetic letter to President Lowden, stating that Bresci did not represent the Italian people and that he wished for closer relations between the two powers. The two would start a correspondence which would culminate with an appearance on a Fox Movietone sound movie reel. He gave the following speech:

Il Duce spoke four languages: Italian, German, French, and English
​

The only other major piece of legislation that he passed was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff which was exceptionally high and only barely exceeded by the Tariff of 1828. The tariff led to a minor kerfuffle regarding the French and British who enacted retaliatory tariffs of their own. Despite this, the economy rode forward just as it had since the end of the world war. Lowden didn't lose much, if anything in the manner of political capital for the tariff. People were largely uninterested in the matters of foreign trade and since it didn't seem to effect the market, they couldn't make much of a fuss.

The Democrats however were in a much better position than originally thought. While a great deal of the animosity remained, particularly between Smith and McAdoo, the party tried its best to diffuse tensions and prevent the sort of open bickering the Republicans were having. As the election approached, hopes in the Democratic Party had soured a great deal considering Frank Lowden's popularity [1] and the growing economy. To most Democratic big whigs, they considered the ticket of 1928 to be a dead end. Both Smith and McAdoo had no plans to make a serious attempt at the nomination that year. The two got together in Memphis and began to discuss the "terms and conditions" with one another. Smith put forward Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt of New York who was Governor after Smith's resignation following his nomination for Vice President. McAdoo himself was more interested in working together than last time, having been genuinely surprised at the results of the Ralston/Smith ticket. He acceded to Roosevelt's place as Presidential nominee and an exceptionally unconventional pick.

McAdoo had secretly constructed a plan to sweep the West and be dangerously competitive in the North. Hoping to seize upon the Progressive's fire and the Veterans, McAdoo conceived of a strategy that would place the Democratic party as the party of the working men (as he was already popular with them) but also with the veterans of the world war. He hoped that by bringing a veteran into the forefront, he would allow that support to give him a major boost which could allow him to sweep the West come 1932. In the end, McAdoo went with Alvin York of Tennessee. He had become a world famous war hero after his exploits were published by the press. He was awarded by several countries including America, France, Italy and Montenegro for his trouble. York also famously turned down many sponsorship offers. Getting him on the ticket would be invaluable but it would be quite a task.

McAdoo decided to go in person to meet him at his Tennessee mountain man abode.

Alvin York: War Hero and...Politician?
​

McAdoo had never traveled off the beaten path far enough to come to a place like Alvin York's house before. It wasn't ratty or old, in fact it was nearly new. Local folks pitched in and he got his own farm after his story became famous. Before that he was living in an old shack his family had for generations. It was in the middle of nowhere though. That was for damn sure.

There was no coincidence in McAdoo's visit and the York family knew that. As soon as McAdoo knocked on the door and Alvin's wife Gracie saw his suit, she knew she was dealing with someone important. Willy McAdoo liked that.

York and the important man sat down at a table in York's kitchen after exchanging pleasantries. It was awfully barren for a man who was supposed to be a well loved war hero. In reality York was practically out of money at that point, spending most of it on his foundation to support education for the children in the Appalachian region.

"Now, Mister York I need to speak to you about something salient." McAdoo cut straight through the conversation right to what he wanted.

"Say-lay-int?" The soldier boy looked puzzled.

"Important. Us city slickers speak awfully fancy."

"That's for sure." York smiled and his overgrown mustache covered his top lip in response. "Are ya talkin' about the foundation? We take whatever we can get. Why, just the other week we got a school enough school books for the kids to share ya see." York held up a piece of paper with some math on it in handwriting that McAdoo had trouble reading.

"That's wonderful Alvin! President Wilson would be proud of you if he could see you today." McAdoo faked enthusiasm and took the paper. He pretended to inspect it for a few seconds as York prattled on about schooling.

"...And ya see, that's why we need more school books in these parts." York finished his run on sentence and took a sip of the coffee his wife Gracie made for him.

"I agree with you, Mr. York." McAdoo lifted his briefcase and plopped it on the table before opening it and tossing a large stack on bills in front of York. "For the kids." McAdoo smiled, he knew he had won once he saw the way York's eyes lit up when the bills hit the table. [2]

"Wow...well..." York picked up the stack and eyed it over before bursting out of his chair and grabbing McAdoo's hand and shaking it energetically. "Well shucks mister! You're the nicest fella I ever did meet! Gracie, kids, look at this!" York picked up the stack in his hand and waved it around excitedly as his family gathered around him.

"Thanks mister!" Alvin Jr. beamed up at the rich city slicker, thinking it was his family's now.

"It's nothing really. There'll be more - for schooling of course. Or whatever great ideas you got cooking up there." McAdoo jokingly patted York's head.

