The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-08-02

the cane-DraKeS tnat Sheltereq tne mel
of Marion--the repeated, long prolon
ged echoes came up--"the Union: i
must be preserved From every val
ley in our land-from every cabin or
the pleasant mountain sidcs-from the
ships at our wharves--fIom the tent.
of the hunter in our westermost prai
ries-- from the living minds of the living
millions of American freemen-iron
the thickly coming glories of futurlty
the shout went up, like the sound o
many waters, "the Union: itmust bt
preserved The friends of the pro
tective system, and they who had de-
nounced the protective systematic
statesmen of the North, that had woun
ded the constitution in their love ol
centraism-the statesmen of the South
whose minds had carried to its extreme
the theory of State rights-all conspi
red together; all breathed prayers fol
the perpetuity of the Union. Under
the prudent firmness Of Jackson-un
der the mixture of justice and genera
regard for all interests, the greatest dan
ger to our institutions was turned aside
and mankind was encouraged to be-
lieve that our Union, like our freedom.
is imperishable.
The moral of the great events oi
those days is this: that the people can
discern right, and will make their way
to kno Wedge of right; that the whole
human mind, and therefore with it the
mind of the nation, has continuous.
ever improving existence; that the ap-
peal from the unjust legislation of to
day must be made quietly, earnestly
perseveringly, to the mere enlightened
collective reason Of tomorrow; that
submission is due to the popular lin
the confidence that the people, when
in error, will amend their doings; tina
in popular government injustice is
neither to be established by force, nor
to be resisted by force; in word, that
the Union, which was constituted by
consent, must be preserved by love.
1t rarely falls TO the happy lot Of a
statesman to receive such unanimous
applause from the heart Of nation.
Duty to the dead demands that, on this
occasion, the course of m sasures should
not pass unnoticed, in the progress OF
which, his vigor of character most clear
ly appeared, and his conflict with op-
posing parties was most violent and
protracted.
From his home in Tennessee, Jack
son came to the presidency resolved to
lift American legislation out Of the
forms Of English legislation, and to
place our laws on the currency in har-
mony with the principles of our gov
ernment. He came to the presidency
OF the United States resolved to deliv.
er the government from the Bank Of
the United States, and to restore the
regulation Of exchanges to the rightful
depository of that power--the CON-
merce Of the country. He had design
ed to declare his views on this subjecl
in his inaugural address, but was per-
suaded to relinqulsh that purpose, on
the ground that it belonged rather to a
legislative message. When the period
for addressing Congress drew near. it
was still urged, that to attack the bank
would forfeit his popularity and secure
his future defeat. alt is not" he an
swered,"it is not for myself that care"
1t was urged that haste was unneces-
sary, as the bank had still six unexpen-
ded years of chartered existence. 81
may die" he replied, before another
Congress comes together, and could
not rest quietly in my grave, if failed
to do what hold SO essential to the
liberty of my country" And his first
annual message announced to the coun-
try that the bank was neither constitu-
tional nor expedient. In this he was
IN advance OF the friends about him, in
advance of Congress, and in advance
of his party. This is no time for the
analysis Of measures, or the discussion
of questions Of political economy; on
the present occasion, we have to con-
template the character of the man.
Never, from the first moment of his
administration to the last, was there a
calm in the strife of parties on the sub
ject of the currency, and never, during
whole period, did he falter or recede.
Always in advance of his party-al-
ways having near him friends who COW.
cred before the hardihood of his cour-
age he, himself, throughout all the con-
test, was unmoved, from the first sug-
gestion OF the unconstitutionality of the
bank, to the moment when he himself,
first Of all, reasoning from the certain
tendency of its policy, with singular
.sagacity predicted to unbelleving
friends the coming insolvency of the in