to distant sections of the country. His
energetic canvass netted him only 308,578 votes, most of which came
from the West. The party was distinctly a farmers' party. In 1884,
it nominated the lurid Ben Butler who had been, according to report,
"ejected from the Democratic party and booted out of the Republican."
His demagogic appeals, however, brought him not much more than half as
many votes as the party received at the preceding election, and helped
to end the political career of the Greenbackers.

With the power of the farmers on the wane, the balance began to shift.
There now followed a number of attempts to organize labor in the Union
Labor party, the United Labor party, the Progressive Labor party, the
American Reform party, and the Tax Reformers. There were still
numerous farmers' organizations such as the Farmers' Alliance, the
Anti-Monopolists, the Homesteaders, and others, but they were no longer
the dominant force. Under the stimulus of the labor unions, delegates
representing the Knights of Labor, the Grangers, the Anti-Monopolists,
and other farmers' organizations, met in Cincinnati on February 22,
1887, and organized the National Union Labor party. * The following May
the party held its only nominating convention. Alson J. Streeter
of Illinois was named for President and Samuel Evans of Texas for
Vice-President. The platform of the party was based upon the prevalent
economic and political discontent. Farmers were overmortgaged, laborers
were underpaid, and the poor were growing poorer, while the rich were
daily growing richer. "The paramount issues," the new party declared,
"are the abolition of usury, monopoly, and trusts, and we denounce the
Republican and Democratic parties for creating and perpetuating these
monstrous evils."

* McKee, "National Conventions and Platforms," p. 251.

In the meantime Henry George, whose "Progress and Poverty" had made a
profound impression upon public thought, had become in 1886 a candidate
for mayor of New York City, and polled the phenomenal total of 68,110
votes, while Theodore Roosevelt, the Republican candidate, received
60,485, and Abram S. Hewitt, the successful Democratic candidate, polled
90,552. The evidence of popular support which attended Henry George's
brief political career was the prelude to a national effort which
culminated in the formation of the United Labor party. Its platform was
similar to that of the Union party, except that the single tax n