210. John Quincy Adams chosen President by the House. (1825.) — The time now drew near for choosing a successor for Monroe, but the issues of the "tariff and internal improvements" had not been long enough before the country to be distinctly party issues, and the choice turned rather upon men than measures. So personal became the contest that this election was called "the scrub race for the Presidency." From 1804 to 1820 candidates for the office of President had been nominated by a caucus of the members of Congress; in the latter year, as there was no opposition to Monroe and Tompkins, no caucus was held. Early in 1824 an attempt was made to return to the old but unpopular plan; a few members of Congress met and nominated William H. Crawford of Georgia for President. Crawford was a man of much experience in political affairs, had held various offices, and was now Secretary of the Treasury; but his nomination was not acceptable to many, and the legislature of Tennessee presented Andrew Jackson as its candidate; Kentucky followed with Henry Clay; Massachusetts, with John Quincy Adams. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was supported for Vice-President by the majority of advocates of the various candidates for the Presidency. As might have been expected, no candidate received a majority of the electoral votes, and the choice for President, in accordance with the Constitution, fell to the House of Representatives. Clay, standing fourth on the list in respect to the number of votes received, was ineligible (Constitution, Amend. Art. xii.). As was natural, the friends of Clay joined with those of the other "loose constructionists" and chose Adams, though Jackson had a larger electoral vote.1 1 Jackson and Crawford were both strict constructionists of the Constitution, while Clay and Adams believed in a liberal or loose construction of that instrument. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 193 Calhoun, having received a majority of the electoral votes, was declared Vice-President. Immediately there was a cry of a "corrupt bargain," which was not lessened when Adams announced that he would appoint Clay Secretary of State. As a result the Jackson and Crawford factions joined in opposition to Adams and Clay, whose followers united, soon calling themselves National Republicans, and afterwards Whigs. In most particulars this new party differed little from the old Federalists. Their opponents, first called Jackson men, or Jacksonians, before long took the name of Democrats, a name still retained. 211. John Quincy Adams; his Character. (1825.)-No man ever came to the office of President better prepared by education for its duties than John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767, his father, John Adams, was one of the most prominent men of the country, and his son had every advantage that social and political position could give him. He was educated at Harvard, accompanied his father abroad, and gained that familiarity with European languages and life which was of so much use to him afterwards. At the age of twenty-seven he was appointed minister to the Netherlands, and thenceforth to his death in 1848 was almost continuously in the service of his country. He was senator from 18031808, minister to Russia, 1809-1817, and Secretary of State under Monroe, 1817-1825. After his retirement from the Presidency, he was elected in 1831 to represent his district in the House of Representatives, and died at his post in the Capitol at Washington. Somewhat haughty in his manner, JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. impatient of other men's views, taking little pleasure in society, he was not popular; he had few personal friends, and no personal political following. He was an "accidental President," and not the choice of the people. He shone most when in the opposition in the House of Representatives, and his fame rests chiefly on his career after he was President. 212. Lafayette's Visit to America. (1824-1825.) - During the last year of Monroe's administration Lafayette visited the United States, which he had not seen for forty years.. Declining the offer of a public vessel tendered by the United States government, he sailed in a private ship, and landed at New York late in the summer of 1824. At once he was treated as the guest of the nation, and during the whole of his stay every expense was provided for, and every wish so far as practicable was anticipated. The people looked upon him as the representative of the Revolution, and so, in rendering honor to the man, there was a gratification of national pride. It is hard to realize the enthusiasm of the time. Everywhere Lafayette went his course was a triumphal progress. Town and country contended which should do him greater honor, and arches and banners with "Welcome Lafayette" greeted him throughout the land.1 The newspapers of the day are full of the accounts of the reception and of the dinner-parties given to him. One of these latter was at the White House, and was given by the President, John Quincy Adams. At this there were present ex-Presidents Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, all being old friends of the chief guest. When Lafayette left the country after a visit of a year, he took with him, besides the good 1 Josiah Quincy, in his "Figures of the Past," tells of an enthusiastic lady, who may be taken as a fair representative of the popular feeling, who said, "If Lafayette had kissed me, depend upon it, I would never have washed my face again as long as I lived." CHANGES IN THE UNITED STATES. 195 wishes of the American people, $200,000 in money, as compensation for his services to the country, and in lieu of land which had been granted him as an officer of the Revolution, but which he had lost through some technicality. More might have been his, had not his modesty made him decline other gifts tendered him by states and by individuals. He sailed for France in a new ship of the navy, named in his honor Brandywine, from the battle in which he had taken so prominent a part. 213. Changes in the United States. (1825.) - Nearly fifty years had passed since Lafayette had first come to America, and he must have been surprised at the changes which met his eye as he revisited the scenes of his early manhood. The population in 1777 was 3,000,000: it was now (1824) about 11,000,000: then there were thirteen small colonies; now there were twenty-four states: then the settlements occupied only the country lying along the coast; now there were states a thousand miles inland, and the country extended from the Atlantic Ocean to Texas and the Rocky Mountains, and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico: then he was aiding a few rebel colonies resisting a strong mother country; now he was the guest of the United States, one of the greatest powers of the earth. The progress in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures had fully kept pace with the political and territorial growth. The United States was the great producer of cotton and grain for Europe; her flag was seen in every port; and already her citizens were celebrated for their inventive skill. Though the railroad had not been introduced, steamboats plied regularly where only the canoe of the Indian or of the hunter had been seen fifty years. before. To one coming from discontented Europe the land seemed indeed a land of peace, prosperity, and freedom. 214. Adams Unpopular; Internal Improvements. (1825.) — John Quincy Adams, while one of the best Presidents the country has ever seen, was not a popular one. Many persons thought that the place rightly belonged to Jackson, who had the largest popular and electoral vote, and that Congress should have followed "the will of the people" and chosen him. Indeed, Adams was hardly in his seat before preparations were made for the next campaign by Jackson's supporters, not a few of whom were office-holders under Adams; but he refused to remove them in order to fill their places with his own adherents, for he would not in the slightest degree use the public service for his personal advantage. |