1897 Confederate States Presidential Election (Brothers No More)

Confederate States presidential election, 1897
All 179 electoral votes of the Electoral College; 90 electoral votes needed to win
	Electoral College results
President before election; John Tyler Morgan; Confederate	Elected President ; Benjamin Tillman; Southern

The Confederate States Presidential Election of 1897, the 7th CS presidential election, took place on November 2, 1897. Southern Party candidate Benjamin Tillman defeated Confederate candidate John W. Daniel and the candidate of the People's Agrarian (Farmer's) Party, Thomas E. Watson.

Background[]

The 1897 election came in the midst of a devastating economic shock in the Confederacy, caused by a trade embargo initiated by the United Kingdom. With most major European powers boycotting all Confederate goods unless slavery was outlawed, the Confederate economy collapsed. Plantations around the country had to shut down and sell or free their slaves. This led to a new social situation in the country- disenfranchised white farmers were now living on the streets alongside recently freed slaves. To many white voters, it felt like the world was turning on its head. President John Tyler Morgan, a president who had focused completely on foreign policy, was unable to contain the crisis. The once-popular Morgan was now a hated man, and his Confederate Party wasn't in much better shape.

Confederate Party Nomination[]

The Confederate National Convention was held from July 14-18 in Nashville. With turmoil in the country and an unpopular incumbent, the delegates were split on whether to nominate a well-known candidate or a fresh face. They eventually settled on nominating Vice President John W. Daniel. Daniel, an experienced politician, was a safe option who was unlikely to make many waves. Joseph Wheeler, a CS representative and former general, was nominated for vice president.

Southern Party Nomination[]

The Southern National Convention was held from June 16-20 in Atlanta. The Southern Party went out of its way to nominate an nontraditional and fiery candidate in the hopes that he could attract attention away from the rising Farmer's Party. Benjamin Tillman was a well-known senator from South Carolina who was a strong proponent of slavery and resistance to the European powers. Tillman also had a vulgar style of speaking that usually wouldn't be appropriate for a presidential candidate. In this case, though, it was a perfect trait to have, and Tillman was nominated on the second ballot. Governor Murphy J. Foster of Louisiana was nominated as his running mate.

Farmer's Party Nomination[]

The People's Agrarian Party National Convention was held from June 11-13 in Little Rock. The party had been formed in 1895 and rapidly grew in popularity after the collapse of the Confederate economy. They put forth radical ideas of increased worker's rights, a graduated income tax, public ownership of railroads and communications, restrictions on immigration, and reforms to the plantation system of the Confederacy. They did not call for the abolition of slavery, but they were the first major political party in the Confederacy to not endorse slavery in their platform. They nominated the energetic Representative Thomas E. Watson of Georgia for president, and former Virginia Attorney General James G. Field for vice president.

The Campaign[]

Benjamin Tillman was the focus of the campaign, and that's just how he wanted it. He traveled around the country, slinging mud at both his opponents and the European countries embargoing the CSA. Every controversial remark he made was the headline in newspapers across the Confederacy, and he made a lot of controversial remarks. He called John Daniel a "lame cripple" with endless delusions of grandeur. He called Thomas Watson a "naive child" with no sense for real economics. He called anyone who didn't support slavery a traitor to the Confederacy. In any other election, he would've been disqualified for his words. In this election, people wanted someone who was different from the average politician and would fight for their interests without a second thought. Tillman fit that bill.

Daniel and Watson tried their best to ignore Tillman. Watson roamed around and spoke to people in small rural towns. Daniel tended to stay in a limited area, speaking mainly to audiences in large cities. Daniel eventually fell behind in the race as the focus shifted to the new, exciting candidacies of Tillman and Watson. When he realized that he had an actual chance of winning the race, Watson became more aggressive and began responding to Tillman's attacks. He called Tillman old, out of touch, and unfit to be a leader. This began a war of words between the two candidates that dominated headlines and lasted for the entire month of September. In early October, Tillman was able to goad Watson into making a fatal mistake. Responding to Tillman's latest attacks, Watson said that he would abolish slavery before he'd let the Confederacy die. It may not seem like a huge deal to modern eyes, but that was the first time that any Confederate presidential candidate had even brought up the prospect of abolishing slavery. Tillman capitalized, calling Watson a traitor and false Southerner, and Watson began to fall in the polls. Daniel rose back up to second place, but it was now Tillman's race to lose.

Results and Aftermath[]

Tillman did not lose. He also managed to avoid a contingency election in the House of Representatives by winning just over the required 90 electoral votes. He started his presidency in an unconventional way, holding his inauguration at a plantation outside of Richmond instead of the capitol building. He then proceeded to give a speech to Congress, challenging them to pass legislation to fix the crisis. These initial moves made President Tillman very popular.

The popularity did not last, however, as the crisis continued despite Tillman's best efforts. His strategy of resisting European demands failed as the recession continued to deepen, and soon even the government was running out of funds. Tillman's defiant words, the same thing that got him elected, soon made him extremely unpopular as his policies failed to change anything. He berated the public and his colleagues in government for lacking patience and the resolve to see the crisis pass by. By the end of his presidency, the Confederacy was on the verge of total collapse.