AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SEVENTY YEARS AGO 303 



his hands. In this campaign all the candidates were 

 for the first time nominated in national conventions. 

 There were three conventions, all held at Baltimore. 

 In September, 1831, the anti-masons nominated Will- 

 iam Wirt of Virginia, in the hope of getting the 

 National Republicans or Whigs to unite with them, 

 but the latter, in December, nominated Clay. In the 

 following March the Democrats nominated Jackson, 

 with Van Buren for Vice-president. During the 

 year 1832 the action of Congress and President, with 

 regard to the bank charter, was virtually a part of the 

 campaign. In the election South Carolina voted for 

 candidates of her own, John Floyd of Virginia and 

 Henry Lee of Massachusetts. There were 219 elec- 

 toral votes for Jackson, 49 for Clay, 1 1 for Floyd, and 

 7 for Wirt. Besides his own state, Clay carried Mary- 

 land and Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and 

 Massachusetts. All the rest of the country, including 

 half of New England, went for Jackson. He inter- 

 preted this overwhelming victory as a popular con- 

 demnation of the bank and approval of all his actions 

 as President. The enthusiastic applause from all 

 quarters which now greeted his rebuke of the nulli- 

 fies served still further to strengthen his belief in 

 himself as a " saviour of society " and champion of 

 " the people." Men were getting into a state of mind 

 in which questions of public policy were no longer 

 argued upon their merits, but all discussion was 

 drowned in cheers for Jackson. Such a state of 

 things was not calculated to check his natural vehe- 

 mence and disposition to override all obstacles in 

 carrying his point. He now felt it to be his sacred 

 duty to demolish the bank. In his next message to 



