Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1886 — IN HONOR OF JACKSON. [ARTICLE]

IN HONOR OF JACKSON.

Noted Democra’ic Dignitaries Expound Political Polity at the Binqust at Columbus, Ohio. Speeches of Ex-Senators McDonald and Thurman and Editor Watterson. [Columbus (O.) dispatch.] The Jackson Club, of Columbuß, the leading Democratic organization of Central Ohio, gave their third banquet on the Bth of January. There were threo hundred guests, including a number of Ohio Congressmen, members 01 the Legislature, and State officials. The following telegram was read: Yonkers, N. Y., Jan. B.—l cordially concur with you in the homage which you propose to pay to the memory of the illustrious soldier and statesman on the anniversary of the victory of New Orleans. I regret that Icannot he personally present at your bauquet, S. J. Tilden. Hon. Joseph E. McDonald, of Indiana, responded to the toast “Andrew Jackson," and spoke in substance as follows: “On the roll of distinguished men our country lias furnished few names appear more prominent than Andrew Jackson’s. Starting in life without fortune and self-educated, his rise, even in our country, was phenomenal. He was neither to he a lawmaker nor an expounder of laws. He was to be a loader of men. When New Orleans,with its ’booty and beauty,’was about to fall into the hands of the invader, he came to its rescue, placed it under martial law, thus displaying the democratic quality of his mind, which afterward made him so famous. In maintaining tho right he was over ready to assume all tho responsibility necessary to that end. The campaign closed with the crowning victory of the Bth of January, and when the nows of "this great victory was received no bouuds could be set to tho popular enthusiasm. This achievement placed Jackson in , the front rank of mil t iry heroes, and gave to our country an anniversary that will never he forgotten. Eveuts carried him forward to broader fields. His State returned him to the Un' ed States Senate. In 1824 ho was th ’ p ople's choice for President, but failed to receive a majority in the Houso of Representatives, 1 nil was defeated. In 1828 the triumphant election of Jackson to the Presidency proved the strongtli of that growing popularity v h o’l had attended him from tho beginning of his career. The eight years that he was Chief Magistrate were certainly the most ovontful of his life. No man has ever entered the Presidential office who encountered a more powerful and determined opposition led by the ablest moil of the time. Clay, Webster, anil finally Calhoun formed u triumvirate whom it would lravo seemed impossible to roslst, anil yet Jackson, backed by his personal popularity, provod an overmatch for them, and closod his official lifo without a rival in the affections of thepioplo. Jackson in his first message to Congross expressed hiß opposition to recharterlng the Bank of the United States. Tho tariff question was one more difficult for Jackson to meet. The socalled American system had strong attractions for him. No public man was over more thoroughly American than Jackson. “ ’Equal and exact justice to all men’ had always been his motto. The question which gave President Jackson tho most anxiety, and which canonized him in the hearts of his countrymen for all time, was tho ‘nullification question.’ The manner in which the government of the United States hail been formed left many questions unsettled, especially as to tho limits of the Federal Government and the extent of the reserved rights cf the States. The two sovereignties, Stato and national, could not claim the right to exercise the same power, and where the sovereign powers of the States ended the sovereign powers of the United States began, but who could tell where that point was S’ And in a dispute hotwoeu the United States and a State was there any constitutional power to decide, and whore did that power reside? “On tho 13tli of April, 1830, tho anniversary of Jefferson’s birthday, tho friends of nullification gave a banquet at Washington. Tho leading spirits of this dangerous heresy were present. Jackson was present and was called on for a volunteer toast, and promptly responded, ‘Our Federal Union—lt Must Be Preserved. ’ It fell upon that assembly like u voice from tho sky. and from that time It was known Jackson liud tuken his stand against nullification. "In 1832 South Carolina threw tho gauntlet to tho Fedoral Government upon this momentous question. He took it up, and on the loth of December, 1832, issued a proclamation to the people of his native State, appealing to their patriotism and love of country in a most tinder and touching manner, and closed by telling them that he would enforce tho laws as long as they remuinod on tho statute books with all the power of the Federal Government at his command, lot the consoquences be what they might. The proclamation made him second only to Wasuington in personal popularity. Clay’s compromise act averted the catastrophe, which seemed inevitable, and loft to later times the settlement of tho gri at problem then at issue. We know what It cost in blood and treasure to settle it, but the decision is final. “In conclusion, let mo propose to this club as Its motto, and as an unthun to his memory, the grand sentiment of which he was the author, ’Our Federal Union ; It Must Be Pr served.’ ” Henry Watterson, of the Louisville CourierJoun.al, r< spondoil to “The Democratic Proas," and suit! among other things: “I nut the administration’s personal friend and public partisan. From the President and every member of his Government I have received nothing but courtoßy aud ull the recognition and considered on any Democrat could desire. I think the President hits been seriously misjudged for his alleged tardiness in turning the rascals out. There is forming uj on our political horizon a cloud, which, if not dissipated, will spread over the whole firmament, and out from this cloud there issues a voice, crying ‘Money is king.’ Tho new gospel of mammon has built its shrine In the East. lam afraid tho Presidmt has been misled by natural and preponderating influences. He is a man of the people, and every pulse of his heart boats to old-fashioned Democratic music. “Tbe Democrats havo agreed whenever they get the power to revise the tariff. I have no f anlt to find with what tho President says upon this subject in his niossage. It is what he fails to say that gives me more or concern. I regret that he has no views of his oWn on this subject, leaving it where he found it. We have to meet this question ; it will not down at the bidding of the East. The West and the South have interests and convictions, und if we do not fix our lines of battle in advance of the conllict, and under the leadership of an administration, wo will bd bound to support and defendtho next time wo get into national convention we shall have a Kilkenny fight of it - sure enough. .Then, sir, you shall sea Illinois and Michigan, lowa, and Wisconsin, and I hope' Ohio, with their eighty-two electoral votes, put to shame and rout the timeserving plea that wo must sacrifice every Democratic tradition and promise to make suro of the fifty-one electoral votes of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Parties, like individuals, must take time by the forelock. I think that after the show of hands which was had last winter on the President’s silver leit-r to the New York hankers he was unwise to throw the weight of his m-’ssage so dead against the predilections of such a majority of his ] arty iu Congress. Touching the unlimited coinage of silver, I think he is right. lam willing to stop on any reasonable basis of security for the maintenance in go>d f ilth of the double standard. Where shall we stop? When and where shall gold and silver part company? The weak place in the President’s position Is tho continuation in tho Treasury Department of the policy which the Demo -rat c party has condemned n Republican udmh i itration. Tho refusal to obey the laws of C< in their lotter and spirit, the failuro of the President to reverse R< publican precedents and methods in this regard, h is rais'd in the West and the South a genuine scare und s orm. There is a much-needed parley, on comment ground. I would ereirt) a silver commission, composed of men of nutimil reput tion and standing, wl o lmvo the p rblic confidence. I would iuvcit this cimndssion with all tho prestige in l paraphernalia of un embassy, and ask Congress to suspend the coinage of silver ur.t 1 there representatives oi the Gcv rumerrt and the people would make their report. I would also rigidly carry out the terms of the act of 1878, and give the silver mon the hot end of the poke*."