Middletown transcript., 1875-03-13

Gen. Jackson was elected to the Pre-
sidency. the first time, in 1928. lie
was a man of decided views. which be
explicitly expressed as soon as he was
seated in the Executive chair. The
basis Of his policy was the destruction
of the then existing National Bank,
and be bent all his energies to that end.
Congress was in opposition, peverthe-
less he persisted, and as time wore on
gradually won over to bis administra-
tion the people and reversed the oppo-
sition majority in Congress. His politi-
cal strength and popularity increased
through his two terms, and he left an
apparently vigorous and long lived
party to his successor, Martin Van
Buren, who was elected President in
1886. At this time the issue relative
to the National Bank and the currency
were settled, and the opposition leaders
repeatedly declared their acquiescence.
Mr.. Van Buren and the party leaders
stood by the record" made by Gen.
jackson and party, with him at its
head, as recently the Republican lead
ers stood by the record as made by
Abraham Lincoln. Mr.. Van Buren,
failed to prove equal to the emergency,
though a most astute politician. and
though his administration stood by the
old record" be was ignorant Of such
questions as were pertinent to the hour
and the changed order Of things. In
1910 the Wings came into power, ut
terly routing the Van Buren party,
leaving scarcely State to the then De-
mocracy. But the great Wing victory
proved disaster, owing to the death of
Gen. Harrison, who died within a month
after taking the Presidential chair.
John Tyler performed his vagaries for
the remainder of his term, and in 1874
Polk succeeded, under whose admins
tration was perpetuated the iniquities
connected with the extension Of slavery
by the annexation Of Texas. There
was partial revulsion in 1S48, when
the Wings elected Gen. Taylor, who
unfortunately died, being succeeded by
Millard Fillmore, whose administration
was brilliant through more or less
pro-slavery, a large section Of the
party affiliating with the south. In
1852, Franklin Pierce Of New Hamp-
shire, the Democratic candidate, sue
ceeded in the Presidential contest, and
a decided pro-slavery policy was con-
tinued In these various mutations and
oscillations Of power, neither party
seriously addressed itself to consider
alton Of economic or political questions
outside Of slavery. Each party had
members who hoped to be able to force
their respective parties to be an anti
slavery party, and at the same time
there was the Liberty party. specially
aimed to resist the encroachments of
the slave power growing stronger and
beeeming aggressive. At the same time
a new party had begun its career, the
Know NothiBgs, which assumed for
midable proportions in 1854, when it
succeeded in Whig and Democratic
States alike, and bid fair to rule the
country 1t shot out on the political
armament like a comet. and the old
politicians, the leaders of both the old
parties were astonished. The secret of
this revolution was not revealed at
once, but in due time it was manifest.
A large number of anti-slavery men
from the old parties and the Liberty
party as we'll, went into the order, de-
termined to make it battle axe to hew
the Wing and Democratic parties in
pieces. The Whig party thenceforth
disappeared, and dry rot struck the
Democratic, which, run its race with
James Buchanan, and in its old form
disappeared. In this period we have
succinctly reviewed we find two revolu-
tions, one in 1910, and another in
1854, only eliminating in 1860 with
the election of Abraham Lincoln. At
those periods old issues had been set
tied. and each party was striving to
present itself on its "record" alone
without meeting the questions Of the