The Anti-Monopoly Party held its only national nominating convention in 1884, and it generally merged with other parties in the general election that year.

The party was a child of the Anti-Monopoly League, an organization that opposed legislation that granted special favors to railroads. The League was organized in New York City and was holding periodic meetings as early as 1/6/1881 (New York Times, 1/7/1881). The League held a large gathering in New York City in the spring of 1881, generating a caustic exchange with the New York Tribune (Fall River Daily Herald, 4/1/1881). A New Jersey chapter ran candidates in the local Jersey City elections in early 1881 and performed better than expected. Thereupon, the party began to organize local chapters throughout the nation amidst grumblings by the Greenbackers that they had always been anti-monopoly (Vicksburg Herald, 8/9/1881). Scattered candidates in local elections of 1881 failed to win, although they indicated a degree of support that shook the two major parties.

The year 1882 was a time of organizing for the Anti-Monopoly Party. Its local chapters brought an organizational focus to both urban and rural areas around the nation. In the Plains states, the Anti-Monopolists generally supported the Greenback nominees, although they still held the local chapter meetings. State parties were organized in OH, KS, and IA on 6/14/1882 (Weekly Kansas State Journal, 6/15/1882). A na

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The Anti-Monopoly Party held its only national nominating convention in 1884, and it generally merged with other parties in the general election that year.

The party was a child of the Anti-Monopoly League, an organization that opposed legislation that granted special favors to railroads. The League was organized in New York City and was holding periodic meetings as early as 1/6/1881 (New York Times, 1/7/1881). The League held a large gathering in New York City in the spring of 1881, generating a caustic exchange with the New York Tribune (Fall River Daily Herald, 4/1/1881). A New Jersey chapter ran candidates in the local Jersey City elections in early 1881 and performed better than expected. Thereupon, the party began to organize local chapters throughout the nation amidst grumblings by the Greenbackers that they had always been anti-monopoly (Vicksburg Herald, 8/9/1881). Scattered candidates in local elections of 1881 failed to win, although they indicated a degree of support that shook the two major parties.

The year 1882 was a time of organizing for the Anti-Monopoly Party. Its local chapters brought an organizational focus to both urban and rural areas around the nation. In the Plains states, the Anti-Monopolists generally supported the Greenback nominees, although they still held the local chapter meetings. State parties were organized in OH, KS, and IA on 6/14/1882 (Weekly Kansas State Journal, 6/15/1882). A national organizing convention of the Anti-Monopoly Party was held in St. Louis on 5/23/1882, which prepared a statement of principles that was distributed around the nation (Beloit Western Call, 6/30/1882). In most states, the Anti-Monopolists fused with other parties. It offered candidates for U.S. House in the midterm elections in Kansas and Illinois; although all lost, one candidate in Nebraska won 38% of the vote.

The varying totals for the Anti-Monopoly candidates in 1882 raised questions. James B. Weaver, the Greenback presidential nominee in 1880, called for the Democrats, Greenbacks, and Anti-Monopolists to merge into a single party. This call worried many Democrats in the East and worried Greenbackers in states where Anti-Monopolists performed poorly in 1882. The Anti-Monopolists called for a national convention at St. Louis on 7/4/1883 (Buffalo Weekly Express, 2/15/1883). Benjamin F. Butler, who was exploring a presidential run in 1884, began to contact Anti-Monopoly leaders while delegates to the convention were being selected (Ravenna Democratic Press, 3/8/1883). When it met, the 1883 convention was troubled by a division of opinion on the issue of the tariff (Buffalo Morning Express, 7/5/1883). The convention urged local affiliates not to run fusion tickets in the local elections of 1883.

The national executive committee issued a call for its national nominating convention to meet on 5/14/1884 in Chicago (Freeport Journal-Standard, 3/18/1884). The New York state organization recommended Butler for President on 4/21 (Muscatine Journal, 4/21/1884).

The Anti-Monopoly Party National Convention of 1884

The Anti-Monopoly National Convention assembled in the Hershey Music Hall in Chicago IL on 5/14/1884. John F. Henry, national chairman, called the convention to order at 2:30 p.m. There were delegates present from 16 states, but half of the delegates came from MI and IL. The minutes of the convention were taken by Benjamin F. Shively. Some newspapers ridiculed the convention for requesting reduced rates for rail travel to the convention when the party took a negative view towards railroads (Brooklyn Union, 5/15/1884).

Temporary Chairman: Alson J. Streeter IL

Permanent Chairman: John F. Henry

When organizing the convention, the delegates voted to prevent proxies to be used during roll calls. A platform was adopted by a vote of 90 to 27 for the minority platform, which was to continue the 1883 platform (Brooklyn Union, 5/15/1884).

Benjamin F. Butler was nominated for President on the first ballot as seen here. Several delegates had mentioned their support of Butler in convention speeches prior to the official beginning of the nominations. One delegate offered James B. Weaver, who was present, but he declined to run. Delegates from NY and MD bolted the convention when it appeared that no discussion of other candidates would be allowed. The two largest delegations were solid for Butler (IL-39, MI-22), and he won 44 other delegate votes.

The convention chose not to nominate a candidate for VP, hoping that other conventions would endorse a similar platform and name a suitable VP nominee. After choosing a national committee, the convention adjourned sine die (Freeport Journal-Sentinel, 5/15/1884).

Butler accepted the nomination on 5/21, just prior to the Greenback convention on 5/29 (Bloomington Pantagraph, 5/23/1884). Once the Greenbacks also nominated Butler, the Anti-Monopoly Party was gradually absorbed into the Greenback Party. The national committee endorsed A.M. West's nomination for VP on 8/16 (Freeport Journal-Standard, 8/18/1884). Some states held Anti-Monopoly conventions, but in most cases the parties endorsed the nominees of other parties. The party's two official candidates for U.S. House were one Republican and a Democrat from Illinois.

Butler's poor showing in the 1884 election was lethal to the Anti-Monopoly Party. Its local affiliates ceased to meet. The party called a meeting of its national committee, which was held in New York on 9/9/1885, but after a long debate about the name of the party, it adjourned without taking action to further the party (Boston Globe, 9/9/1885).

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