20th century politics 'paradox'

Although this setting is recent, it could very well be 100 years ago in many of the nation's voting precincts. The stove in this town hall at Eidsvold, Town of Thorp, Clark County, is more than 100 years old. Rural voting sites are a contrast to those of cities where voting machines are required. Voting in rural areas remains a time to talk with friends, while the cities voters pull levers and hustle away.

     Change and continuity have been hallmarks of 20th century American politics. This seeming paradox helps to explain a great deal about the nature of our governmental system in 1976.
     Dramatic changes in this century were often extensions of trends set in motion in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the most notable is increased political participation.
     The idea of the people choosing and controlling their rulers was an integral part of the birth of the Republic, but did not begin to come to fruition until the 1900's.

Many excluded from vote

     Only white males could vote at the turn of the century. Women had no right to vote and Southern segregation laws prevented most black Americans from voting.
     The potential electorate was doubled through the 19th Amendment's guarantee of the right to vote regardless of sex. Then, in the 1960's, the Civil Rights movement led to an all-out effort to make the right to vote a reality for all.
     Wisconsin participated in expansion of opportunity for political activity through its pioneering involvement in the Progressive Movement. Development of the primary election for choosing a political party's candidates began in Wisconsin, but implications were nationwide.

Technology has key role

     Reform movements led to some of the most significant developments in American electoral politics. However, 20th century technology played its role. Use of radio produced one of the largest increases in voter turnout in our history. But television and the computer have transformed the nature of political campaigns. Few major campaigns can succeed without technical expertise in campaign management and advertising. Public opinion polls permit candidates to gain a more accurate and sophisticated understanding of public concerns.
     Grant of the right to vote for President to residents of Washington, D. C., and extension of voting rights to 18-year olds, led to substantial increase in the number of voters.
     One of the most obvious 20th century developments involves growth in responsibilities of the federal government. But it is a growth developed out of demands of voters as well as difficult conditions.

Demand for stability in 1930's

     Painful experiences of most of the population during the Great Depression of the 1930's led to demands for such legislation as social security, unemployment compensation, welfare, regulation of labor-management relations, and regulation of business and banking enterprises.
     These demands led to widespread acceptance of the notion that federal economic policy does and should have a significant impact on the market place.
     As the country moves through the latter half of the 1970's, there seems to be some general sentiment for a reduction in at least the size and cost of federal government. However, there still appears to be more than majority support for continuation of most current responsibilities as well as expansion in some key areas.
     There is a little serious sentiment for a reduction in social security -- which accounts for some 20 percent of the federal budget -- while a majority calls for such things as national health insurance.

Surveys show concerns

     Recent surveys by the National Opinion Research Center revealed a majority felt the U. S. was spending too little on protecting the nation's health, the environment, improving the nation's educational system and dealing with crime and drug addiction.
     Also surveys show a majority thinking too much is spent on space exploration, welfare and foreign aid.
     Source of the largest growth in size of government, however, has been our national security needs. World Wars I and II led to nearly total dominance of military considerations while the fighting was raging. Korea, the Cold War and Vietnam -- all in the name of fighting communism -- have determined that national security and international involvement shall remain high in the national consciousness.
     While ostensibly at peace in a tense world, we continue to channel some 27 to 28 percent of the federal budget into national defense -- the largest single item in that budget.

Presidential power rises

     Parallel with maintenance of a crisis atmosphere in world affairs has been substantial growth in the power of one part of the federal government -- the Presidency. Throughout history, there have been alternating cycles of Presidential and Congressional dominance.
     In periods of crisis, Americans tend to turn to executive leadership for weathering the storm.
     The country has been in a period of almost continuous crisis since 1933, leading to some 41 years of ever increasing Presidential power. Not until the latter part of the 1960s did Congress begin to try to counteract this trend by curtailing deference to Presidential judgment on a host of matters.
     As Richard Nixon attempted to carry Presidential power even beyond the extent of Lyndon Johnson, Congress did indeed assert itself with passage of the War Powers Act (limiting the President' s leeway in sending troops into action), the Budget Reform Act (designed to give Congress control over the budget), and making clear that Nixon would be impeached and removed from office if he did not resign.

Watergate makes mark

     Watergate was the second great scandal of the century. In the other, "Tea Pot Dome", corrupt cabinet members illegally dealing in oil leases cannot compare in seriousness to a President using the integrity and power of that office to conceal criminal activity.
     Yet, Watergate may have served one useful function. Prestige of the Presidency had grown so great by the 1960s that the country tended to ascribe tot he office almost god-like qualities. Presidents Johnson and Nixon especially seemed to separate themselves from "mere humanity." Watergate may well have served to remind us the President is, in fact, only a fallible human being.
     If the 20th century was notable for that lesson alone, it would be a notable century.
     There have been enormous accomplishments in the 20th century, but some serious problems remain, energy for one. As a remedy, government and private enterprise will probably play key roles in developing environmentally sound energy alternatives.
     By 1976, the number of Americans in poverty has risen to 24 million. When one realizes that nearly half those with incomes below the poverty line are senior citizens, and that most others are children in families with low incomes, the challenge that poverty presents to American society becomes more focused.

Rights effort still needed

     It must be noted the commitment to equality so eloquently expressed in the Declaration of Independence has not yet been fulfilled. While the 19th century saw the abolitionist effort to eliminate slavery succeeded, the 20th century civil rights movement -- including those working for black, native American, Spanish American and women's rights -- has not yet attained its goals.
     While a period of substantial progress toward equal rights did take place in the middle of this century, racial discrimination remains a source of substantial conflict and violence in 1976 American society.
     The noble sentiments of the Declaration of Independence, that all people "are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," remain a challenge for the Tricentennial.

-- Mort Sipress
UW-EC Dept. of Political Science

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.