"Well I was thinkin' about a bible school where anybody could go. For any group of folks that wanted to come in. Even Catholics."

"That sounds swell." McAdoo took York by the arm and the two walked out the door and onto his porch without much concern for York's assembled family. "You see down there, Al? Down the hill, that's my car. Would ya like a drive?"

"I've never driven in an automobile before Mr. McAdoo! I'd love to!" The soldier boy looked chipper as he and Willy McAdoo walked down the big green hill the house was situated on. "Oh and you forgot your briefcase sir. I'll go get it. Alvin turned around to go back to the house.

"It's fine. Keep it." McAddo grabbed Alvin and turned him around. The pair started walking down the hill again.

"I don't need a briefcase sir. I'm a farmer. I appreciate it, but..."

"You never know, Al." McAdoo's driver hopped out of the car and began to start the engine frantically, having been trying to nap while his boss was inside.

Before the night was over McAdoo had Alvin York set on a political career [3] at the cost of a few churches and schools. He thought the Vice President actually did something, poor kid.

Foreign Affairs since 1920​

The Washington Naval Conference​

Foreign affairs since 1920 until 1928 were a mixed basket as far as American interests go. The rise of the Soviet Union was a particular disturbance to the Capitalist United States, but outside of that the total end of the war with the the Porter act was a boon for American enthusiasm and business. Knox also begun to negotiate a treaty to prevent a naval arms race. While he was unable to see it through with his own eyes, his Secretary of State, Henry L. Stimson led the American congregation in the negotiation of several naval arms treaties. The Four-Power, Nine-Power, and Five-Power treaties prevented a naval arms race at the cost of enraging the Japanese naval establishment and also conceding at several points to the Japanese.

President Lowden led a isolationist stance and the United States largely pulled out of foreign affairs, preferring to keep America only involved in "local" disputes, such as the Nicaraguan Civil War which the Stimson would negotiated an official end to in 1927. US Marines were deployed to the country to assist the Conservative regime against Liberal rebels who refused to accept the peace treaty. The US suppression of Liberal rebels in Nicaragua would prove to last much longer than anyone had expected. Outside of this, America largely avoided foreign entanglements under Lowden.

Though while the United States may try to avoid foreign affairs, the world at large does not stop turning for a second. In Europe, a revolutionary wave was being felt in reaction to the Russian Revolution. All over Europe, Communists and Socialists rose up and fought against their governments, trying to emulate the success the Bolsheviks had in overthrowing the Tsarist and Kerensky regime. Germany in particular was hit hard by a string of these uprisings, none were successful but the effect was still felt all the same. This isn't to say that the right was slouching at this time, rather various nationalists and counter-revolutionaries were mobilized across not just Europe but also the Soviet Union proper.

Anti-Bolshevik soldiers in Southern Russia​

Since 1920, the Soviet Union went through a number of boom and bust cycles [4]. Just as the Whites were on their last legs, the several disaffected elements of the left rose up against the Soviet government. While they were quickly put down, they put a serious hamper on military activities against both the Whites and the Polish whom the Soviets were at war with. Indeed, the Soviet failure to overthrow the Polish government (and then the world) seriously effected Soviet thought at the time. Most if not all Soviet leaders were under the impression that they were on the precipice of Capitalism's downfall and only a push would send the world towards Socialism. The Polish victory at the Battle of Warsaw set off a string of Polish victories and it ended the chance of "Great Socialist world revolution" before it even got off the ground. This failure psychologically shocked the Soviets and challenged their worldviews in a way they couldn't handle well.

The forefather of the revolution, Lenin, would die in 1925 after a prolonged medical battle. His successor was comrade Leon Trotsky, though his prestige was severely dampened by his failures in the Polish-Soviet war and also his desire to immediately abandon the NEP just after Lenin's death. His poor attitude and his allegedly being linked to the assassination of former General Secretary Joseph Stalin [5] led to his ousting at the hands of Cheka head, Felix Dzerzhinsky. Dzerzhinsky's actions were not approved by any groups in the politiburo and in Soviet history books it would later be described as a "seizure of state apparatuses" which would come to be a common euphemism in Soviet dirty jokes for generations. Trotsky's ousting and eventual exile was largely applauded publicly for his policies as well as allegedly being linked to the death of Comrade Stalin but privately were exceptionally afraid of Iron Felix as he was called. Dzerzhinsky was set to rule the nation but he soon came into his own political problems when he was shot dead by a former Left SR and Cheka agent Yakov Blumkin who had went rogue upon hearing of the ousting of Trotsky. Blumkin shot himself twice in the head before being captured, presumably to be extra special sure that whoever ordered the hit was never discovered.

