In 1894, an election year, Grover Cleveland was faced with a serious dilemma. You see, in the late 1800’s the railroad industry was the hip place to be. It was the driving force of our economy. The railroad was like Silicon Valley on steroids.
Silicon Valley works well when most of the workers are happy and taken care of. The railroad was no different. Grover Cleveland realized this when the railroad workers went on strike because their wages were cut.
When the workers of your most valuable industry all decide to strike, that’s considered a problem. Enough of that, and the entire economy is shut down. Cleveland recognized this, and reacted in a way we wouldn’t really call level headed.
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