%539.  Party Pledges redeemed.%—­Since the Republican party was in power, a redemption of the pledges in their platform was necessary, and three laws of great importance were enacted.  One, the Edmunds law (1882), was intended to suppress polygamy in Utah and the neighboring territories.  Another (1882) stopped the immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years.  The third, the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883), was designed to secure appointment to public office on the ground of fitness, and not for political service.

%540.  Corporations.%—­These measures were all good enough in their way; but they left untouched grievances which the workingmen and a great part of the people felt were unbearable.  That the development of the wealth and resources of our country is chiefly due to great corporations and great capitalists is strictly true.  But that many of them abused the power their wealth gave them cannot be denied.  They were accused of buying legislatures, securing special privileges, fixing prices to suit themselves, importing foreign laborers under contract in order to depress wages, and favoring some customers more than others.

%541.  The Anti-monopoly and Labor Parties.%—­Out of this condition of affairs grew the Anti-monopoly party, which held a convention in 1884 and demanded that the Federal government should regulate commerce between the states; that it should therefore control the railroads and the telegraphs; that Congress should enact an interstate commerce law; and that the importation of foreign laborers under contract should be made illegal.

This platform was so fully in accordance with the views of the Greenback or National party, that Benjamin F. Butler, the candidate of the Anti-monopolists, was endorsed and so practically united the two parties.

[Illustration:  Grover Cleveland]

%542.  The Republican and Democratic Parties%.—­The Republicans nominated James G. Blaine and John A. Logan, and the Democrats Stephen Grover Cleveland and Thomas A. Hendricks.  The Prohibitionists put up John P. St. John and William Daniel.  The nomination of Blaine was the signal for the revolt of a wing of the Republicans, which took the name of Independents, and received the nickname of “Mugwumps.”  The revolt was serious in its consequences, and after the most exciting contest since 1876, Cleveland was elected.

%543.  Public Measures adopted during 1885-1889.%—­Widely as the parties differed on many questions, Democrats, Republicans, and Nationalists agreed in demanding certain reform measures which were now carried out.  In 1885 an Anti-Contract-Labor law was enacted, forbidding any person, company, or corporation to bring any aliens into the United States under contract to perform labor or service.  In 1887 came the Interstate Commerce Act, placing the railroads under the supervision of commissioners whose duty it is to see that all charges for the transportation of passengers and freight are