Editing Alben W. Barkley (section)

==U.S. Representative (1913–1927)==
Prompted by [[Kentucky's 1st congressional district|First District]] representative [[Ollie M. James]]' decision to seek election to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] in 1912, Barkley declared his candidacy for the district's congressional seat in December 1911.<ref name=libbey14>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 14</ref> Courting the votes of the district's farmers, Barkley advocated lower taxes and increased regulation of railroads by the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]].<ref name=kye53>Libbey in ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'', p. 53</ref> After one challenger withdrew in March, three more candidates entered the race – [[Trigg County, Kentucky|Trigg County]] [[Commonwealth's Attorney]] Denny Smith, [[Ballard County, Kentucky|Ballard County]] Judge Jacob Corbett, and John K. Hendrick, Barkley's former employer.<ref name=libbey14 /> All were conservative Democrats who branded Barkley a socialist because he supported federal funding of highway construction.<ref name=kye53 /><ref name=courthouse276>Libbey in "Alben Barkley's Rise", p. 276</ref> Hendrick attacked Barkley's youth, inexperience and ambition to seek higher offices.<ref name=courthouse276 /> Barkley admitted his eventual desire for a Senate seat, and countered that Hendrick had also frequently sought office: "When the Pope died some years ago, nobody would tell Hendrick, for fear he would declare for that office."<ref name=courthouse276 /> Charging that Barkley's membership in [[WoodmenLife|Woodmen of the World]] was politically motivated, Hendrick ended up attacking the organization itself, angering the approximately 5,000 club members in the First District.<ref name=courthouse277>Libbey in "Alben Barkley's Rise", p. 277</ref> In June, the nomination of [[Woodrow Wilson]] for president and adoption of a [[Progressive Era|progressive]] platform at the [[1912 Democratic National Convention]] bolstered Barkley's candidacy.<ref name=kye53 /> He won 48.2% of the votes in the primary and went on to win the general election.<ref name=courthouse278>Libbey in "Alben Barkley's Rise", p. 278</ref>

===Domestic matters===
[[File:Alben Barkley, photo portrait upper body, 1913.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=A man with dark, wavy hair wearing a dark jacket and tie and white shirt|Barkley in 1913]]
Initially conservative, working with Wilson (who was elected president) inspired Barkley to become more liberal.<ref name=hatfield2 /> On April 24, 1913, he first spoke on the House floor, favoring the administration-backed [[Revenue Act of 1913|Underwood–Simmons Tariff Act]] which lowered tariffs on foreign goods.<ref name=libbey20>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 20</ref> He endorsed Wilson's [[The New Freedom|New Freedom]] agenda, including the 1913 [[Federal Reserve Act]] and the 1914 [[Federal Trade Commission Act]].<ref name=libbey22>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 22</ref> Because of his support for the administration, he was assigned to the powerful [[United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce|Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee]] and became the first freshman to preside over a session of the House.<ref>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', pp. 22–23</ref> As a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission, he supported the [[Clayton Antitrust Act]] and sought to end [[Child labor laws in the United States|child labor]] in interstate commerce through the [[Keating–Owen Act]] in 1916.<ref name=kye53 /><ref name=libbey27>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 27</ref> He also supported measures to extend credit to and fund road improvements in rural areas.<ref name=dab />

A speaker for the [[Anti-Saloon League]], Barkley co-sponsored the 1916 Sheppard–Barkley Act, which banned alcohol sales in Washington, D.C.<ref name=sexton53>Sexton, p. 53</ref><ref name=libbey28>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 28</ref> It was passed in 1917.<ref name=libbey28 /> He sponsored an amendment to the [[Food and Fuel Control Act|Lever Food and Fuel Act]] forbidding the use of grain – rendered scarce by [[United States in World War I|World War I]] and a poor harvest in 1916 – to make alcoholic beverages.<ref name=libbey31>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 31</ref> The amendment passed the House, but a [[conference committee]] amended it to allow production of beer and wine.<ref name=libbey31 /> Both measures increased Barkley's national visibility and set the stage for future prohibition legislation, including the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Eighteenth Amendment]].<ref name=dab /> By 1917, the state Democratic Party was divided over prohibition, and the prohibitionist faction tried to enlist Barkley for the 1919 gubernatorial race.<ref name=partisan248>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", p. 248</ref> The [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] ''[[The Commercial Appeal|Commercial Appeal]]'' noted in late 1917 that Barkley had not declined the invitations, but his continued silence reduced the prohibitionists' enthusiasm.<ref name=partisan248 /> He also showed little interest in the faction's attempts to recruit him to challenge anti-prohibitionist Ollie James in the 1917 Democratic Senate primary.<ref name=partisan249 />

