Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-27

/
EEE cleared away 1t was fount
! III u " Wl that Andrew Jackson haC
/ ia Al an overwhelming majority
lgzaaaA1kgy of the popular vote anc
that as against 219 cleo
| toral votes for "Old Hickory" Henry
Clay could muster but 40. The seven
| votes of Vermont went to William
! Writ, the anti-Masonic candidate, and
| the eleven votes of South Carolina,
where the electors were chosen by the
! legislature under the domination OF
Calhoun were cast for John Floyd
This sweeping victory jackson re-
garded as complete vindication of his
veto of the bill to recharter the Bank
of the United States. He firmly and
sincerely believed that the election had
been a battle royal between the COM
mon people and the monster monop-
oily" Of the bank, as representing the
money power and the aristocracy. The
aristocracy which had been unhorsed
in congress by the revolution of 1901
was now banished from the White
House, to linger on only in the south,
where it met it's political death at the
hands of the Farmers alliance and the
free silver movement in the last decade
of the nineteenth century.
Believing himself commissioned by
the will of the people to destroy the
bank, Jackson lost no time in parley.
He resolved not to await the expira-
tion of the charter in 1886, but adopted
the suggestion of Amos Kendall of
Kentucky, a member of the Kitchen
cabinet" to sever the relations of the
government with the bank The char
ter provided that the government funds
were to be deposited in the bank unless
the secretary of the treasury should
n nthRrNVigp 90 40 ~
ministration a power which congress
could not abridge except by mastering
the tWo-thirds majority necessary to
defeat the presidents veto.
Having decided upon the removal of
the deposits Jackson met with de-
termned opposition in his own official
family. Louis McLane, secretary OF
the treasury, refused to agree with
the president in his belief that the
government deposits were not safe in
the bank. He resigned under pressure
and was succeeded by William ].
Duane, a Pennsylvania, who was
known as an opponent of the bank.
But Duane proved to be very indepen-
dent and he would not order the re-
moval of the deposits, nor would he
resign when requested to do so. jack
son was not the man to brook such op-
position, so he summarily removed
Is. Taney, then attorney general to be
secretary OF the treasury. Taney is
sued the order removing the deposits.
That is, the funds We're withdrawn
from the bank in the regular business
of disbursements and no new deposits
were made. This heroic action, the
audacity of which had snever been
dreamed of by the opposition. put the
whole country into a turmoil and in
the bank war which was to
continue for years.
The public moneys were then depos-
tied in state banks selected by the ad-
which came to be known
as pet banks" Jackson began his
agitation for the extinction of the debt
and the distribution of the public funds
to the several states. The finances of
the country were plunged into cha
otto condition. But in the stress of this
storm Amos Kendall of the "lxtchen
cabinet" later postmaster general, de-
vised the independent treasury bill,
which was passed, and which organ
lied the treasury department on a basis
of all banks. The treasury
today is conducted practically upon the
Kendall plan. the best that can be de-
vised In the absence of a central ma
tional bank.
In the senate a resolution of censure, |
the action of the president
In removing the deposits. The resolu- |
ton was bitterly opposed by Thomas H. |
Benton, but 1t was adopted by n vote |
Of 26 to 20. Jackson sent a message of |
protest, requesting that it be entered |
IN the journal of the senate. This re-
quest was refused by q. vote of 27 to 16.
Benton at once gave notice of his in
tention to offer n resolution to eXpunge |
the resolution of censure from the Jour |
1al, and he declared that he would fight |
for the resolution until he was sue
,essful. He kept his pormise, and for
three years led the 'bitterest fight in the |
ristory of the American congress. Ben
ton and jackson had been friends in |
heir early youth, but during the war
# 1912 had become enemies. Jackson |
lcted as second to William Carroll in
/ duel with Jesse Benton at Nashville |
while the latter's brother. Thomas II.
Benton, was in washington trying to
ave Jackson from bankruptcy. When
he older Benton returned to Tennessee
le was furious, and vowed to whip
Jackson on sight They met on the
balcony of a hotel in Nashville and
'ngaged in a general fight in which
Jackson was severely wounded by Jesse
3enton. Thomas Benton took Jack
on's sword and broke ii on the public
quare in Nashville, and denounced
Jackson as a coward It is one of the
wonders of history that two such men
hould have reconciled after such a
Iuarrel But when Jackson came to
he senate in 1923 he found Benton
here representing the new state of
Jackson was given a seat
ext to Benton. One morning Jackson
poke to Benton as If nothing had hap
ened, and inquired about the health
f Mrs. Benton. That evening the Ben
ons called on the Jacksons, and the
uarrel was andad