Me Instead Of You: A Political Timeline

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Part III: The Final Cabinet Nominations and the Inauguration
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    JwEX


    Part III: Final Cabinet Nominations and the Inauguration

    It was February 28. Garner needed to make 4 more nominations: those for the Departments of State, Navy, Commerce, and the Post. The Brain Trust submitted to him a list of recommendations for these posts, and Garner wanted to follow them as much as possible to avoid the rancor caused by the Perkins and Smith nominations.

    On February 28, Garner nominated one pick: Roosevelt ally James Farley, who was also the Chairman of the DNC, to be Postmaster General. This did indeed placate Roosevelt's inner circle. After this appointment, a famous picture was taken of Garner laughing with Farley, with future Missouri Senate candidate and Governor Harry Truman smiling behind them. In the years after this nomination, Farley became a bridge between Garner and the Brain Trust.
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    On March 1, Garner announced two more nominees. One was for the Department of Commerce, Roosevelt ally Harry Hopkins. Then he nominated a relative moderate, Utah Governor George Dern, as Secretary of the Navy. Finally, on March 2, Garner announced his pick for Secretary of State, infamous Senator from Virginia, Harry F. Byrd. This was done in an attempt to appeal to the conservative Democrats and especially the South.
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    Harry F. Byrd

    The Brain Trust could not be any madder. After the appointment, Senators Cordell Hull and Burton Wheeler met with Garner and begged him to reconsider the nomination. They said that Byrd was too divisive of a figure to effectively serve as the nation's top diplomat. They said that he was the exact opposite of who Roosevelt would want in the office. Garner disagreed.

    Yet again, another point of contention between Garner and some of his tentative allies had emerged. Garner disregarded it though; most of his nominations had appeased the Brain Trust, there were only a few who were not of the Roosevelt school of thought. In the end, the selection of Byrd would be like Butler: both a blessing and a curse.

    March 4 arrived. Garner arrived with Hoover and Curtis at the Capitol. It was a chilly day, and the mood was subdued; the assassination of FDR still fresh in everyone's minds. At noon, Garner was sworn in.
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    "This country has entered dark days. Many hoped that the election of Mr. Roosevelt would be an end to the darkness. Throughout this campaign, the lyrics of 'Happy Days Are Here Again' rang forth from those who wanted a better country. It may seem, right now, that-that those Happy Days haven't arrived, or perhaps won't. But I refuse to bow to such cynicism! Those days will come! Our administration will show that there is nothing to fear when we are united. Nothing to fear but the specter of fear. Because fear is a specter, nonexistent, and under my administration, we will make the factories bright with work again. We will put food on the plates again. We will shape this country for the better and make it wonderful again, and bring back those Happy Days."​
     
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  • Index
    • JwEX

    JwEX

    Coming Monday:
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    Representative Steagall, who proposed the
    Banking Reform Act of 1933 shortly after the
    Inauguration
     
    JwEX

    JwEX

    Update coming tomorrow, sorry for the little delay!

    In the mean time: Also coming tomorrow:
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    Senator Wagner is known for his
    major legislative success:
    the Wagner-Wheeler Relief Bill.
     

    Hilarious Bolloc

    TrumanJohnson said:
    Two things: there was no mechanism for A President to appoint a VP at that time, and I don't think Garner would included the part about race in his speech. I don't know of his racial views, but I doubt if he was even a moderate that he'd mention blacks in a speech.
    Click to expand...

    I'm going from memory here, but iirc FDR had Marion Anderson perform at the White House, and the only audience member who didn't applaud was Garner. (because she was black)
     
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    Part IV: The Great Reform Begins and the First 100 Days
  • Index
    • JwEX

    JwEX

    Part IV: The Great Reform Begins and the First 100 Days

    Garner was now the President, and he took office during the worst part of the Great Depression. Not only was unemployment 25%, but the banking system of the country was nearly collapsing. If it was to collapse, then it would be the end of the American economy. Garner couldn’t let that happen. Authors and academics such as Upton Sinclair called for steps that would send the country towards socialism, and Garner refused to listen to them. What he did do was endorse a bill sponsored by Representative from Alabama Henry Steagall that called for the government to reopen all banks that were financially operational and pump money into all banks that weren’t. Then, the government was to introduce deposit insurance, where the government would ensure financial security to depositors, keeping their money safe and allowing transactions to continue. All of this was encompassed in Steagalls’ Banking Reform Act. On March 7, the Act was passed with a fairly large majority, but several conservative Democrats joined many Republicans by voting against it, and that worried Garner and Speaker Rainey.

    Weeks after Steagall’s bill passed, the financial security of banks had improved a little bit, but few people were using the banks, so the situation was still bad. Garner met with Tugwell, Perkins, Wallace, Hopkins, and Smith. Smith suggested that taxes be lowered, but the other 4 said that a good idea was calling for a bank holiday, as it would shut down all the banks to customers (barring minor transactions) and allow time for banks to be evaluated. Smith decried this idea as ludicrous, but Garner, this time at least, agreed with the Brain Trust and on March 20 called for a 5 day bank holiday to begin immediately. By the 22nd, all banks were closed.

    By the 26th, it seemed that the system had worked. Banks evaluated as failures were closed and those that could function at some limited level were opened but only to major transactions, and and all well-functioning banks were fully re-opened. By April 1st, the bank system had fixed itself. Transactions were occurring and were secure again.

    Garner hated Herbert Hoover, mainly because of Hoover’s stinging rebuke and veto of the Garner-Wagner Relief Bill, which would have done a lot to reverse economic damages caused by the Depression. So on April 3, Garner approached the old co-sponsor of that bill, Senator Robert F. Wagner of Virginia, and asked to reintroduce it. So on April 6, after a bitter congressional debate, the new Garner-Wheeler Relief Bill was passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by Garner.

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    Wheeler speaking in favor of the Wagner-Wheeler Relief Bill on the Senate floor

    In mid April, the Civilian Construction Administration was created. This was intended to create mass employment for younger and rural men in order to economically invigorate that demographic and create jobs. It had employed 300,000 people within a month. Another public works program, this one employing millions, was the Emergency Administration, which Garner re-purposed from Hoover. It was a placeholder until a more effective administration could be created.

    Garner, with the assistance of rural Democrats and progressive Republicans re-purposed the Agriculture Marketing Act, greatly expanding its scope. This raised the price of crops through the destruction of unnecessary livestock and crops and through strict quotas. In June, Garner signed the National Recovery Act. This was to provide for public spending and public works, as well as regulate businesses. This last part Garner, in fear of cartelization, vetoed. However, Congress did an extraordinary thing and overrode his veto. Garner was concerned, but the NRA proved to be effective and popular, at least for 1933.

    Also, Garner signed the Tennessee Valley Authority, which would stimulate the agricultural economy in this area and provide for cheap, efficient electricity. He approved of it’s purpose, but was worried federal oversight could lead to corruption. However, these concerns weren’t enough for him to veto it. Treasury Secretary Smith however, was a thorn in his side, causing long arguments with the cabinet that would continue for hours.

    All in all, by the end of Garner’s 1rst 100 days in office, the economy was slightly recovering and millions were employed. Whether all of these programs would continue to be feasible into the future remained to be seen.

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    “President Garner saw the ruins our economy and country was in, and he’s started a Great Reform that I think will reshape our country for the better.”    -Senator Cordell Hull, shortly after the authorization of the TVA, coining a major historical term​
     
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    • Bookmark1995

    Banned
    Well, Garner seems to be doing a lot better than I expected. But things are still up in the air, so remains to be seen if he will triumph.
     
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