II. THE RISING OF THE MASSES 31

The scurrility of 1828--Slander of Jackson and Adams--Democracy triumphs--Gloom of Whig aristocracy--The faithful march on the capital--The throne room at Gadsby’s--Jackson receives office-seekers--Politics in Cabinet appointments--Calhoun confers on patronage--Jackson ignores Adams--King Mob at the inauguration--The reaction on the Cabinet--Attempts to conciliate the disappointed--The morbid bitterness of Clay--Miniatures of the Cabinet.

III. THE RED TERROR AND THE WHITE 64

Party organization and the spoils system--Demands on Jackson for place--The provocation--Jackson’s attitude--Van Buren’s doubts, and Lewis’s--Kendall’s pain--The harassed Cabinet--Ingham and Van Buren angrily rebuke Hoyt--Terror of the clerks--The exaggerated impression of the dismissals--The “martyrs” who were also criminals--The Senate launches the White Terror--Rejection of the nominations of Jackson’s newspaper friends--John Tyler’s part in it--His personal and political character--Type of anti-Jackson Democrat--The prejudice against “printers”--The cases of Lee, of Noah, of Kendall, and of Hill--Effect on Jackson--Hill sent to Senate that rejected him--Unprecedented party bitterness foreshadowed.

IV. JACKSON BREAKS WITH CALHOUN 88

Political significance of the Jackson-Calhoun quarrel--Calhoun turns the corner--His previous political character--Effect upon it of the quarrel--Relations of Hayne-Webster debate to quarrel--Latter’s party character--Jackson’s attitude--Livingston speaks for Administration--Nullifiers miscalculate Jackson--The Jefferson dinner--Its purpose--Jackson accepts the challenge--His toast--Effect on Calhoun--Jackson’s dinner to Monroe--Learns of Calhoun’s hostility in Monroe’s Cabinet--Crawford’s statement to Forsyth--Letter of Forsyth is shown Lewis--Jackson hears of it and demands it--Jackson calls on Calhoun for explanation--Latter’s reply--Jackson breaks--Crawford’s character and career--Calhoun’s desperate efforts to extricate himself--Appeals to Adams--Latter’s notations--Calhoun’s pamphlet--Newspaper battle--Calhoun’s ambitions wrecked.

V. MRS. EATON DEMOLISHES THE CABINET 116

“Peggy” O’Neal--Marriage to Eaton--Society outraged--Mrs. Eaton cut by Cabinet ladies--Jackson’s indignation and efforts--Van Buren’s advantage in the game--He features “Peggy” at dinners--Cabinet unable to confer--Van Buren proposes resignation--Jackson plans complete reorganization of Cabinet--Mrs. Eaton’s attitude--Jackson’s interview with Branch--How new Cabinet was formed--Branch and Berrien place blame on “Peggy”--Mrs. Ingham tarred by same brush--Eaton’s pursuit of Ingham--Latter’s early morning flight--Portraits of Livingston, Taney, and Cass--A Van Buren Cabinet.

VI. KITCHEN CABINET PORTRAITS 144

Dominance of Kitchen Cabinet--Portrait of Amos Kendall--Harriet Martineau’s impressions--Portrait of Major Lewis--Of Isaac Hill--Secret of partisan bitterness--The Marat of the Kitchen Cabinet--The establishment of the “Washington Globe”--Portrait of Frank Blair--Relations of the “Globe” to the President--To the National Democracy--Considered the Court Journal by diplomats--Buchanan’s experience with Nesselrode in Russia--The specialties of the Kitchen Cabinet members.

VII. CLAY LEADS THE PARTY ONSLAUGHT 171

Whigs clamor for Senate leadership--Clay responds--Portrait of Clay the politician--Is nominated for President--Doubts success--Hopes to carry Pennsylvania or New York--His battery of genius in the Senate--Whig advantage in ability in the House--The rejection of Van Buren’s nomination as Minister to Great Britain--Its motive--Its stupidity--Flimsy nature of charges--“Kill a Minister to make a Vice-President”--Character of John M. Clayton--He opens attack on Post-Office Department--His open appeal to Calhoun to join Opposition--Clay’s tariff plans--Calls conference at Everett’s--His dogmatic manner--Adams unimpressed--Clay’s great tariff speech--Tyler’s reply--Impressions of public--Failure to involve Jackson as planned--The House battle--The dual reference--Character study of Adams--Of George McDuffie--Adams coöperates with Secretary McLane--Jackson attempts a reconciliation--Cause of failure--McDuffie’s bill and report--His slashing attack on protection--Adams reports bill based on Treasury report--Adams’s bill passes House--Amended out of recognition by Clay protectionists in Senate--Surrender of Senate conferees--The politics in it--Clay’s fury--He fails to make political capital--Tariff eliminated from campaign--Jacksonians take offensive--Embarrass Clay on land question--Political effect in new States--Kitchen Cabinet makes headway.

