The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-20
DR. BACON AND ANDRE wJAcKsoN


formed. OF perhaps II would be more accurate To
nay imperiectly mislniormod
Ia the article referred 20 he indulgos In this
! practice In n way that might be not little mis-.
| chcyous and Is certainly very unjust Referring
| 10 what he ngards ~ the absurdlty Oi llaryhrd's
| maknga double L. d OF Andrew Jackson, he
speaks Of Jackson rs "a man greatly distinguished
In his generation for his ignorance aud contempt
Of all law, human or divine" Rehding that sen
tencc we are moved 10 ask nr Bacon whether or
not no considered what he was writing when he
wrote IT, Does he really know anything concern.
Ing Andrcw Jacksons character aud attainments
and dispositions Has he ever read any fair biog
mphy Of jackson. or Etcntyoly considered his
state papers his letters or his official acs7 or has
he merely adopted as his opinion the impressions
made upon his mind by the vltnpgmtivo utter
anccs oi thosc who In jacksnn's own day dctc, cd
! him because he represented the overthrow Of that
! Federalism To which they longingly looked back
aud the establishment IN IN stead OF that demo.
cratic principle which jefferson had embodied In
| the Declaration of Independence aud which oven
the descendants Of the Fcdorillsts have como Ia
accept ~ demonstrated TRUTH Has not Dr. Hacon
been guilty Of the injustice Of accepting tradi
tional Misrepresentation ~ 10 an historical per
sons character Instead OF forming an opinion Of
his own Has he not Internationally but incN.
cusaDly misrprscnted Jackson ia a way likely 10
be misleading 10 those who accept any statement
Of his ~ presumably Just aud truthful
jackson ~ the recipient of d college degree I'm.
plying any form Of nice scholarship Wa an absurd
figure. perhaps, but n Dr. bacon really knows any.
thing about the character and history Of the mau
he must know that bis characterization Of him Is
~ untrue and unjust ~ was the southern opinion
Of Mt Lincoln ut the time Of bis inauguration aud
aiicrwafd.
Was Il man ignorant and conicmpiuous Of all
law, human o. divine. who took Modification by
the throat aud sirangled II 10 death Was man
igiiornt and contcmptuou, oi all law, human OF
divine. who set forth In some Of the hbcst field
dispatches ever written by an American onlccr,
the illcfalty Of the British occupation Of Pensacola
ns base Of operations nealusl the United
States Pensacola then being spanish territory aud
spain being al pence with NJ Was Il man igno.
rant aud conicmptnous Of all law who hr,t laid
down the doctrine that under the Constitution the
authority Of Congress Is supreme IN the Territories
aud ac.ed upon II In the face OF lawyers aud courts
only 10 have the doctrine DECLARED sound aud un
dispuablc law By the highest courts Of the United
staics'
The tact "a that white Jackson lacked the refine
mcnis of scholastic learning. he was not IN any
sense an ignorant man. especially Ia the depart
mcnt OF constitutional law. On the contrary. no
lawyer familiar with his c0ur-c aud his wrlii ne
will hesitate 10 say that he was a remarkably
sound constitutional lawyer 40 that Il the college
,SInmen,. a. n has not ,her wa, mo- lnproprlc,y
In conierriug u upon Andryw Jackson As b.
~ ~, ,s,n,ls r..liv ,o...,nsI,, s,m..,f With ,hs
matter instead el'accep,ing The ancIcn, misrcprc.
sIuo o ~ p.g@ , o1v ~ s,m NJ
rgrl Conm1elol AdrHio
An editorial friend In Now York has
called our attention TO the above criticism
on the ill-considercd reference TO Gen. An
drew jackson made by Dr. Leonard
Bacon In his paper In the current number
OF The Forum entitled Cheap Academic
Degrees" Nothing could be further irOm
the truth than Dr. Baoon's statement that
the hero OF New Orleans was "a man
greatly distinguished IN bis generation Tor
his Ignorance and contempt Of oil law,
human or divine Where women were
concerned no man Of his time was puror
than jackson. Judge John ovehon, the
founder OF Memphis Who was his COM
panion aud most Intimate hiend' bore
willing testimony TO the fact that Jackson
was moral man, ever under the tempia-
tons inseparnblo from frontier life aud
conditions Before becoming soldier
Jackson served as the hni delegate In
Congress from this State, then as Attorney
General, United States Senator, Supreme
Judge, Maior'Geneal Of militia, Major
General In the regular army, United States
Senator for the second time, and President
Of tho United States twice. No man
could have risen by successive steps "a
these positions who did no. deserve them.
u is true Jackson was not what might be
termed fine or finished writer judge
John Breckenridge, Of Kentucky, the
friend aud a correspondent OF Jo1orson's
who served with jackson at New Orleans,
declared "hc had no distinct ideas on any
subject" aud that hc himself had written
several OF his general orders, intinaling at
tho same time tina, Amos Kendall