By 1919, James had died in office, and Governor [[Augustus Owsley Stanley]] was elected to his vacant seat.<ref>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", pp. 250–251</ref> The divisive prohibition issue and recent Republican gains in the state made the Democratic gubernatorial primary of particular interest.<ref name=partisan251>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", p. 251</ref> Stanley was the leader of the party's anti-prohibitionists.<ref name=partisan251 /> Prohibitionists, led by former governor [[J. C. W. Beckham]], did not support [[James D. Black]], who became governor when Stanley went to the Senate and was seeking re-election.<ref name=partisan251 /> At the time of Black's election as [[Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky|lieutenant governor]] in 1915, he had sided with the prohibitionists; he was chosen to run with Stanley to balance the party's ticket, so the anti-prohibitionists did not entirely trust him either.<ref name=partisan251 /> Attempting to unite the party and prevent a Republican victory, Black invited Barkley, who had not been linked to either leader despite his support for prohibition, to be temporary chairman of the 1919 state Democratic convention.<ref name=partisan252>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", p. 252</ref> Barkley's convention address attacked Republicans and praised the Democrats' record without making reference to prohibition, but many in the Beckham faction refused to accept Black, and he was defeated in the [[1919 Kentucky gubernatorial election|general election]] by Republican [[Edwin P. Morrow]].<ref>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", pp. 254–257</ref> Chairing the convention introduced Barkley to state political leaders outside the First District.<ref name=partisan257>Grinde in "Gentle Partisan", p. 257</ref>

===World War I===
Barkley supported U.S. neutrality in World War I and endorsed Wilson's plan to purchase merchant ships for the U.S. instead of paying foreign carriers to travel waters containing German [[U-boat]]s.<ref name=libbey25>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 25</ref> His position was popular in his district, as 80% of the dark tobacco grown in western Kentucky was sold overseas, and higher shipping costs adversely affected profits.<ref name=libbey25 /> The House authorized the purchase, but Republicans and conservative Democrats in the Senate regarded the idea as socialistic and blocked its passage with a [[filibuster]].<ref name=libbey25 />

Wilson supporters, including Barkley, campaigned for his [[1916 United States presidential election|re-election in 1916]], using the slogan "he kept us out of war".<ref name=libbey29>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 29</ref> By early 1917, [[German Empire|Germany]] had lifted all restrictions on attacks on neutral shipping supplying Britain and France, outraging many Americans.<ref name=libbey29 /> The publication in February of the [[Zimmermann Telegram]], in which a German official proposed to Mexico that, if the U.S. entered the war, Mexico should declare war on them and the Germans would work to return [[Texas]], [[Arizona]], and [[New Mexico]] to Mexican control, also brought the United States closer to war.<ref name=libbey30>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 30</ref> Wilson asked Congress for a [[United States declaration of war on Germany (1917)|declaration of war]] on April 2, 1917, and Barkley voted for the resolution when it came before the House two weeks later.<ref name=libbey30 /> At 40 years old, he considered resigning his seat to enlist in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], but Wilson persuaded him not to do so.<ref name=libbey30 />

After the declaration of war, Barkley supported bills implementing [[Conscription in the United States#World War I|conscription]] and raising revenue for the fight.<ref name=libbey31 /> Between August and October 1918, he joined an unofficial congressional delegation that toured Europe, surveying the tactical situation and meeting with leaders there.<ref name=libbey30 /> Like Wilson, he supported U.S. ratification of the [[Treaty of Versailles]] and participation in the [[League of Nations]], but both measures failed after the election of a more conservative Congress in [[1918 United States Senate elections|1918]].<ref name=libbey32>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 32</ref>

