The cabinet wives insisted that the interests and honor of all American women were at stake. They believed a responsible woman should never accord a man sexual favors without the assurance that went with marriage. Historian Daniel Walker Howe argues that the actions of the cabinet wives reflected the feminist spirit that in the next decade shaped the woman's rights movement.Jackson refused to believe the rumors regarding Peggy Eaton, telling his cabinet that 'She is as chaste as a virgin!' He also asked Congress to reform embezzlement laws, reduce fraudulent applications for federal pensions, and pass laws to prevent evasion of custom duties and improve government accounting. Despite these attempts at reform, historians believe Jackson's presidency marked the beginning of an era of decline in public ethics. As the debate over the tariff continued, Jackson asked Congress to pass a 'Force Bill' explicitly authorizing the use of military force to enforce the government's power to collect import duties.