VIII. CLAY FINDS HIS ISSUE 201

The son of Alexander Hamilton--His intimacy with Jackson--Phrases first attack on National Bank--The inspiration of Jackson’s hostility--The Mason incident--Biddle’s flippant reply to Ingham--Kendall’s editorial in “New York Courier and Enquirer”--Biddle’s alarm--His attempts to conciliate--His contradictory advice and information--The strange attitude of Major Lewis--Clay plans to drag Bank into politics for selfish purposes--Treachery of Livingston and McLane--Clay urges immediate application for recharter--His inconsistency--Jackson prefers to postpone Bank issue--Reasons--McLane’s embarrassing report--Clay presses the Bank to act--Biddle sends agent to Washington to investigate--Cadwalader’s conferences--Sees selfish political aims of Clay and Webster--His conversion to Whig plan--An historical conference--Biddle blackmailed into action by threats of Clay and Webster--Application presented--The House investigates the Bank--Results--Political effects--Biddle takes charge of fight in Congress--Recharter Bill passes--Biddle and Clay expect veto--Plan to make Bank the campaign issue--Effect on Jackson--Authorship of Veto Message--Van Buren’s midnight conference at White House--The Veto as a campaign document--Opinion of Biddle--Of Clay’s organ--Of the “Globe”--Both parties pleased--Senate debate on the Veto--Webster’s speech--Arrays Bank against Jackson in appeal to the people--Hugh Lawson White accepts the issue--Clay’s unworthy performance--Benton’s reply--Clay and Benton exchange the “lie”--The issue goes to the people.

IX. THE DRAMATIC BATTLE OF 1832 227

New campaign methods of 1832--Class consciousness aroused by both parties--The intensive use of the press--Biddle subsidizes newspapers and bribes editors--Kendall’s campaign textbook--Clay’s intrigues--Negotiates with the Nullifiers--Calhoun’s strange plan considered--Coalition of Bank, Whigs, and Nullifiers--Blair makes the most of it--Ties the Whigs to Nullification movement--Jackson defies the Nullifiers--Clay intrigues with Anti-Masons--His letters--Nomination of Wirt--Latter’s political relations with Clay--The trick planned for New York--Seward’s testimony--Jacksonians ignore the Anti-Masons--The Bank the issue--Clay’s campaign plans--Bank’s corruption of the press--Bank resorts to intimidation and coercion--Attempts to frighten the timid--Circulation of stories as to Jackson’s health--Blair meets them--Stories of Jackson’s bloodthirstiness revived--The anti-Jackson cartoons--Kitchen Cabinet arouses and organizes the masses--Use of the press--Intensive organization--Monster meetings of Democrats--A Jackson parade in New York--Hickory poles--Glee clubs--Songs--Demonstration for Jackson at Lexington--Personalities--Cholera plays a part--The presidential candidates--Jackson’s confidence--Jacksonians “on the turf”--Notable Jackson victory--Ominous action of South Carolina.

X. THE POLITICS OF NULLIFICATION 252

The Nullifiers win in South Carolina--Jackson’s fury--Hastens to the capital--South Carolina’s changed views--Calhoun’s exposition--Cavalier vs. Cavalier--Calhoun’s letter to Hamilton--Joel Poinsett’s part--Jackson energetically prepares for defense--Steps taken--His reliance on public opinion--His caution--His Proclamation--Drama of its preparation--Effect on public--Hayne’s reply--Clay’s criticism--He plays to Nullifiers--Effect on State-Rights Democrats--Ritchie’s straddle in Virginia--Tyler’s despair--Jackson has Cass prepare appeal to Virginia--Purpose to isolate South Carolina--Van Buren’s embarrassment--Also straddles on Proclamation--Calhoun disappointed with Proclamation--His “death march” to Washington--Drawing-room sympathy for him--Takes the oath as Senator--Jackson-Poinsett correspondence--Jackson asks Congress for additional powers--Calhoun’s agitation--The Force Bill--Tyler’s attack--Appeal to Clay--Clay’s interest in Tyler’s reëlection--Whig’s ungracious support of Force Bill--Clayton’s speech--Bitterness of debate--Poindexter and Grundy--Jackson clears decks for action--Webster asked to lead debate for Administration--Livingston’s call upon him--Calhoun’s speech--Webster’s reply--His relations with White House--Jackson’s delight--Jacksonian cultivation of Webster--Calhoun concerned--Whig, Bank, and Nullification combination--Dangers to the tariff--Clayton’s proposal to Clay--The politics in Compromise Tariff of 1833--Calhoun hears from Jackson--Clay’s Tariff Bill--Tyler’s delight--Jackson’s disgust over the unholy alliance--Clay’s frankness--Force Bill passes--Clayton whips Calhoun--Effect of Cass’s letter to Virginia--Nullification Ordinance rescinded--Political effects of fight--The drama of the last night of the session.