Benns: British West India Carrying-Trade 179 
the Jackson central committee, announcing the “GLORIOUS 
NEWS’" that the West India colonial ports had been opened 
to the trade of the United States. “These handbills were sent, 
by expresses, to several of the adjacent counties on Sunday 
morning, and exposed at all the public places.”®^ When at 
length the mail reached Washington about ten o’clock Sunday 
morning, it was at once followed by an “extra” of the United 
States Telegraph, the Administration paper, dated “Sunday, 
October 3, 1830 noon”. It proclaimed “Honor to the President 
of the people’s choice”, and explained that the West India 
trade which had been lost “by the blundering diplomacy of 
the coalition administration” had been restored “by the up- 
right, able, and honest administration of Andrew Jackson”. 
A large number of these extras appeared early Monday morn- 
ing in Baltimore where they were posted at all the twelve 
different places at which the elections were then being held and 
were otherwise spread before the people.®® Niles believed 
that they had very little effect upon the election, but the 
Daily National Journal, an Opposition paper of the capital, 
maintained that there was little doubt but that “by this arti- 
fice two hundred votes were gained for the Jackson ticket 
about Fell’s Point”. 
Before the official proclamation of the President appeared, 
it was steadfastly maintained by the Opposition press that the 
rumors and announcements were being circulated only for the 
effect which they would have on the Maryland election. It 
was predicted that after the elections were over the statement 
would be corrected.®^ A similar rumor had been spread broad- 
cast just prior to the Maine election with the result of carry- 
ing that state for Jackson, only to have it discovered after the 
election that the whole thing had again been a “contemptible 
hoax”, a pure “humbug”.®® 
But these rumors and speculations were very quickly laid 
at rest by President Jackson who, having “adopted without 
reserve the construction given to the act of Congress by Lord 
Copied in Niles’ Register, XXXIX, 110. 
Ibid. 
^ Daily National Journal, Oct. 6, 1830. 
National Intelligencer, Oct. 2, 1830. 
“Extra” of the United States Telegraph of about Aug. 30, quoted in Niles’ Regis- 
ter, XXXIX, 108, 109. See also Portsmouth Journal, Aug. 21, 1830 ; National Aegis, 
Sept. 8, 1830 : National Gazette, Aqg. 30, 1830 ; Phenix QazeUe, Aug. 28, 1830 ; and many 
others. 
