Meet the American voters of 100 years ago

by Jack Stapleton, Jr.

Our country has survived all manner of crises, including a serious one two hundred years ago when the presidential race between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr produced a tie (each received 73 electoral votes) and the issue had to be resolved in the U.S. House of Representatives. Things went along smoothly until 1876 when Samuel J. Tilden received 200,000 more votes than his Republican opponent, Rutherford B. Hayes, but the Democrat received one less electoral vote than his opponent and thus lost the race.

The same thing happened 12 years later when Grover Cleveland got 100,000 more votes than Benjamin Harrison but the Republican was declared the winner because he received more electoral votes.

If all of this seems terribly unfair and horribly ancient, then you may never have realized that, depending on your age, either your mother or grandmother didn’t have the right to vote until just 80 years ago. In certain sections of the country, if you were black, you sometimes took your life in your hands if you insisted on casting a ballot for president or even mayor. Some voters were required to pay a “poll tax,” which was nothing more than an attempt to keep minorities from exercising their constitutional rights.

In case you’re still pining for the good old days, consider these facts about America a century ago:

*On election day, year 1900, if you went to the polls, you probably walked or saddled up a horse and buggy. One hundred years ago, there were only 8,000 automobiles in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. The speed limit for all cars was a breathtaking 10 mph.

*There were few citizens over the age of 50 who showed up at the polls in 1900: the average life expectancy in the United States then was 47. The five leading causes of death were pneumonia/influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke.

*A sizable percentage of voters going to the polls 100 years ago may have needed some assistance from election clerks and judges: one in 10 adults couldn’t read and write – and only six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

*Voters wouldn’t have found a 50-star American flag flying above the polling place since the 1900 flag had only 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska weren’t yet states.

*While many of today’s workers are given time off to go to the polls, without salary deductions, the average wage in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century was a munificent 22 cents an hour. The average American worker made between $200 and $400 annually. Competent accountants could earn $2,000 a year, dentists $2,500, veterinarians between $1,500 and $4,000, and mechanical engineers about $5,000. No records were kept on salaries paid movie stars, rock ‘n’ roll musicians and professional athletes. Of course, a century ago, living was considerably cheaper than it is today. For example, sugar cost four cents a pound, eggs were 14 cents a dozen, and coffee was 15 cents a pound.

*Although today’s wireless-equipped voters can keep in touch even while in the polling booth, only eight percent of 1900’s homes had telephones. A three-minute call from New York City to Denver cost $11. In contrast to the lack of electronic amenities, 18 percent of all households had at least one full-time domestic or servant.

*When politicians referred to the “great unwashed” among the 1900 electorate, they had ample reason: only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. then had a bathtub. By the way, more than 95 percent of all births took place at home. And speaking of medical care, 90 percent of all physicians a hundred years ago had no college education. Even a majority of those who took the trouble to attend college didn’t stay long enough to receive a diploma. It was also a time when there were no antibiotics, insulin, plutonium or even ice tea – and Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine.

*No record exists on whether 1900 voters were concerned about gun control. A century ago, the nationwide gun murder total was 230.

[Missouri News & Editorial Service, Inc. Copyright (C) 2000 MNES corp.]