===Relations with Harding administration===
Barkley supported [[William Gibbs McAdoo]] for president at the [[1920 Democratic National Convention]], but the nomination went to [[James M. Cox]].<ref name=libbey33>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 33</ref> He campaigned for Cox and his running mate, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], but his speeches focused more on Wilson's progressive record than Cox's fitness for office.<ref name=libbey33 /> Republican [[Warren G. Harding]] defeated Cox in [[1920 United States presidential election|the general election]], and Barkley found common ground with him on issues such as the creation of the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Veterans' Bureau]] and the passage of the progressive [[Sheppard–Towner Act]].<ref>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', pp. 33–34</ref> Barkley thought the administration was too favorable to big business interests, however, and in 1922 he proclaimed that if Harding had [[Return to normalcy|returned the country to normalcy]], "then in God's name let us have Abnormalcy".<ref name=libbey34>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 34</ref>

===Gubernatorial election of 1923===
By the time of his 1922 re-election bid, Barkley was the ranking Democrat on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.<ref name=libbey34 /> In the election, he carried every First District county, including the Republican strongholds of [[Caldwell County, Kentucky|Caldwell]] and [[Crittenden County, Kentucky|Crittenden]] counties.<ref name=libbey34 /> Despite the victory he lacked the political organization needed for higher office.<ref name=libbey37>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 37</ref> According to Barkley biographer James K. Libbey, the establishment of such an organization, and not necessarily a desire to become governor, may have motivated him to announce his candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on November 11, 1922.<ref name=libbey37 /> Critics charged that this was his intent, and he did little to deny it.<ref name=libbey36>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 36</ref>

[[File:J. Campbell Cantrill - Harris Ewing2 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A man with dark hair and a prominent mustache wearing a black jacket, patterned tie, and white shirt|J. Campbell Cantrill defeated Barkley in the 1923 Democratic gubernatorial primary.]]
Opposing Barkley in the primary was Congressman [[J. Campbell Cantrill]] who, along with Stanley, led the conservative wing of the party, opposing prohibition and [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref name=libbey37 /><ref name=nhok352>Harrison and Klotter, p. 352</ref> Beckham, leader of the liberal wing, intended to run, and his surrogates, particularly ''[[Louisville Courier-Journal]]'' editor [[Robert Worth Bingham]], began a "Business Man for Governor" campaign in late 1922.<ref name=libbey38>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 38</ref> Beckham had served as governor from 1900 to 1907 and later in the U.S. Senate, but he was out of office (a "Business Man"), in contrast to Cantrill and Barkley.<ref name=libbey38 /> While Bingham's campaign forced Barkley to declare his candidacy earlier than planned, the tactic was not successful outside [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]; Beckham supporters backed Barkley, more to prevent Cantrill's nomination than because they desired Barkley's.<ref name=libbey38 /> Barkley's leadership team included his own supporters, influential members of the Beckham faction, and erstwhile Cantrill supporters.<ref name=klotter272>Klotter, p. 272</ref><ref name=libbey39>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 39</ref>

