The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1906-06-30
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A RECENT ESTIMATE OF ANDREW
JACKSON.

Andrew Jackson, says the Kansas City
Star, has always been one OF the most
puzzling, as well as striking, personah-
ties in American political history. The
estimates of his work have been contra
dictory. BY very many persons ne is
remembered as the great exponent Of
democracy and the splendid foe OF the
"money power" OF his day, as embodied
in the United States bank. To others
he has seemed a baleful character, the
author of the spoils system, the de-
baucher of public life. There was the
same fierce discussion in the judgment
of his contemporaries. He was regarded
as either the savior or the despoiler OF
his country, as the finer flower Of Ame-
rican manhood or an illiterate bully. AS
a result of this divergence Of opinion
many members of the younger genera
ton on whom fhe authority Of tradition
rests lightly have peeE uncertain how to
estimate Jackson. Such waYerer8 will
find of especial interest the latest vol
ume of lhe "American Nation" series,
"Jacksonian Democracy" by Prot.
William Mcdonald of Brown Univer-
sity. In the view OF this iudicious critic
Jackson, in spite of notable faults, was
a wholesome, as well as a powerful, fig
ure in American life. A man OF little
education in the narrow sense OF the
term, he had acquired clear and ylgor-
Gus style Of expression. A frontiers
man, ''in any society Of gentlemen he
was the most distinguished gentleman
OF alp. Arbitrary he was and difficult
to get on with. At times he was vim
dictive and always he was poor Judge
ofmen.
Most of his elaborate arguments in
state papers have failed to stand the
test of time. His views on the tariff
and internal improvements were indefl-
mite. His opinions of banking and the
currency were such as were to have
been expected from a man from the
frontier with little commercial training
or experience. Yet Prof. Mcdonald
points out that, "howeyer Uniformed his
theories" Jackson had "the right end
of the matter in every one Of the great
issues of his administration" His at
tack on the bank was brutal, but the
institution, in Prof McDonald's iudg-
ment, had become "a gigantic monop-
oIy whose abatement was Of inestlmable
benefit to the economic and political life
of the country. Most of his other poll
cies were similarly sound, though they
may have been supported by unsornd
reasoning. ain his mental processes"
the author concludes, jackson showed
the intuition of woman rather than the
reason of man."
This sure insight helped to make him
the great popular leader that he was.
He felt that he grasped the will Of the
people-of the classes which had not
taken part previously in the government.
So he spoke as one having authority.
From his time dates the modern concep-
ton of party leadership and the devel-
opment of the democratic ideal which
has deprived any aristocracy of the con
troll of American politics.
The democratic movement was doubt
less inevitable with the growing import
ance of the West and its frontier beliefs.
But it fell to jackson to lead and direct
the change to the new order. His was
the initiative that developed the new
democratic party.