Comrade Frunze, note the Stalin-like features that were emphasized to show the "connection" between Frunze and the martyr Stalin​

The new ruling Troika (consisting of Bukharin, Rykov, and Frunze [6]) consolidated power to the best of their abilities and have since continued the NEP, kicking the proverbial bucket further and further down the line. They have also seriously cut down the powers of the security apparatus, fearing to have their apparatuses seized like Trotsky. Additionally, they advocate for cooperation between Socialist and Communist Parties across the world to take power through the ballot box if possible [7], that being said, revolution is still very much advocated and preferred.

Outside of this, Japan in particular saw a rise of new ultranationalist groups both within the military and within the civilian sector. This will no doubt prove a challenge for the government, especially considering the amount of public support the groups have. Indeed, it is alleged that Prince Chichibu is a comrade in arms with radical Showa Restorationists, individuals who want to dissolve the government and leave the Emperor in charge as the sole political power in the nation. Japanese Communist and Socialist groups have grown in size as well, though far less tolerated than the ultranationalists. In accordance with the Soviet rules, they propagandize Communism and plot the overthrow of the government. How large both of these groups grow depends on how strongly the government is willing to come down upon them. Only time may tell.

Italy was also a major center of political change and influence. Mussolini's rise to power created a wholly new ideological ripple in the grand pond of European politics. Already groups inspired by Mussolini's Fascismo have risen up across Europe and various intellectuals (and world leaders) watch eagerly to see what Il Duce will do next. One of the first reactions to Fascism was in Germany, where the young German Worker's Party attempted to upturn the German government but instead resulted in the organizations banning and death of their leader.

China also had an important role to play from 1920 to 1928. With the nation in chaos among many warlords fighting for influence and control, the Kuomintang tried to bide their time, building up their forces and preparing for a military expansion from their base in the south of China. Things continued in a sort of peaceful manner for the Kuomintang until the death of their leader Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1925. Almost immediately conflict broke out between the Left (led by Wang Jingwei) and the Right (led by Chiang Kai-shek) of the Kuomintang. The Left quickly managed to beat out the Right when Wang Jingwei married Soong Mei-ling, making Jingwei the brother-in-law of the very well respected Sun Yat-sen. She was originally to marry Chiang but Jingwei was closer to her age and much more "dashing" as accounts would put it later. The Kuomintang then embarked on the Northern Expedition which would see the end of the Warlord period in China and bring about a more peaceful period in China.

The Right wing of the Kuomintang would ultimately be defeated despite Chiang's attempts to paint Jingwei as a Communist or a foreign spy. Chiang and some of his supporters went into exile in Japan and planned his next move, wondering when they could return to their nation.
---
[1]: Bresci no doubt had a hand in the popularity spike.
[2]: Does this count as bribery? Maybe in the legal sense, but not to York. If it's for the kids, it's for the kids.
[3]: Alvin York was by all accounts, including his own, a lifelong and dedicated Democrat. I don't believe that this is too far fetched. It's certainly off the wall, but York running for office to help out schoolchildren across the nation seems like something you'd end up seeing in the movie Sergeant York.
[4]: And famines. Don't forget the famines.
[5]: Stalin ends up being something like OTL's Sergey Kirov. Awkward.
[6]: Let's just say he got his illness in check earlier on.
[7]: Like the French Popular Front but less formal and more focused on cooperation rather than outright alliances.

Okay, starting now I'm going to be utilizing footnotes more often, especially if I have a big post like this.

And yeah, I'm aware it's technically Tuesday now, but trust me here, I was working on this on Monday. Also I'm amazed I can write this much. I hope for my own sleep schedule's sake that I do not pump out posts like this in the future.

Blumkin for most obvious cover up in 1926. #CoverMeInBlumkin

 

[TransUral]

It's likely different then, the OTL treaty is a lot more what Secretary of State Hughes wanted than what the US Navy wanted

To save myself the sanity of having to consider what Stimson would go for, I just kept it ambiguous.

 

[MERRICA]

Hmm, has the 1924 immigration bill passed?

 

[Unknown]

The growing economy? That won't be true come 1929 (assuming things go like OTL)...

 

[RamscoopRaider]

To save myself the sanity of having to consider what Stimson would go for, I just kept it ambiguous.

Eh everyone's got their own interests, naval is mine. I get your decision

Outside of maybe messing around the with arms treaty system and butterflies resulting, any real TL changes would only be visible if you covered WWII in detail

 

[James G]

I am enjoying this story rather a lot. Congrats on the storytelling and the clear research too!

 

[kent]

Nice lead up but what does the Ivory Republic have to do with the failed Knox President? Is this leading to a new Republic of Liberia?