VIII 

 HARRISON, TYLER 



AND THE WHIG COALITION 



IT would be hard to find in the whole field of history 

 a subject more interesting in its details or more richly 

 suggestive in its illustrations of broad philosophical 

 principles than the development of political parties in 

 the United States since the adoption of our federal 

 Constitution. It is the story of the rapid expansion 

 of principles and methods of government long prac- 

 tised on a small scale in the townships of New Eng- 

 land and the parishes and counties of the Southern 

 states, until they have become adapted to the manage- 

 ment of an imperial dominion extending from ocean 

 to ocean. Population has grown with unexampled 

 rapidity, the arts and sciences have achieved such con- 

 quests as our grandfathers would have deemed incred- 

 ible, the growing complexity of modern industry has 

 quite changed the aspect of society, commercial prob- 

 lems have taken on dimensions difficult to grasp, 

 strangers from all parts of the earth come thronging 

 in to share our advantages, while too often they need 

 to be taught the very rudiments of our political 

 methods, vast tracts of wilderness have been subdued, 

 rude villages springing up on distant prairies change 

 as by magic into noble cities, new states endowed with 

 ample liberty of self-government are added to our 

 federal commonwealth, till the constellation is about 



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