Recognizing the need to broaden his appeal beyond western Kentucky, Barkley opened his campaign in the central Kentucky town of [[Danville, Kentucky|Danville]] on February 19, 1923.<ref name=libbey39 /> He employed the slogan "Christianity, Morality, and Good Government", and he and Cantrill – colleagues in the House – agreed to refrain from personal attacks.<ref name=sexton53 /><ref name=libbey40>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 40</ref> Due to Percy Haly's influence on Barkley, and Barkley's own admiration for Woodrow Wilson, he denounced the influence of the coal, racing, and railroad [[trust (monopoly)|trusts]] in state politics.<ref name=sexton53 /> "Woodrow Wilson drove the crooks and corruptionists out of [[New Jersey]], [[Gifford Pinchot|Governor Pinchot]] is driving them out of [[Pennsylvania]], and if I am elected Governor of Kentucky I promise to drive them out of [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]]," he declared.<ref name=sexton53 /> In contrast to his usual preference for low taxes, he advocated a tax on coal deposits.<ref name=klotter272 /> In addition to reducing the coal trust's political influence, he believed the increased revenue, which would largely be generated by out-of-state coal buyers, would result in lower property taxes on farmers.<ref name=libbey41>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 41</ref> Friends in the Anti-Saloon League convinced him that banning [[parimutuel betting]] would cripple the racing trust.<ref name=sexton53 /><ref name=libbey41 /> Many [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholics]] and [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestants]] – notably those affiliated with the Louisville Churchmen's Federation – favored prohibition and opposed parimutuel betting on religious grounds, and endorsed Barkley's candidacy, but Bingham, typically a Beckham ally, was slow to endorse him.<ref name=klotter272 /><ref name=hill120>Hill, p. 120</ref> Like Bingham, ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader|Lexington Herald]]'' editor [[Desha Breckinridge]] had helped create the parimutuel betting system, and Barkley's positions were enough to convince him to back Cantrill, despite the fact that Breckinridge generally disliked Cantrill.<ref name=klotter272 />

Barkley campaigned across the state, earning the nickname "Iron Man" for making up to 16 speeches in a day.<ref name=hatfield2 /> His proposals for a statewide highway system and improvements in education were popular, but coal mining and horse racing interests, based mostly in eastern Kentucky, opposed him.<ref name=kye53 /><ref name=nhok352 /> Counties east of a line from Louisville to [[Middlesboro, Kentucky|Middlesboro]] generally supported Cantrill, while those west of the line mostly went for Barkley, who [[1923 Kentucky gubernatorial election|lost the primary]] by 9,000 votes (out of 241,000 cast), marking his only election loss.<ref name=nhok353>Harrison and Klotter, p. 353</ref><ref name=finch287>Finch, p. 287</ref> He supported Cantrill in the general election, gaining goodwill within the Democratic Party.<ref name=libbey42>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 42</ref> Cantrill died on September 2, and the Democratic State Committee had to name his replacement.<ref name=finch287 /> Barkley was not acceptable to many of the members of the committee, and he refused to accept nomination by party leaders instead of the voters.<ref name=libbey43>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 43</ref> On September 11, the committee nominated Congressman [[William J. Fields]], and Barkley supported him in the general election, which he won over Republican [[Charles I. Dawson]].<ref name=finch287 /><ref name=libbey43 />

===Later House career===
Barkley's party loyalty in the governor's race made him a formidable candidate to challenge Stanley, who by 1924 had angered members of both party factions, but Barkley had spent most of his funds in his campaign against Cantrill, and he did not want to risk his reputation as a party unifier by challenging a Democrat.<ref name=libbey44>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 44</ref> Instead, he decided to rebuild his war chest to unseat Kentucky's incumbent Republican senator, [[Richard P. Ernst]], in 1926.<ref name=libbey44 /> In the meantime, he refrained from using his influence in state races to avoid losing any goodwill with Kentucky voters.<ref name=libbey45>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 45</ref>

At the [[1924 Democratic National Convention]], Barkley again supported William G. McAdoo for president.<ref name=libbey45 /> Urban interests at the convention promoted [[Governor of New York|New York Governor]] [[Al Smith]], and a bitter convention fight ensued.<ref name=libbey45 /> During the course of 103 ballots, chairman [[Thomas J. Walsh]] needed a rest and temporarily yielded his position to Barkley.<ref name=libbey45 /> The convention was the first to be broadcast nationally, and Barkley's service as chair augmented his national recognition and appeal.<ref name=dab /> The two Democratic factions agreed to compromise, nominating [[John W. Davis]], who Libbey called a "competent nonentity"; Davis [[1924 United States presidential election|lost in the general election]] to incumbent [[Calvin Coolidge]].<ref name=libbey45 /> Barkley won another term in the House by a 2-to-1 margin over his Republican opponent in 1924, but Democratic divisions cost Stanley his Senate seat, and Barkley became even more convinced of the value of party loyalty.<ref name=libbey45 />