AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SEVENTY YEARS AGO 305 



in his place. Taney at once ordered that after the 

 ist of October the public revenues should no longer 

 be deposited with the national bank, but with sundry 

 state banks, which soon came to be known as the " pet 

 banks." Jackson alleged, as one chief reason for this 

 proceeding, that if the bank were to continue to re- 

 ceive public revenues on deposit, it would unscrupu- 

 lously use them in buying up all the members of 

 Congress, and thus securing an indefinite renewal of 

 its charter. This, he thought, would be a death-blow 

 to free government in America. His action caused 

 intense excitement and some commercial distress, and 

 prepared the way for further disturbance. In the 

 next session of the Senate Clay introduced a resolu- 

 tion of censure, which was carried after a debate which 

 lasted all winter. It contained a declaration that the 

 President had assumed " authority and power not 

 conferred by the Constitution and laws, but in deroga- 

 tion of both." Jackson protested against the resolu- 

 tion, but the Senate refused to receive his protest. 

 Many of his appointments were rejected by the Sen- 

 ate, especially those of the directors of the bank and 

 of Taney as Secretary of the Treasury. An attempt 

 was made to curtail the President's appointing power. 

 On the other hand, many of the President's friends 

 declaimed against the Senate as an aristocratic insti- 

 tution which ought to be abolished. Benton was 

 Jackson's most powerful and steadfast ally in the Sen- 

 ate. Benton was determined that the resolution of 

 censure should be expunged from the records of that 

 body, and his motion continued to be the subject of 

 acrimonious debate for two years. The contest was 

 carried into the state elections, and some senators 



