THE MONROE DOCTRINE.

427

He

career is this, that America is for Americans. resists the British sovereignty in his early youth; he insists on the importance of free navigation in the Mississippi; he nogotiates the purchase of Louisiana. and Florida; he gives a vigorous impulse to the prosecution of the second war with Great Britain, when neutral rights were endangered; finally he announces the Monroe doctrine."

There were three candidates for President Monroe's place, in his own Cabinet, besides Clay and Jackson outside of it. The differences about the tariff divided the North and South and added to the confusion caused by the strife of the candidates. The election. resulted in the choice, by the House of Representatives, February 9, 1825, of John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, as President, and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, as Vice-President, and they entered office March 4th.†

The election of Mr. Adams by the House was owing to the influence of Henry Clay, and when the President made Clay Secretary of State, an opportunity was afforded for a cry of "bargain and corruption," and Adams was opposed with the most vindictive bitterness, which increased towards the end

* Gilman's "Monroe," p. 214.

† John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was born at Braintree, Mass., in July, 1767, and died at Washington, February 21, 1848. He was thoroughly educated abroad, and grew in mental brilliancy and strength up to the time of his death, earning the sobriquet “Old Man Eloquent," applied by Milton to Socrates. After his foreign travel and study, he graduated at Harvard College, in 1788 He occupied many posts of public trust, both at home, in Massachusetts, at Washington, and abroad. After his term as President, he was a member of the House of Representatives for seventeen years.

of his term of office, until he was opposed by a majority in both branches of the Legislature. The campaign for the next Presidential election was begun in October, of the same year, by the Legislature of Tennessee, which nominated Jackson, and the whole of the term of Adams was a period of restless strife between opposing factions. The question at stake was not, "Was Adams successful in directing. the government?" "Was he honest and capable?" but, "Was he popular with the people?" He had the reputation of being cold and unapproachable, and while no one doubted his sincerity, the popular heart was not stirred by any personal feeling for him. Jackson, on the contrary, held his followers strongly to him.

Though Mr. Adams declined to make use of the influence of government in his favor in 1828, when the nomination of his successor was to be made, he did attempt to gain support by a letter to the electors of Virginia, but it was unavailing, and Jackson, who had received the larger number of electoral votes at the previous election, was chosen in his place.

President Adams had used his influence successfully in the development of the country, holding opposite views in this respect to Monroe, who had vetoed the bill for the construction of the Great Cumberland Road,* and following out the policy of Jefferson's administration, as exhibited in the recommendations of his Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, in 1807. Another phase of the administra

* An epitome of the arguments of President Monroe on this subject may be found in Gilman's "Monroe," pp. 239, 248.

THE VICTORS AND THE SPOILS.

429

tion of Adams is seen in the "Panama Mission," as it is called.

During the previous administration, the Spanish States of South America had proposed a convention of delegates, with a view to carrying out the "Monroe Doctrine," as those States conceived. it. Mr. Adams urged Congress to appoint commissioners, and, after an exciting debate, two persons nominated by the President, were confirmed, March 14, 1826. The Congress met June 22, but the United States was not represented, owing to the death of one of the commissioners, and delay on the part of the other. The next year the two commissioners proceeded to attend an adjourned meeting, but the other members of the Congress did not appear, and the hopes that had been cherished by some of seeing the United States at the head of a Federation of American Republics, failed to be realized. marked feature in the administration of President Adams, was the adoption of the "American system,”. or protection to industry by levying a tariff on importations, which was done in 1828.

The principle of "rotation in office," adopted by Jefferson, and at a later date expressed by Governor Marcy, of New York, in the words, "To the victors belong the spoils," became very prominent in the administration of Jackson.* He entered office deterWashington had made.

mined to reward his friends. nine changes in the office-holders during his administrations; Adams had made no more; Jefferson put out thirty-nine persons; Madison, five; Monroe, nine;

This principle is now expressed, "The government belongs to its friends."

John Quincy Adams, two; and it is estimated that Jackson put out two thousand federal office-holders to make room for his political friends. These figures show that though Jefferson may be said to have established the principle of rotation, it was Jackson who actually reduced it to practice on a grand scale.

THE

WEBSTER AT MARSHFIELD.

HE period from 1830 to 1845 is marked by the discussions regarding the tariff, which resulted in nullification in South Carolina by the treaty of Washington which settled important questions between the United States and Great Britain, by severe financial disasters, by successful foreign diplomacy, and by the annexation of Texas, which was to bring about the war with Mexico. carries us from the opening of the administration

of Jackson to the close of that of Tyler.

It

The Protective Tariff had before this time caused an antagonism between the Northern and Southern States, but the tariff of 1828 was especially offensive to the South, and Jackson in his first message sug