The measures, which the Whigs in Congress
introduced and passed,--only to be vetoed by the President--were Whig
measures, and would certainly have been approved by General Harrison,
had he been alive.
The Whig party gained a great deal in the election of 1840; but it lost
all by the contingency which made John Tyler president of the United
States. Why he was ever named on the electoral ticket is itself
inexplicable. He distinguished himself only by virtue of his mistakes,
from first to last inexcusable; and the biography, by the son, is
distinguished only by innuendos and a current of bitterness which
destroy its value as historical authority. This is much to be regretted;
because an unprejudiced life of John Tyler has long been needed.
That portion of the volume which deals with Mr. Tyler's part of the
Peace Congress, and his share in the exciting events preceding and
during the first year of the war of the Rebellion, will arouse no
discussion. The letters which these concluding pages contain are
particularly valuable, for they show the state of public feeling in the
South at that time. Notwithstanding our adverse criticism of certain
portions of this volume,--and we have plainly stated our reason--we
still welcome the work in its completeness.
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