Roosevelt's speech in 1912 was also constructive because he won the fight to remove special privileges from the government and passed the 17th amendment, giving citizens the right to vote for the direct election of senators. It was frequently said that Roosevelt and Wilson were more focused on advancing the economy than promoting social justice, especially when dealing with large corporations and trusts. Roosevelt was known as the "trust buster," given this nickname because of his success. In the Washington Post the president had only killed "bad trusts" and restrained "good trusts." The illustration portrays an accurate depiction of the federal government's responsibility for securing public good and being more powerful than monopolies. President Wilson also succeeded in helping the economy by establishing the Clayton Anti Trust Act and creating the Federal Reserve System (FRC). In Wilson's "New Freedom" government, his policies regulated businesses, restricted competition, strengthened the Sherman Anti Trust Act, and helped unions. Wilson succeeded economically and socially because he granted women the right to vote. In the National Archives photograph a woman is seen holding a sign that says "Kaiser Wilson" in 1918. This is because Wilson empathized with Germans, and she, like many other reformers and women, wanted the right to vote. The photograph also hints that reformers had not adequately helped women. Subsequently, in 1919 under Wilson, the 19th amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote. Although one would expect the amount of votes to grow, there was an decrease in percentage of people voting in presidential elections from 1900-1920, sharply contrasting with the extremely high amount of voter participation that occurred in the Gilded Ages. The "Progressive" presidents succeeded in dealing with economic issues but failed to aid reformers and their fight to end social injustice.
