The Forgotten Man, and Other EssaysSumner, William Graham
Science
The Forgotten Man, and Other Essays
Sumner, William Graham
Economics; Social sciences
The consequence of the issue as it was made in 1832 was that Jackson
got 219 and Clay 49 votes in the Electoral College.[55] Things
now entered on a new stage. The lower class which I have hitherto
endeavored to characterize fairly, but without timidity, now took
on the character of a genuine proletariat. It has been only at few
periods that any development of the lowest sections of our population
has produced what could properly be called by that name. The period
of Jackson’s second administration was the most marked of these. In
the large cities trades-unions arose, and in certain sections agrarian
doctrines were advocated, while there was a general dissemination
of socialistic notions. In 1836 there were formal riots and public
disturbances of lesser grade. Partly this was due to the arrogance
of class success, partly to the flattery of demagogues, and partly
to industrial changes and to currency disturbances which are to be
mentioned in a moment.
The National Bank being doomed if Jackson should be reëlected, a large
moneyed class had been drawn into the administration party, _viz._,
those who wanted to found local banks. The administration party,
therefore, included these two branches, to the former or lower of which
the nickname Locofoco was given.
General Jackson regarded his reëlection as a sanction of all that he
had done or proposed. According to his principles the question of
wisdom in banking and currency did not come from history or science,
but from a majority vote of the people. What is to be noticed, however,
is that the people simply assented to whatever he proposed and ratified
whatever he did, because it was he that did it. There resulted a state
of things paralleled in our history only in the case of Mr. Jefferson,
that is, an action and reaction between the executive and a popular
majority in which each stimulated the other by ready sympathy and
mutual support. The President pursued his way without a misgiving,
and the opposition in Congress while they saw their members dwindling
and the majority becoming more and more overwhelming, could only
express their astonishment at the sudden acts and irregular methods
of procedure of the executive. The subservient majority, consisting
largely of professional politicians of the new type, recognized that
for the time being their occupation of plotting and controling was
gone. Their hopes lay in no independent action, but in loyalty to the
chief.
I feel here how much I am saying which under other circumstances would
require proof, but the proof lies before any one who will throw aside
Benton and Parton and look into the Congressional debates and the
newspapers of the time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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