You Can't Kill McKinley!

This is based of a previous TL of mine that didn't go so well because I wasn't that great of a writer back then. I'm hopeful that I can improve on this TL with better writing and better ideas.

September 6th, 1901

Leon Czolgosz looked at the man he wanted to kill. The President of the United States - William McKinley. Was it his duty as an anarchist to kill an enemy like McKinley? Was it his duty to murder? Leon remembered losing his job due to the Panic of 1893. Leon remembered listening to Emma Goldman and learning the ideology he so dearly devoted his life to. Was it worth it? Knowing his life would end if he should do the deed, Leon walked to the president and shook his hand. Hiding his weapon, Leon walked away. He was an anarchist, but today was not the day for a revolution.

You Can't Kill McKinley!

Part 1: Shut Up Ted!

The McKinley presidency was a success up to 1901. Victory over Spain, low unemployment, economic prosperity after the turmoil of the previous decade. The United States of America, led by McKinley, was on the rise in a world so increasingly led by great powers who wanted to expand their influence. Hell, the United States was one of those powers now. Better yet for the president, his Republican Party was the majority party in both chambers in congress. What could go wrong for him? He was a popular president, he had a booming economy, and he was overseeing an expanding power. Nothing could go wrong in William McKinley's mind. Of course, it was only 1901.​

On December 4th, 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made a speech. The speech, emphasizing his support for regulation of trusts and business, government intervention of the economy, and support for labor unions, would come to define Roosevelt's ideology of progressivism. The president was by no means in the pocket of big business, but he did not share the same passion for reform his vice president had. Despite this, he and Roosevelt still shared a decent relationship.​


President McKinley and Vice President Roosevelt
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The Great Coal Strike of 1902 began on May 12th. The unrecognized United Mine Workers of America went on strike, looking for recognition of their union, wage increases, safer working conditions, and a shorter work day. Over 100,000 workers walked out to the picket lines on May 12th. On June 2nd, employees who worked in maintenence walked out, increasing the number of the strikes even more. Much, though not all, of the Pennsylvania coal industry was no longer in operation for the time being. In response to this, Governor William Stone ordered the Pennsylvania National Guard to force the strikers back to work. Helped by strikebreakers, violence broke out between the two sides. Four strikers lay dead after the confrontation. McKinley, realizing the potential of what more violence could do to the feelings of other workers, asked the striking mine workers to return back to work, and to negotiate with the owners. Vice President Roosevelt was disgusted at McKinley's remarks. With a booming voice, Roosevelt proclaimed, "I am with the good strikers in Pennsylvania, not in the pocket of coal mine owners! If only the president felt the same way." He said this to a large crowd in Washington D.C. Leading Republican Senator Mark Hanna, who happened to hate Roosevelt, told the workers to follow McKinley's advice to negotiate. Unfortunately for McKinley and Hanna, the strike continued though they did persuade Governor Stone to moderate his hardline anti-strike views for the time being. Nothing of note happened again until July 10th. On July 10th, the Rice Mill Mine in central Pennsylvania exploded, killing 187 mine workers. This event would ignite a domestic crisis in the United States, not seen since the 1877 Railroad strike. In response to the explosion, workers in coal mines throughout the country walked out of work in solidarity with the UMW strikers and the victims of the Rice Mill Mine tragedy. Pennsylvania, of course, saw the most violent actions. Riots broke out in Allentown, Pittsburgh, and Reading. Many steelworkers and railroad workers joined the miners in anger of their unrecognized unions and working conditions too. On July 12th, the number of strikers engulfed Pittsburgh as local leaders fled. The Pittsburgh Commune was proclaimed that night. The communist-inspired government was not led by a single man, rather by elected representatives of the strikers. On July 13th, Governor Stone ordered the Pennsylvania National Guard to attack Pittsburgh and end the revolt. President McKinley ordered thousands of federal soldiers to go with the Pennsylvanians in support. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Pittsburgh Commune fell in a short, but bloody battle. On July 18th, all opposition against the U.S government ended in Pittsburgh. Smaller riots in Pennsylvania and nearby areas ended quickly soon after. 479 strikers and 47 soldiers died in what would become known as 'Bloody Pittsburgh'. With that, the strike ended.​

Chaos of the Pittsburgh Commune
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Socialists like Eugene Debs blamed the poor working conditions of mine workers for the revolt. President McKinley and conservatives in both parties blamed the strikers. Theodore Roosevelt took another position. He was by no means a communist, and he himself was angry at what the strikers did in Pennsylvania. Still though, he blamed the coal mine owners for causing the riot, but also called the violence by the strikers "indefensible". At this point, Senator Hanna and President McKinley were both extremely angry at the vice president. Hanna told Roosevelt to get with the party line, and stop supporting "radical idiots". McKinley asked Roosevelt to "stop speaking for awhile". Teddy Roosevelt wasn't the kind of man who would be told what to do. In a move that shocked the nation and the Republican Party, Theodore Roosevelt resigned from the post of the vice presidency on October 6th. Roosevelt had plans for the future, but now was not the time to fight, rather to develop those plans. Meanwhile, the 1902 midterm elections took place....​

58th United States Congress (House of Representatives)
Republican Party: 197
Democratic Party: 187
Socialist Party: 1
Silver Republicans: 1

58th United States Congress (Senate)
Republican Party: 45
Democratic Party: 43
Silver Republicans: 2
 
