AS A POLITICAL FORCE 93 



to overbalance the strongly Republican hold-over Senate, and 

 made possible the election of ex- Governor Harvey, a farmer 

 and a Reformer, to the United States Senate. 1 In California 

 also, the new party movement made its appearance in a struggle 

 to control the legislature elected in 1873. The Republican 

 party there was believed by many to be under the influence of 

 the Central Pacific railroad, and a large number of Republicans, 

 led by Governor Newton Booth, broke away from the party 

 organization and supported Anti-Monopoly or Reform tickets 

 in the various districts. The result of the election was a legis- 

 lature composed of thirty-seven Republicans, forty-two Demo- 

 crats and forty-one Reformers, but many members elected as 

 Republicans or Democrats were opposed to the railroad monopoly. 

 The principal business of this legislature was the election of 

 two United States senators, and a long struggle finally ter- 

 minated in the election of Governor Booth for the long term, 

 and of John S. Hager, an " anti-railroad Democrat," for the 

 short term. 2 



During the year 1874 state Reform or Anti-Monopoly parties 

 were organized in all these states, and in some other states 

 as well. Even in Ohio there were a few local efforts in the 

 fall of 1873 looking toward the organization of farmers* or 

 workingmen's parties, 3 but these came to naught, probably 

 owing to a vigorous revival which took place in the Democratic 

 party in the state at that time. In Indiana, on the other hand, 

 similar local meetings in the fall of 1873, at which former party 

 bonds were declared to be severed, finally led up to the calling 

 of a state convention of Independents, which met at Indianapolis, 

 June 10, 1874, and nominated candidates for state offices. The 



platform here adopted differed from those of the Reform parties 



. 



1 Chicago Tribune, June, i873-February, 1874, passim; Industrial Age, 1873, 

 November 8, p. 4, November 15, p. 5; History of the State of Kansas (published 

 by Andreas), 264. 



2 Chicago Tribune, December 22, 1873, p. 4, January 23, 1874, p. 3; Industrial 

 Age, 1873, October 18, p. 4, December 27, p. 4; California State Grange, Pro- 

 ceedings at Organization (July, 1873); Carr, Patrons of Husbandry on the Pacific 

 Coast, 75-103, 131-153; American Annual Cyclopedia, 1873, P- 83. 



3 Chicago Tribune, 1873, June 9, p. i, June 18, p. 5. 



