1811 to Congress. The war party had gained complete
control of the House, and a speaker was chosen by the Democratic party.
Calhoun was placed on the Committee of Foreign Relations, and he framed
the report that the time had come to choose between tame submission and
bold resistance. Calhoun was chosen chairman of this committee, and was
a staunch supporter of the administration throughout. The increasing
financial distress led to the National Bank debates, in which he was a
leading figure. The necessity of this institution being admitted, to
Calhoun was intrusted entire management of the bill, and to him is due
the passage of the charter of the bank.

He was a most efficient agent of internal improvements, carrying a bill
through the House by a vote of 86 to 84, authorizing a million and a
half to be paid by the United States bank and the income on seven
millions more to be devoted to internal improvements. This bill passed
the Senate twenty to fifteen, but was vetoed by the president, denying
the authority of congress to appropriate money for any such purpose. He
next became Secretary of War, under Monroe. He found the war department
in a demoralized condition--bills to the amount of $50,000 outstanding.
These Calhoun promptly settled and secured the passage of a bill
reorganizing the staff of the army. President Monroe bringing before the
cabinet the question of whether he should sign the Missouri Compromise,
Calhoun gave it as his opinion that it was constitutional, supporting
the view that it was the duty of the president to sign the bill.

He was very seriously thought of as Monroe's successor, the great State
of Pennsylvania supporting him at first, but General Jackson's great
military fame won for him the nomination, and Calhoun was almost
unanimously selected for vice-president.

The tariff question was an all-absorbing issue, and on this question the
Democrats divided--the northern wing being for protection, under the
lead of Martin Van Buren; while the South was unanimous for free trade,
led by Calhoun. A rupture between the president and Mr. Calhoun now
arose; this and other causes led to Mr. Calhoun's distrust of the
president, and the belief that he could not be depended upon to settle
the tariff question; therefore he brought out his nullification
doctrine.

This doctrine was founded on the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions of
1798-9 which declared the constitution to be a compact, each State
forming