The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-08
JACKSOS,S DAY.


Why is it that, eighty-two years af-
ter that Sth day Of January, 1876
when Jackson, behind his breastworks
of cotton bales at Chalmette, repulsed
the forces Of Packenham, Americans
should be celebrating the day? One
can understand why New Orleans has
always made it a holiday, for that bat
tie saved the city from the fate that
had overtaken Washington the year be-
fore. But the battle was not decisive
of the war. for the articles of peace
had been signed before the battle was
fought. 1t was on Christmas eve of
1874 that Adams. Clay and Gallatin,
our peace commissioners, affixed their
signatures to the treaty that closed
the war. Had there been a. modern
steamship to make the passage in six
days, instead Of the brig Favorite, in
which Mr. Carroll, with a copy Of the
treaty, set sail from London on Jan.
2, and which landed him in New York
on Feb. Is, or had there been an At
lantiC cable then and a telegraph serv
been no battle of New Orleans, no
Jackson's day and probably, no Jack
SON for president, to give a twist to
national policies.
We do not celebrate vastly more i'm
portant victories. The day of the sur
render of Burgoyne or of CORVALLIS Is
not made a holiday. Nor are the vic
tories of Perry and McDonough on the
lakes or of Decatur or cambridge on
the ocean made the occasion of an
nual festivities Why then the battle
pr New Orleans? The first reason is to
be found in the fact that that battle
was the only redeeming feature Of the
operations of our land forces during
the entire war. All along the line Of
operations on our northern frontier
was nothing but humiliation. The ma
tioral capital was sacked and burned.
The president took undignifed flight.
An incompetent secretary Of war as
sumed to direct the movement Of
and bungled matters disgracefully. Dis
loyal New England interposed obsta-
cles. New Hampshire and Vermont fed
English soldiers in Canada. The Fed
eralistS held their Hartford conyen-
ton and declared for secession and
gent their delegates to Washington
only to meet the news Of the peace.
it is not surprising that the national
pride, humiliated elsewhere, magnified
the victory Jackson had won at New
Orleans. 1t was the balm to pride
Borely wounded on other fields.
The other reason Is to be found in
that perpetual struggle between the
two antagonistic forces in representa-
tive governments the world over. the
one that makes steadily for the ag-
grandizement Of the government, the
constant extension Of it's functions by
converting individual freedom into
governmental power, and the one that
makes in the contrary direction, mag
nifying the individual and minimizing
government; forces typified at the be-
ginning of the nation in Hamilton and
Jefferson. Federalism and Republi-
Canism then, Republicanism and De-
mocracy later, are the names of the
parties under which these hostile for
ces range their adherents.
There is nothing In our his
tory more inconsistent than the
elevation Of Jackson as tvpe
Of Democracy. No man, not ex-
cepting John Adams, who ever sat
in that chair was less democratic or
more autocratic in his nature than
was this irascible, headstrong, passion
ate, strong-willed and obstinate prod
uct of the standardization Of Ken
lucky. And still his bitter fight against
the rechartering Of the United States
bank, supported by his constant as
sertions that 1t was a money power"
that was controlling congress and the
courts and seeking to install q nl,1toc-
racy and overthrow democracy. made
him the idol of the mass who accepted
him as the ideal Democrat And still
1t was the supreme court, as composed
OF a majority of his appointees. that
in the famous case Of Briscoe against
tho Rank of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, struck out of the con-
s.itution the inhibition Of the ennis
sion oe bills Of credit by the states and