REFORM AND DEMOCRACY 79 



opolistic character and repugnant to the Con 

 stitution and to sound public policy. On the 

 question of renewing its charter the financial 

 and commercial interests of the nation rallied 

 strongly to the support of the bank and were 

 sustained by a majority in Congress. The Presi 

 dent was able, however, after a spectacular 

 struggle, to defeat the renewal and to destroy 

 the bank. His economic reasoning was crude 

 and primitive, but his appeal to the people 

 against the moneyed class that he said was 

 oppressing them struck a responsive chord, 

 especially in his native West. In a campaign 

 that was fought chiefly on the issue of the bank 

 Jackson was re-elected in triumph to the presi 

 dency. In popular estimation his patriotic serv 

 ice in destroying the bank took rank with that 

 performed when, as was commonly believed, he 

 saved his country from the yoke of the British 

 by the victory at New Orleans. 



The democratic trend in the political opera 

 tions of the Jacksonian era might be traced in 

 many phases of public life. One only may be 

 referred to here. It was in Jackson s time that 

 the so-called &quot;spoils system,&quot; not unknown to 

 the practice of the politicians before, became 

 openly and on principle employed in manning 



