Carbon County news., 1937-07-23

improvements, he dared to op-
pose the practice on the ground
that the United States government
had no right to build roads and
canals within the Individual
states. Reelected in 1927, he Sc
cured a pension for the officers Of
the Revolution and got himself
in the 1irnelight by denouncing the
Bank of the United States. This
not only drew down upon him a
whitening oratorical fire from
such outstanding leaders as Henry
Clay of Kentucky and Daniel Web
ster of Massachusetts but started
his feud with John c. Calhoun of
South Carolina which was to have
an important effect on his later
career.
After two more years in the SEN
ate Van Buren was elected gov
ernor of New York and his inaug-
ural message advocated 1egisla-
4 tion to prevent the use of money
!. in elections-a strange proposal
to come from a man who was
looked upon as a "sly politician"
He served as governor only three
months, then resigned to accept
an appointment as secretary of
state in the. cabinet of President
Andrew Jackson.
! Almost Immediately Van Buren
had an opportunity to prove his
loyalty to his chief. The wives of
the other cabinet members, led
by Mrs. Calhoun, wife of the vice
president, had started a move
ment to ostracize the wife of Sec
retary of War Eaton because she
had been Peggy o'Neal, the
daughter of a Tennessee tavern
keeper. Van Burean became the
gallant defender Of the glamorous
Peggy. This. further endeared
him to "Old Hickory" who was
determined that the wife of his
secretary of war should be accept
ed by the other cabinet wives.
When it looked as though the
dispute over Peggy was about to
wreck the administration, Van
Buren settled it by announcing to
Jackson that he intended to re-
sign. If the secretary of state re-
tired, it meant that the other cabi-
net members would have to fol-
low suit. Then the President could
a new and more harnoni-
GUS group of advisers.
''The Great Magician"
Jackson protested violently, but
he soon found that the ''litt1e
Dutchman from Kinderhook" also
had will of iron and nothing the
President could say would sWerve
him from his course. So he left
the cabinet, and the others, with
The exception of Postmaster Gen
aral Barry, whose loyalty to Jack
son was unquestioned, had no
other& choice but to do likewise.
This not only solved the difficulty
put. it was a singing defeat for
Calhoun, whose hatred for Van
3uren deepened. It also resulted
n a change in one of Van Buren's
licknaInes. A famous editor, |
Mordecai P Noah, in writing on |
he collapse of the Calhoun con- |
ipiracy, said, tWell, indeed, may |
Nr. Van Buren be called the great |
magician, for lie raised his wand
md the whole cabinet vanishes."
.hus "The Little Magician be
anne tThe Great Magician" |
Soon after Van Buren's resigna-
ION he left for England to become
to the court of st.
.aInes, whence he was followed /
y the n1alevolence of John Cal
oun: For the senate refused to /
onfirnn his appointment and it /
1as arranged so that there should |.
e a tie vote and Vice President |
.alhoun, as president of the sem
tie, could cast the deciding vote
gainst him, But in doing this ]
!alhoun, for once, had over
cached himself He did not real-E |
.e it at the time, perhaps, but 1T
'as true nevertheless that when /
e cast the deciding vote against