The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-02

were taking-that they would lead to 6
breaking up of his Cabinet, and feared
that the people of the country would be
come alarmed and disaffected at 80 un
usual an event. The President, in his
determined manner, assured him that ht
need not entertain any apprehension
with regard to the reception of such al
occurrence by the people, who would
in their accustomed commons sense way
of looking at causes and effects, be but
little concerned by the changes which
might take place in his Cabinet.
The result was foreseen by Col. John
son-the Cabinet was dissolved, and as
foreseen by the President the people
seemed to care but little about it. Mr..
Van Buren, Secretary of State, and Gen.
Eaton, Secretary of War, being the
special, personal, and political friends
of Gen. Jackson, having rendered their
designations, the balance OF his Cabinet
were, of course, necessitated to follow
their example, thus terminating coun.
Gil to the President in which MIR. Cal.
houn had been largely represented, and
which, consequently, could no longer
be palatable to the President. Gen.
Eaton and his family went to Florida,
where he had been appointed Governor,
and subsequently as Minister to Spain.
Mr.. Van Buren went as Minister to Eng
land, and the rest of that famous Cab
met retired from public to private life,
from whence they never afterward
emerged.
In the election for President which
took place in 1882, the successful ticket
before the people bore the name of the
old hero of New Orleans for President,
with that of Mr.. Van Buren, for Vice -Presi-
dent, and their Inauguration took place
amid great party rejoicings on the 4th of
March, 1888, being the second term of
Gen. Jackson.
A great change had taken place in the
political as we'll as personal relations of
the distinguished leaders who had fig
ured so prominently in the exciting
movements of the previous four years.
Mr.. Clay had again been beaten, and the
political feud between him and the Pres
ident had increased in bitterness, assum-
ing constantly thereafter personal dis
like and antipathy. Mr.. Van Buren, had
succeeded Mr.. Calhoun to the Vice pres
idency, and was now to preside over the
Senate, u, which the latter was to be SIM
ply Senator; nor was this all of the dis
comfture of the ambitious South Caro-
linian. The strong ties of personal and
political friendship that had so long ex-
listed between him and Gen. Jackson had
been suddenly and violently severed
never to be restored again. 1t had been
discovered to Gen. Jackson through the
revelations of Wm. H. Crawford, of
Georgia, who had been q member of Mr..
Monroe's Cabinet during the time that
Gen. Jackson had control of military af-
fairs in Florida, that instead of Mr.. Cal
houn (also of Mr.. Monroe's Cabinet)
having defended him against serious
charges brought up in Cabinet for tran
scending his powers and authority in
Florida, he was for strict investigation,
and for such punishment as the extraor-
dinary circumstances demanded; and
that it was Mr.. John Quincy Adams who
had on that critical occasion espoused
his cause and defended him against any
extreme proceedings on the part of the
Government.
This discovery was q sad blow and a
great surprise to Gen. Jackson, for he
had been for O number of years firmly
under the impression that it was to Mr..
Calhoun that he was indebted for such
friendly aid and defense at 80 critical O
period, and the discovery, to a man of
his temperament, having an extreme
sensitiveness about everything that con-
cerned his military fame, naturally awak-
ened no ordinary indignation and resent
ment. A correspondence ensued be-
tween him and Mr.. Calhoun, which had
no effect whatever in healing the breach
in their friendship; but, on the contrary,
it only widened it, and the General, get
ting mad, abruptly closed the corre-
spondence with the deprecatory address
of Caesar to Brutus, SET tn Brute :"
This unfortunate severance of the old
ties of personal and political friendship
between the President and Mr.. Calhoun
was in every way disastrous and fatal
to the latter. Mr.. Van Buren succeeded
to the place in the affections of the
President that had but so lately been oc-
cupied by Mr.. Calhoun, and in conse-
quence Mr.. Van Buren was placed on
the ticket in 1882 for the office of Vice
President, with the clearly defined will
and pleasure of the old hero that he
should succeed him in the Presidency.
This assertion of the influence and power
of Gen. Jackson, based on his unequaled
popularity with the people to nominate
his successor, and to have him chosen
by the people, will be fully sustained by
the history of the times-and that not
only did this great influence and the
power of his name extend to his imme-
diate successor, but will apply also to
the nomination and election of Mr..
Polk in 1874.
These sudden and overwhelming re-
verses in Mr.. Calhoun's political and
personal fortunes made him well nigh q
desperate man. Seeing that he was nc
longer in the line of "safe precedents, y
and that the aspiring son of New York
had stepped in and jostled him from his
ambitious path, where but short while
before he seemed SO secure for the high
prize in view, and that there remained
no possible hope for him to regain his
former happy footing, he in an evil hou,
resorted to his celebrated notification
doctrine.
There has scarcely been in the coun'
try greater excitement than that which
arose from the discussions In the Senate