Part 2: You Gotta Love Politics

Teddy Roosevelt had presidential aspirations. People loved Teddy Roosevelt. He had charisma, he was a war hero, he was a reformer, and he didn't give a damn what Washington D.C insiders thought of him. The aftermath of the Great 1902 Coal Strike would see the largest shift in American politics since the lead up to the Civil War. Unlike then, the issues of the present now concerned labor unions, worker's rights, and political reform. Roosevelt knew this, and he took this oppurtunity of rising political interest in American culture to his advantage. The Republican and Democratic parties held a hegemony on American politics. Unlike the political parties in Europe or South America, American political parties were based off regional influences, rather than ideology. Both main parties had conservatives. Both main parties had progressives. The change in the political situation began in the late 1800s, with the industrial revolution in full swing. During this time, new parties began to pop up based on ideology. The Socialist Labor and Social Democratic parties were formed to represent the new rising ideology of socialism. Soon, the Social Democratic Party and factions of the Socialist Labor Party merged to become the Socialist Party. The party, led by the charismatic Eugene Debs, were able to win multiple state congressional seats and one federal congressional seat in the 1902 midterms. Another new party that helped change the political landscape was the Populist Party. The party formed a broad coalition of farmers, silverites, poor whites, and blacks to acheive major success in both congressional and presidential elections. Eventually the party folded, though populists like William Jennings Bryan gained power in the Democratic Party. Knowing the heightened political interest after the strike and the Pittsburgh Commune, Theodore Roosevelt was left with a dilemma: fight for the Republican nomination against the conservatives or form a new independent third party. Roosevelt realized the struggles and risks he had in both options, but in the end he decided to form a new party. Fighting the conservatives before the election itself was too much of a hardship, and he knew that many Republican leaders were angry at him anyway after he bolted the vice presidency. On December 4th, two years after his famed speech about progressivism, Roosevelt boastfully announced the formation of the Progressive Party. He affirmed the party's support for labor rights, civil rights, and worker's rights, but stood strongly against radicalism and communism. With the announcement, thousands of progressives from both parties, especially the Republicans, joined Roosevelt and his new Progressives. Four Republican senators and numerous representatives also joined the new party.

Teddy Roosevelt in Allentown
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The lead up to the 1904 presidential election was different from past years. Unlike most national elections since the Civil War, the dominance of the Democrats and Republicans were being challenged. Obviously Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party posed the strongest challenge, but the Socialist Party too rose in popularity with workers after their outright support of the 1902 strike. On May Day 1904, Eugene Debs led a march with coal miners in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Thousands marched with him from Wilkes-Barre to Allentown. The Republicans were now fearful that GOP strongholds like Pennsylvania and New Jersey would be divided between themselves, Progressives, and Socialists; letting the Democrats win the election. To prevent the loss of electoral powerhouse Pennsylvania, the Republican Party nominated Attorney General Philander Knox for president. Knox was relatively moderate and a native of Pennsylvania. The Democrats nominated conservative Alton Parker of New York. Progressive Democrats like William Randolph Hearst joined the new Progressive Party, helping conservatives gain even more power in the Democratic Party. The convention that people were most interested in, however, was the Progressive National Convention in Cleveland. To no one's surprise, Theodore Roosevelt was nominated by the delegates in easy fashion. California Governor George Pardee was nominated as the party's vice president. Meanwhile, Eugene Debs united factions in the Socialist Party as he was nominated for president for the second time in a row. Though the Russo-Japanese War was ongoing across the Pacific, it was domestic issues that stemmed from the 1902 Great Coal Strike that dominated the campaign. Democrats blamed foreigners for the Pittsburgh Commune, though Parker himself didn't blame them. Philander Knox campaigned on strong child labor laws, but did not support any recognition of the unions that took part in the strike. The GOP vice presidential candidate, Joseph Millard, was also much more pro-business than pro-labor. Roosevelt and the Progressives wanted fair negotiations between unions and company owners, which included company recognition of unions and an eight hour work day, but the Progressives did not go nearly as far as Debs did. Because of the division between the Progressives, Republicans, and Socialists in swing states - Alton B. Parker was elected president with 251 electoral votes.

1904 Presidential Election
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Alton B. Parker (D-NY) / Henry Davis (D-WV) - 251 EV, 37% PV
Theodore Roosevelt (P-NY) / George Pardee (P-CA) - 129 EV, 31% PV
Philander Knox (R-PA) / Joseph Millard (R-NE) - 93 EV, 22% PV
Eugene Debs (S-IN) / Benjamin Hanford (S-NY) - 3 EV, 9% PV
Other (Prohibition, Socialist Labor) - 1%

59th United States Congress (House of Representatives)
Democratic Party - 170
Progressive Party - 110
Republican Party - 92
Socialist Party - 14

59th United States Congress (Senate)
Democratic Party - 47
Republican Party - 23
Progressive Party - 19
Socialist Party - 1

expect to see more international issues rise up next update, but that's just a small hint... ;)
 
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Why wasn't McKinley running again in '04? Am I missing something?
He already served two terms. Was elected in 1896. Could he have ran again? Sure, but he isn't the FDR type and this wasn't an FDR situation. Why break the two term tradition?

Also, thanks for the positive feedback everyone!
 
He already served two terms. Was elected in 1896. Could he have ran again? Sure, but he isn't the FDR type and this wasn't an FDR situation. Why break the two term tradition?

Also, thanks for the positive feedback everyone!

Just update often, this is very interesting!
 
Looking forward to seeing what happens at the end of the Ruso-Japanese war, without Teddy's influence. My guess is that the UK might take the role of nigociater here.

I'm surprised in these circumstances that Bryan didn't give it another go in 1904, never the less it'd be interesting to see what President Parker will do, as well as the (hopefully) continued rise of the progressives under TR.
 
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