solid, practical and
valuable description which must ever receive the sanction of intelligent
and reflecting minds.

The qualifications on which his supporters depended, and to which they
called the attention of the American people, as reasons for elevating him
to the head of the General Government, may be summarily enumerated as
follows:--1. The purity of his private character--the simplicity of his
personal habits--his unbending integrity and uprightness, even beyond
suspicion. 2. His commanding talents, and his acquirements both as a
scholar and a statesman. 3. His love of country--his truly American
feelings, in all that concerned the welfare and honor of the United
States. 4. His long experience in public affairs, especially his
familiarity with our foreign relations, and his perfect knowledge of the
institutions, the internal condition and policy of European nations. 5.
His advocacy of protection to domestic manufactures, and of a judicious
system of internal improvements.

In regard to internal improvements by the General Government, there was a
difference of opinion between Mr. Adams and President Monroe. The latter
was strongly impressed with the beneficial tendency of a well-digested
system of internal improvements; but he believed the constitution
conferred no power on Congress to make appropriations for such a purpose.
It was in this view of the subject that he vetoed a bill which assumed the
right to adopt and execute such a system, passed by Congress during the
session of 1820-21. But anxious that internal improvements, confined to
great national purposes, and with proper limitations, should be
prosecuted, he suggested that an amendment of the constitution to that
effect should be recommended to the several States.

Mr. Adams, however, had no doubts that Congress already possessed a
constitutional power to prosecute such internal improvements as were of a
national character, and calculated to benefit the Union, and to levy
duties for the protection of domestic manufactures. During his entire
political career he had deemed these to be two great points toward which
the American Government and people should turn their especial attention;
and he ever gave them his faithful advocacy and support. With consummate
wisdom, he foresaw that the more completely our internal resources were
developed, and the less dependent we were on foreign powers, the greater
would be our public and private prosperity. He insisted