Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-01-13

great exponent Of sound money; and IN
| cidentally must we speak of Jefferson. the
great eXpansionist. These must still be
\ very live issues because our present Re-
publican president boosted after his cleo
| ton as vice president that the burden of
| his campaign song had been Jeffersonian
expansion and Jacksonian hard money.
These two names. Thomas jefferson and
Andrew Jackson. viii stand pre-eminent in
the history of the Democratic party for
all time to come-the former as its foun-
der and the latter for having organized
the party on an enduring basis-a basis
which has enabled Il not only to success
fully Withstand all assaults of its enc
mics. but also the changing conditions OF
the body polite.
| the Declaration OF independence. formu-
| lated and declared the vital principles of
| Democracy, which will never die so long
/ as this republic shall continue its exist
/ ence. His master mind dominated the
party while he was i'm public life, but that
| great man had no genius for organization.
| After JeffersOn's retirement from public
life the control of the party fell into the
| hands Of few men. mostly congressman,
who dictated its nominations and it's pols
/ icy. The masses of the party revOlted,
called conventions. and nominated An
drew Jackson for president. He became
| the leader. the successor Of Jefferson In
dominating the party, but, unlike the lat
| ter, he was a great organizer. He gave
| new life and vigOr TO what Jefferson had
| created. While he was by no means so
| learned or so great a statesman as Jeffer-
son. he had qualities--a force OF charac-
| ter, an iron Will, a courage and persisten-
/ cy-that Jefferson did not possess.
His administration carried out Jeffer-
! sonian principles. particularly that Of in
dividuaI and of state rights as against
usurpation by the Federal government.
Like Jefferson his favorite maxim was
/ Equal rights to all. special privileges to
none" Andrew Jackson was born March
! Is. 1867. near the Waxhaw settlement I'm
| North Carolina, but so near the border of
| South Carolina that there was long some
| uncertainty as to the exact location, and
he himself believed TO the day of his death
| that he was a native of the latter state.
| In 1882, when South Carolina was threat
/ ening secession. under the leadership of
/ John c. Calhoun and Jackson as presi-
Dent was standing firmly for the preser-
| walton of the Union, he appealed to the
patriotism of the South Carolinians as
| fellow citizens Of HIS own state The
| father Of our hero. also named Andrew
/ Jackson. had emigrated to the colonies in
/ 1165 from Carrickfergus. in the north of
ireland. His father and mother were
both of that sturdy Scotch-Irish stock
which has given so many warriors and
| statesmen to the free land OF their adop-
ton, and though the father died few
| days before Andrews birth. the mother
lived to impress on him, both by precept
| and example, many of their best qualities.
The boy had all the schooling that back
| woods settlement afforded, which was lit
| tie enough, under teachers with small
| learning and less skill to impart II. One
| OF mis- reputed schoolmates made in after
years this statement, which so well illus
/ trates the pugnacity and courage which
I Jackson showed in his maturity that It
ought at least to be true: II could throw
/ him three times out of four, but he never
| would stay throwed, but would insist on
| another trial. till he won. He was dead
game even then. and never would give
up" Mrs. Jackson hoped to make min
| lister of her youngest son, and for snort
/ time was able to send him to an "acad-
| emy," but in 1880 a wave of the revoiu-
| tlonary conflict swept over the Waxhaw
| settlement, leaving death in its wake, IN
| terrupting the boys schooling and giving
| life its first serious turn for him.
On May 29th Tarletan surprised de-
tachment OF militia. killed lib and woun-
\ ded 80 men. Andrew assisted his mother
/ in nursing the wounded and in this way
acquired his first knowledge of war and
imbibed a bitter prejudice against the
\ British Soon after this, with his brother
Robert, he rode in Colonel Davtess troop
| in Sumters attack on the British post OF
Hanging Rock, though It is hardly posi-
bic that boy OF 10 could have taken any
great part in the engagement
The next year he was taken prisoner by
! the British. One of the Dragons or
dered the lad to clean his muddy boots,
| but, with a bravery as reckless of conse-
| duences as he ever displayed in later life
/ he Indignantly refused, declaring Sir,
am a prisoner OF war. and claim to be
| treated as SUCH" The soldier did not con-
slider HIS young captive entitled to such
I immunity and struck at him with his
sword. a blow which the boy partly
parried with his arm. but It cut cash
| In his head and another on his left hand,
| the scars OF which he always bore. he
and his brother Robert had smallpox in
prison. Robert died-his Oldest brother
had already been killed In battle and his
mother (after securing his exchange) died
| of ship fever while nursing American
prisoners In Charleston. At this period
| Jackson tried the soldiers trade for a
/ time and in 1883 or lIS4 he taught school.
| When Is years old he entered law Of
\ fee at Salisbury, y. c. In two years he
was admitted to the bar and soon after
/ was appointed solicitor. or prosecutor,
/ for Washington county. North Carolina
This was large. thinly settled, wild re-
| gion which afterwards became the state
of Tennessee. Jackson soon acquired
| large practice frequently taking his fees
/ in land, and IN a few years became large
| landowner; but what was Of greater i'm
| portance he here gained an intimate
| knowledge of Indian character and habits
which he put TO good use in later years
/ when he had to fight them
In 17sS he fought his first duel. In 1871 he
married Mrs. Rachel Richards, who is de-
scribed as gay and lively, the best story
| teller, the best dancer the sprightliest
| companion, the most dashing horsewoman
/ in all the western country. In January,
! 1885, jackson was one of So delegates who
met I'm state convention at Knoxville to
/ adopt a constitution for the new state of
| Tennessee, and he is said TO have proposed
4 the name of the state. He was elected
| their first representative in congress, and
| the next year he returned TO Washington
| as senator having been appointed by the
| governor to I'LL a vacancy. He soon re-
signed his seat in the senate and was
elected justice of the supreme court of
| Tennessee. a position which he held for
| six years, and then resigned to devote
| himself TO the business OF his trading de-
pot and to the management of his famous
| estate, THE Hermitage" While still on
/ the bench he had been elected major gen.
| eral of the state militia. II was reported
/ to jackson about this time that Charles
| Dickinson. a young lawyer. and the best
| pistol shot in Tennessee, had made slight
| ing remarks about Mrs. Jackson. Dickin-
son denied the charge, but Jackson made