e country for some decades into a new channel. Moreover
they expressed no regret for their acts and in no degree renounced the
views upon which those acts had been based. They submitted to the
authority of the United States, but on terms fixed by themselves. And,
what is more, they supplied practically every constitutional and
political argument to be used by their sons in 1860 to justify
secession.

CHAPTER IX

THE WAR ON THE UNITED STATES BANK

"Nothing lacks now to complete the love-feast," wrote Isaac Hill
sardonically to Thomas H. Benton after the collapse of nullification,
"but for Jackson and Webster to solemnize the coalition [in support of
the Union] with a few mint-juleps! I think I could arrange it, if
assured of the cooeperation of yourself and Blair on our side, and
Jerry Mason and Nick Biddle on theirs. But never fear, my friend. This
mixing of oil and water is only the temporary shake-up of
Nullification. Wait till Jackson gets at the Bank again, and then the
scalping-knives will glisten once more."

The South Carolina controversy had indeed brought Jacksonians and
anti-Jacksonians together. But once the tension was relaxed, there
began the conflict of interests which the New Hampshire editor had
predicted. Men fell again into their customary political
relationships; issues that for the moment had been pushed into the
background--internal improvements, public land policy, distribution of
surplus revenue, and above all the Bank--were revived in full vigor.
Now, indeed, the President entered upon the greatest task to which he
had yet put his hand. To curb nullification was a worthy achievement.
But, after all, Congress and an essentially united nation had stood
firmly behind the Executive at every stage of that performance. To
destroy the United States Bank was a different matter, for this
institution had the full support of one of the two great parties in
which the people of the country were now grouped; Jackson's own party
was by no means a unit in opposing it; and the prestige and influence
of the Bank were such as to enable it to make a powerful fight against
any attempts to annihilate it.

The second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816 for twenty
years, with a capital of thirty-five million dollars, one-fifth of
which had been subscribed by the Government. For some time it was not
notably successful, partly because of bad management but mainly
because of the disturbance of bu