The Riggs War, 1913 To 1916 by Ryscavage Paul;

Author:Ryscavage, Paul;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Revenge often grows in an environment where its roots are nurtured by a fertile soil. The progressive movement and its call for reforms across many aspects of America’s social and economic life was just the right environment. Where the noble cause of reform is found, one can sometimes find the ignoble spirit of revenge.

As I pointed out in the introduction to this book, President Wilson was careful with his rhetoric regarding “special interests” in the nation: the bankers, the Wall Street financiers, the captains of industry. He needed many of them for the reforms he had promised the American people. But he did not want to let up on his “you’re on notice” message that had resonated with the progressives and those who elected him.

As we saw, it was in a similar way that he had approached the issue of how the District of Columbia was allegedly being governed when, in 1913 (before his inauguration), he learned about the influence that a “triumvirate” of bankers had on the District’s government.[17] Without naming the names of those bankers, he had said he was ready to put his “nose” to the “trail” and follow it with “zest.” It sounded as if this had become a part of his reform agenda, like tariffs, banking, and currency. The reality was, of course, that a local issue in the District did not have the importance of those issues involving the entire nation. The president’s appointees could deal with local issues, specifically the men at the Treasury Department, Secretary McAdoo and Assistant Secretary Williams.

McAdoo and Williams had joined the administration while harboring “unpleasant memories” of certain individuals associated with Wall Street and the financial world. These memories, along with the mood of the country and the predilections of their boss, the president, therefore, represented the fertile soil of vengeance. They were more than delighted to follow the trail for the president—and with more than just zest. So it was not surprising during that significant week in April of 1915 that the Sun would remind its readers of the president’s stunning remark in 1913 regarding a banking triumvirate in Washington, DC.[18] Even though the Sun believed the Riggs-Treasury conflict was not of the president’s making, one could easily construe the president’s words as containing the spirit of reform—with perhaps just a hint of revenge.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.