New-York tribune., 1882-09-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ANDREW JACKSON.


an Sta.eemcn Series.l 16no. pp. 4o2 ho"gh'oh'
ftifiin Co Ca,
The title is enough to show that professor sum
ocrs contribution TO the series oi Amcllcan STATES
men is not biography. 1t gives no more oil INC
nsrson,I history aul characteristics of Andrew
Jackson than Just enough to explain his pnohc
career. and that it describes with rainstaking
minnteness. entering fully into the partisan con-
FISTS # the time. the scandals Of faction ana 'he
,uarres of politicians Tho raucor. the chicanery'
tho nettiness the prov yncialisn which marked moS'
# these controversies make the story Ney unPie"S
ant often even n wearisome and diSe"s.l"- o'''
but II must be told. and it is prohtapie ie"u''s i
the Administration Of President Jackson nirNs Wv NV
DEVELOPMENT Of tendencies when nave h'" "u '''''
have "A serious Influence III American Poi'''''
jackson came TO power" says Professor sumner
aos the standard bearer OF a new uphcaVai OF uc-
..o.r,c,. and u,ler profession oi now ana fuller
realization of the Jehcrsontan democratic repupI''
can principcs" No one knew what he thon1ht
about any political question. His popularity was
due in large measure to an exaggerated sentiment
of eoualty. to a belief hat lac plain man OF the
neonle He is not proud" said his admirers. ana
does not care for bat only for plenty OF what is
s,und strung aud good" " He thIuks just as we 90
ohont this" "The anecdotes about hlm whlcn ha"
the greatest currency were those which sho"o' HI"
trmpling on some cOnyentionaliiy OF roi'e socIeS'
or shocking the tastes ana preudces OF people iio"'
abroad, In truth Jackson never difthesc thlhes
.xccpt for effect or when carried away Dy MS I7ei
ingsv The new democracy was not content WIN
adurnc ignorance and hating etiquette lt persisted
in ,egor1inq all mankind Except coored mem rs
.2ual not only in poltica! rights bat III everything
else. if they were not equal in fortune they onght
70 bc however they might differ i" their industry,
economy, prudence. self-control ana the otlor
or.lities which lead to fortune. Hence the now
deuocrucc was always hostile to what 1t called
A FIN. nouey.power" and this hostility broke ont III
1or,ous WAYS in assaults upon banks upon puouc
,redjt upon, corporations upon vested rights upon
laws for the collection OF debts ana sometimes Ill
rlanlor fol- the creation of banks ana the ISSUE VI
paper money. In JacksOns own State the hhahc'a'
decentralization hal been most complete. Inc
action of the Kentucky courts in declaring cer'a'h
so-caled relief laws unconstitutional was resented
As usurpation ana Il distinct issue was iahe on lhe
r,gbt If the courts to annu as unconstitutional any
measures adopted by the representatives OF the
people: as democracy chose TO put 1t, the question
,vas whether Che Judges should be above the law"
Tno I,gislature undertook to abolish the Court or
Anneals and create a new one, and for time the
State was distracted by the rival preiensons ot TWO
hostile courts Meanwhile tho Supreme Court OIL
the United States had made several decisions III
hank cases which the Kentucky democracy de-
,,orod In ho an invasion of State rights; and so
the,rjes Of State sovereignty, jealousy of courts,
dread of the money power" wild ideas Of finance
and reluctance to pay debts were all mixed up IN
he notions of the new party. A vast crown Oh
Iacksons supporters attended the Inauguration, and
the inauguration ball presented a spectacle when
Washington had never witnessed before They
,eauv seem to think" said Webster that the
,onntry has been rescued from some great danger
They also thought beyond any doubt that the
,ictory which they had won, under Jacksous
name meant the distribution among them OF all
the honors and euOlunonts of the Federal Govern
ment. Now foI the first time was seen horde OF
oice-seeker descending upon the capital as II upon
acouuuered domain. The Federal civil service had
been looked upon hitherto as modest but SAFE
career ia which. If the pay was snaii, the lhcnh'-
bent was not likely to be moicsted while he du
his duty The retiring President, JOhn quincy
Adams had removed only two oilice-hoders during
his term both for cause. Jackson in his first year
removed 73J and as the new app0ntees chah4eu
all their deputies it was estimated that inc whole
nr,,hcr of removals amounted to about 1000. lie
Ind inyejched srcnuOusly before the election
AGAINST the appointment of members OF Congress
to offices in the gilt OF tho Presidents III one year
he appOinted moro members of Congress TO once
than anv one CT his predecessors III his whoe terl
lie. or his partisans had denounced the civil ser
vice under Adams as corrupt anu IN his lhauguiai
address Inc had promlsed reform; but many OF
his own annojntments were so scandaOus that a
friendly Senate would not confirm them, and
Webster said that half of them would have been
rejected but for the fear of JacksOn popularity out
Of doors Jackson had been Yaunted as pam
nan who did not care fer style and desplsed ell
luette but he removed men from Office Tor trivia
iisresnect 70 HIM and it was upon question OF
Noe Eatn that
cabinet went to pieces. Because Jackson was the
FIRST TO abuse the appointing power in the manage
nect Of Federal politics, he bears the odum oil
inv.uilpg the spoils system; but Professor Sumner
reo,nds uS that he only extended 30 a wider arena
an abuse which had been already pretty thoroughly
ornanized in State politics. Martin Van Buren
had brousht "the machine" to high degree of
.0icency in New York, where it had been in opera
non ever since tine overthrow of the Eetera'lsts IN
1900 IL was also in active operation IN Penhsyl-
yania Ii was freely used 10 carry both these
States for jackson. Thus during John quincy
hdams's Administration we see 1t worked mos
efficiently IN opposition to President who refused
10 recognize it, lust us It has been in very recent
times. The fault Of Jackson is that he made uni
versal an evil which before had been local. and so
inflicted upon his country blow whose dreadful
consequences we are only beginning to realize after
fifty years of den orallzation.
l6The prostitution of the civil service to the in
tricues of faction was not the worst achievement
of the standard bearer of the new democracy.
"Jackson's appointments" says Professor sumner
aiptrod uced the mode of action by the Executive,
through the selection of the Judges, or the inter
probation of the Constitution by the supreme
Court Few of us understand how deeply this
country is indebted to the Justices OF that Court
during the first quarter of the century. 1t was
one Of the most fortunate circumstances in the his
tory of the United States that the Judicial interpre
tation and administration of the Consultation was,