isse z - f aire ▁capital ism . ▁ ▁Progress ive ▁re forms ▁Al ar med ▁at ▁the ▁new ▁rules ▁of ▁the ▁game ▁for ▁campaign ▁fund ing , ▁the ▁Progress ives ▁launched ▁investig ations ▁and ▁expos ures ▁( by ▁the ▁" mu ck ra ker " ▁journal ists ) ▁into ▁cor rupt ▁links ▁between ▁party ▁b oss es ▁and ▁business . ▁New ▁laws ▁and ▁constitution al ▁am end ments ▁weak ened ▁the ▁party ▁b oss es ▁by ▁installing ▁prim aries ▁and ▁directly ▁elect ing ▁sen ators . ▁The odore ▁Ro ose vel t ▁shared ▁the ▁growing ▁concern ▁with ▁business ▁influence ▁on ▁government . ▁When ▁William ▁Howard ▁T aft ▁appeared ▁to ▁be ▁too ▁co zy ▁with ▁pro - bus iness ▁conserv atives ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁tar iff ▁and ▁conservation ▁issues , ▁Ro ose vel t ▁broke ▁with ▁his ▁old ▁friend ▁and ▁his ▁old ▁party . ▁He ▁cr us aded ▁for ▁president ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 ▁at ▁the ▁head ▁of ▁an ▁ill - f ated ▁" B ull ▁Mo ose " ▁Progress ive ▁party . ▁TR ' s ▁sch ism ▁helped ▁elect ▁Wood row ▁Wilson ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 ▁and ▁left ▁pro - bus iness ▁conserv atives ▁as ▁the ▁dominant ▁force ▁in ▁the ▁G OP . ▁The ▁latter ▁elected ▁Warren ▁G . ▁Hard ing ▁and ▁Cal vin ▁C ool idge . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 8 ▁Herbert ▁Ho over ▁became ▁the ▁last ▁president ▁of ▁the ▁Four th ▁Party ▁System . ▁ ▁Many ▁of ▁the ▁Progress ives , ▁especially ▁in ▁the