The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-10
A Historical Parallel.
Courier Journal.

ciates have been angered by the Presi-
dents avowed hostility to trusts and
are disposed to resent his temerity
and irre7erence toward those sacred
organizations by defeating his nomi-
nation, and, faiIingi in that, his elec-
tion at the polls, we shall probably
have about rs interesting campaign
az has been witnessed for something
more than half century. If the
President is rs strenuous" and ear
nest as he is reputed to be, the con-
test will not be unlike genuine cow
boy affair in the West. In many re-
spects it will resemble that memora-
bic conflict between Andrew Jackson
and the United States Bsnk, and we
shall be able to compare the hero of
New Orleans with the hero claimant
of San Juan.
Like Jackson Mr.. Roosevelt opens
his attack on the trusts during his
first term. Though the charter of
the United States Bank would not
expire for six years, in his first mes
sage to Congress Jackson fired bis
opening shot, we'll aware that time
would be required to rally the peo-
pie to his standard and counteract
the advantage which such an institu-
tion would have, in sudden COLI
sion, with all it's money and it's me-
mails at hand. "Both the constitu.
tionality and expediency of the law
creating this bank" said he, ''are
we'll questioned by large portion of
our fellow citizens, and it must be
admitted by all that it has failed in
the great end of establishing uni
form and sound currency"
From that moment the waf was
prosecuted with the bitterest rsncor
and most relentless vigor. The stock
of the bank fell from 1913 to l16. Its
officers, with Biddle, the president,
at the head, realizing the desperate
character of the conflict, organized
powerful lobby with headquarters
in Washington City. They sum-
moned all their resources. They did
not hesitate or haggle over the price
of votes in Congress. They subsid-
ICED newspapers in every part of the
country. The friends of the admin
istration in Congress succeeded in
securing committees of investigation,
but they could not prevent the lobby
from packing and controlling them
A report was made favorable to the
bank, and as result it's stock rose
to 130. It looked as if the con-
uueror of the British was beaten by a
bank. His foes seemed to over -whelm
him. Suborned speakers and news
papers vilifed him basely and cruel
ly. There were secret traitors in
his own ranks who had been corrupt
ed, and his frsil figure seemed about
to be crushed by the most powerful
financial institution of the Western
Hemisphere.
Perhaps nothing in the history of
that remarkable man illustrates the
unfinching trmness of his character
or the heroic courage of his dsunt-
less soul than his conduct during
that trying period of his life. Clay,
Webster, and later Calhoun were
fighting him in the Senate, all in
famed by the sting of disappointed
ambition and goaded by the rowel of
the bitterest personal hatred. But
never did he finch under the terri
bic dlatribes which spared neither
his private nor public life. The old
spirit rose within him. The old fire
blazed in an eye in which Tom Mar
shall said he could still see twenty
unfought battles. The old fury
shook his frame, emsciated and en-
feebled by disease, but which again
displayed its dreadful energy. As
on former occasions, the fury of com
bat, the rage OF battle strengthened
his weakened limbs and added new
flame to his tagging spirit. He was
no longer al invalid. There was
spring in his step; an imperial ane
martial manner-almost the flush O.
restored youth in his cheek. He hae
always fought the enemies of hi
country; he would fight them still