AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SEVENTY YEARS AGO 311 



profoundly American, but not in the sense in which 

 that word was understood by Clay and the Whigs. 

 It was Jackson whose sounder instincts prompted him 

 to a course of action quite in harmony with the high- 

 est political philosophy. During the administration 

 of John Quincy Adams there was fast growing up a 

 tendency toward the mollycoddling, old granny theory 

 of government, according to which the ruling powers 

 are to take care of the people, build their roads for 

 them, do their banking for them, rob Peter to pay 

 Paul for carrying on a losing business, and tinker and 

 bemuddle things generally. It was, of course, beyond 

 the power of any man to override a tendency of this 

 sort, but Jackson did much to check it ; and still more 

 would have come from his initiative if the questions of 

 slavery and secession had not so soon come up to 

 absorb men's minds and divert attention from every- 

 thing else. The protective theory of government has 

 too much life in it yet ; but without Jackson it would 

 no doubt have been worse. His destruction of the 

 bank was brought about in a way that one cannot 

 wish to see often repeated ; but there can be little 

 doubt that it has saved us from a great deal of trouble 

 and danger. By this time the bank, if it had lasted, 

 would probably have become a most formidable engine 

 of corruption. 



Herein Jackson was powerfully prompted and aided 

 by Van Buren, who stood in somewhat the same rela- 

 tion to him as Hamilton to Washington. Unques- 

 tionably Van Buren had a more philosophical and 

 luminous view of the proper sphere and functions of 

 government, in its relations to the people, than any 

 other American statesman since Jefferson. The mantle 



