Jackson and the Bank in his First Annual Message--Jackson's Relations to the Portsmouth Branch of the Bank--Jackson's Opposition in Principle to the Bank--The Political Science of the Constitution of 1787--Western Democracy--The West and the "Money Power" of the East--"States' rights" and the Bank--The Case of Brown and Maryland--Democracy and Socialism--Benton's Attack on the Bank--Benton Repulsed--Jackson and Benton--The Bank and the People--The Existence of the Bank made a Political Issue--Jackson's Second Attack on the Bank--Jackson's Plan for a Bank--Benton's Resolution against the Re-charter of the Bank--Jackson's Challenge to make the Continued Existence of the Bank the Issue in the Campaign of 1832--The Challenge Accepted--The Bank's Petition for Re-charter--Benton's Charge of Illegal Practices--Passage of the Bill for Re-charter--The Veto of the Bank Bill--The Bank and Foreign Powers--The Bank and the West--The Bank and the Rich--Structure and Powers of the Bank--Jackson on Executive Independence--Von Holst's Criticism of the Veto Message--The President's Real Meaning. [Sidenote: Jackson and the Bank in his first annual message.] In his first annual message, that of December 8th, 1829, President Jackson began his war upon the United States Bank. He declared in it that the constitutionality and expediency of the law creating the Bank were well questioned by a large portion of the people, and that its failure to establish a sound and uniform currency, the great end of its existence, must be admitted by all. {191} [Sidenote: Jackson's relations to the Portsmouth branch of the Bank.] Basing themselves chiefly upon an individual report made by Mr. John Quincy Adams on May 14th, 1832, in regard to the condition of the Bank, and upon documents referred to in that report, recent historians attribute President Jackson's first attack upon the United States Bank to a personal feud between his friends in New Hampshire and Mr. Webster's friends there.