"Standpatter", or "stand-patter", was a term used in US political history in the early 20th century, during the Progressive Era, to describe the more conservative members of the Republican PartyB. Dan Wood, Soren Jordan, Party Polarization in America; The War Over Two Social Contracts, Cambridge University Press (2017)David R. Berman, Radicalism in the Mountain West, 1890-1920, University Press of Colorado (2011) than other members, who were called "insurgents" or "progressives". The former were said to be philosophically similar to those of the earlier Stalwart faction.Michael Wolraich, "Unreasonable Men: Theodore Roosevelt and The Republican Rebels Who created Progressive Politics" Palgrave Macmillan, New York, New York (2014) p.8
History
The term is said to have first been used in a political context by Joseph G. Cannon in 1896 with regard to US tariffs.William Safire, Safire's Political Dictionary, Oxford University Press (2008) It was popularised following Senator Mark Hanna's "stand pat speech" in 1901, which suggested that "all that was necessary for Republican victory was, in poker parlance, to stand pat". In poker, a player who does not want to trade any cards declares his intention to "stand pat." A standpatter Republican was particularly conservative and was unwilling to trade or compromise.Thomas Andrew Bailey, Stephen M. Dobbs, Voices of America; The Nation's Story in Slogans, Sayings, and Song, Indiana University (1976) The poker parlance "stand pat" has since been used in political contexts to refer to a conservative viewpoint although the description of individuals as "standpatters" is less common.William Safire, The New Language of Politics; A Dictionary of Catchwords, Slogans, and Political Usage, Collier Books (1972)
After the term's popularisation, even those unfamiliar with the game of poker understood the description.Addison B. Burk, Howard A. Chase, J. Lee Patton, Hampton Moor, Golden Jubilee of the Republican Party, Town Print Company (1906)
Prominent members Nelson Aldrich William B. Allison Joseph Foraker Mark Hanna Frank W. Mondell Boies Penrose Thomas C. Platt John Coit Spooner
See also Progressive Era Glossary of poker terms
External links James N. Tidwell, Political Words and Phrases: Card-Playing Terms, American Speech Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 1958), pp. 21–28, Duke University Press "Standpat" at Merriam-Webster
References