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industries" even more fully than that of 1824. Enormous duties were laid on wool and hemp, and the tariff on lead, iron, and molasses was greatly increased. As different sections of the country produced these articles, a combination was made, and the bill was passed, though unsatisfactory even to those who voted for it. The majority of the votes in favor were from the North, while Southern members opposed the bill. This act received the name of the "Tariff of Abominations." Five of the Southern States protested against the passage of any kind of protective tariff law, and Calhoun, the Vice-President, suggested that South Carolina should declare the act "null and void" within her borders.

466. Presidential Election. Of the four Presidential candidates in 1824, Clay and Crawford had withdrawn, and the campaign in 1828 was narrowed to the two leading contestants of the earlier election. The National Republican party nominated Adams for President, and Richard Rush of Pennsylvania for Vice-President. The candidates of the Democratic party were Jackson and Calhoun.. When the electoral votes were counted, it was found that Jackson had received twice as many votes as Adams.

CHAPTER LXII.

NULLIFICATION AND THE UNITED STATES BANK. 1829-1837.

467. Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson took the oath of office as President of the United States, March 4th, 1829. For the first time in the history of the country the President was a man who had had no administrative experience. In 1828, in all but two of the States, the Presidential electors received the direct vote of the people, instead of being chosen by the State legislatures, as had before been the custom. The new President was a man of the people, and intended that the people should rule. For forty years the gov ernment had been carried on with very few changes among the employees in the various departments. Now Jackson's motto was "To the victor belong the spoils." There had been previously five changes in the Presidential office, and in 1801 a new party even had

come into power; but in all these years only about one hundred and fifty office-holders had been removed. Before Congress met in

Andrew Jackson.

(From a print in the Treasury Department, Washington, D. C.)

December, 1829, Jackson had removed more than a thousand employees, and had filled the positions with men of little or no experience. A very serious injury was done to the business of the government; but by far the greatest evil came from the fact that the so-called "Spoils System" was inaugurated, and every President since Jackson has felt obliged to remove previous office-holders in order to give their places to his own party workers.

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sion in 1830 on the subject of the public lands a great debate took place between Senator Hayne of South Carolina and Senator Webster of Massachusetts. Senator Hayne made a vigorous two days' speech, in which he defended nullification and the right of each State to decide for itself as to the constitutionality of any law which it chose to consider. In the course of his speech he cited early suggestions of nullification and secession, as the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and the Hartford Convention. This speech was one of remarkable power and ability. Senator Webster, in a three days' reply, made a speech which to this day is considered

Andrew Jackson, next to Thomas Jefferson, is the hero of the Democratic party. He was popularly called "Old Hickory,"-an appellation which was appropriate, as it illustrated the firmness, even obstinacy, of his character. Jackson's father was a Scotchman, who died soon after Andrew's birth, which occurred March 15th, 1767, in one of the Carolinas, it is not certain which. After beginning the study of law, Jackson removed to Tennessee, where he held, though for a short time only, the successive positions of district solicitor, representative, senator, and Judge of the Supreme Court. He had the unusual good fortune of leaving the Presidency with a greater degree of popularity than he entered it. He spent the rest of his life in quiet seclusion at the Hermitage, near Nashville, and died June 8th, 1845.

one of the finest specimens of oratory to be found in our language. He declared for "liberty and union, now and forever, one and

inseparable." Men with Webster's views would not peaceably permit any State to refuse to allow the laws of the United States. to be carried into execution.

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469. Nullification. The tariff question was uppermost in the minds of the people. During the summer of 1832 a tariff act was passed which was much more uniform

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Daniel Webster, the "Defender of the Constitution," was born at Salisbury, New Hampshire, January 18th, 1782. Teaching school during the winter months in order to obtain the necessary funds, Daniel made his way through Dartmouth College, and was graduated in 1801. After being admitted to the bar, he entered politics, and was at first Representative in Congress from N. H., then U. S. Senator from Mass. and Secretary of State.

than that of 1828, and in it the average rate of duties was much lower. though this act made a reduction in the duties, and therefore did not bear so heavily on the South, it still maintained the principle of protection. It was this principle to which Calhoun was opposed. South Carolina had elected Senator Hayne Governor, and Vice-President Calhoun resigned his position, and was elected to succeed. Hayne in the Senate. He urged that the time had come for South Carolina to resort to nullification, and, accordingly, a convention was held at Charleston in November, 1832, which passed such an ordinance. This act declared the tariff acts null and void, forbade the payment of duties under them in that State, and threatened to withdraw from the Union if the Federal government should attempt to enforce these laws in South Carolina.

Henry Clay alone could dispute with Webster the position of leader of the Whig party, and each of them was grievously disappointed at failing to win the Presidency. Mr. Webster unsuccessfully sought the nomination from his party in 1844 and again in 1848. He lost popularity by his defence of the Compromise of 1850, and was again defeated in the contest for the nomination in 1852, but Mr. Webster will always hold a very high rank among the statesmen of his country.

470. A Compromise Tariff. —When Congress met in December, 1832, President Jackson, in his annual message, asked for special powers, in order that he might more surely enforce the laws. In accordance with these wishes a bill, commonly known as the "Force Bill," was introduced, quickly passed, and became a law. At the same time Congress again turned its attention to the tariff question, and Henry Clay introduced a compromise measure. This bill provided that the tariff should be decreased regularly each alternate year, until in 1842 there should be a uniform duty of twenty per cent upon all imports. This bill abandoned the theory of protection, and was satisfactory to South Carolina. She repealed the "Nullification

Act." The protectionists had, for the present, lost their ground; but, at the same time, South Carolina had failed to obtain support from any other State, in the "State Rights" theory that a State has the power to make void any law of the United States.

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471. Presidential Election. The campaign preceding the election of 1832 was in some respects more interesting than any of its prede

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President.

John C. Calhoun.

(After a daguerreotype.)

cessors. A new party

was in the field, and national nominating conventions were for the first time held.

In December, 1831, the National Republican Party nominated Henry Clay for President, and in May, 1832, another national convention of the same party adopted a set of resolutions, announcing the principles of their party. This was the "first platform ever adopted by a national convention."

The Democratic Convention nominated Jackson for a second term, and associated with him Martin Van Buren as the candidate for Vice

South Carolina refused to uphold either of the regular candidates, and gave her vote to John Floyd of Virginia; forty-nine electors voted for Clay, and two hundred and nineteen for Jackson. Van Buren was elected Vice-President.

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472. The United States Bank. Early in the first administration of President Washington, Congress had passed an act granting a charter for a United States Bank. President Washington signed the bill, after having obtained the advice of two of his secretaries

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