AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SEVENTY YEARS AGO 307 



pecanoe and Tyler too," that this notion was entirely 

 incorrect, and the causes of the great panic lay much 

 deeper than was supposed at the time. The belief 

 that it was due to Jackson's policy was a chief cause 

 of the Whig victory in 1 840 ; but as soon as the im- 

 mediate effects of the panic were over, there was a 

 general acquiescence in the final death-blow dealt to the 

 bank by President Tyler, and since then nobody has 

 had the hardihood to ask that it should be restored. 



In foreign affairs Jackson's administration won great 

 credit through its enforcement of the French spoliation 

 claims. European nations which had claims for 

 damages against France, on account of spoliations 

 committed by French cruisers during the Napoleonic 

 wars, had found no difficulty after the peace of 1815 

 in obtaining payment ; but the claims of the United 

 States had been superciliously neglected. In 1831, 

 after much fruitless negotiation, a treaty was made by 

 which France agreed to pay the United States five 

 million dollars in six annual instalments. The first 

 payment was due Febuary 2, 1833. A draft for the 

 amount was presented to the French minister of finance, 

 and payment was refused on the ground that no appro- 

 priation for that purpose had been made by the Cham- 

 bers. Louis Philippe brought the matter before the 

 Chambers, but no appropriation was made. Jackson 

 was not the man to be trifled with in this way. In his 

 message of December, 1834, he gravely recommended 

 to Congress that a law be passed authorizing the cap- 

 ture of French vessels enough to make up the amount 

 due. The French government was enraged, and 

 threatened war unless the President should apologize, 

 not a hopeful sort of demand to make of Andrew 



