It must be remembered that these volumes
are edited by a member of the Tyler family; a fact, which leads us to
say that an impartial history of President Tyler's administration of the
pertinent matters which preceded it, and of the reflections upon its
policy, cannot be naturally expected from a person interested, or from
an actor in the politics of that period.
By the operation of the Constitution alone, Tyler became President. At
that time, he was not considered by his party, and, after he had
obtained the office by the death of General Harrison, he straightway
placed himself in direct opposition to the party which had nominated and
elected him Vice President. The son, who is the author or editor of
these volumes, appears to be forgetful of this fact; for on no other
ground can we account for the bias which he exhibits from the first page
to the last. His duty, he thinks, is to defend his father's
administration, and this idea leads him into trouble at the very
beginning. He says: "The Whig party of 1840 had nothing to do with bank,
tariff, or internal improvements,"--when all the world knows the
contrary! There can be no doubt,--indeed there never was any doubt--that
the Whig leaders of 1840, no matter by what pretexts they gained votes
and power, were committed to a national bank, to a protective tariff,
and to internal improvements.
Pages:
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209