[Illustration:  John C. Calhoun.]

[Sidenote:  W.H.  Crawford.]

[Sidenote:  Tenure of Office Act.]

[Sidenote:  The Crawford machine.]

286.  William H. Crawford.—­Besides Adams, two other members of Monroe’s cabinet wished to succeed their chief.  These were John C. Calhoun and William H. Crawford.  Calhoun soon withdrew from the contest to accept the nomination of all the factions to the place of Vice-President.  Crawford was from Georgia and was Secretary of the Treasury.  As the head of that great department, he controlled more appointments than all the other members of the cabinet put together.  The habit of using public offices to reward political friends had begun in Pennsylvania.  Washington, in his second term, Adams, and Jefferson had appointed to office only members of their own party.  Jefferson had also removed from office a few political opponents (p. 187).  But there were great difficulties in the way of making removals.  Crawford hit upon the plan of appointing officers for four years only.  Congress at once fell in with the idea and passed the Tenure of Office Act, limiting appointments to four years.  Crawford promptly used this new power to build up a strong political machine in the Treasury Department, devoted to his personal advancement.  He was nominated for the presidency by a Congressional caucus and became the “regular” candidate.

[Sidenote:  Henry Clay.]

[Sidenote:  Andrew Jackson.]

287.  Clay and Jackson.—­Two men outside of the cabinet were also put forward for Monroe’s high office.  These were Andrew Jackson of Tennessee and Henry Clay of Kentucky.  Clay and Calhoun had entered politics at about the same time.  They had then believed in the same policy.  Calhoun had abandoned his early ideas.  But Clay held fast to the policy of “nationalization.”  He still favored internal improvements at the national expense.  He still favored the protective system.  He was the great “peacemaker” and tried by means of compromises to unite all parts of the Union (p. 222).  He loved his country and had unbounded faith in the American people.  The legislatures of Kentucky and other states nominated him for the presidency.  The strongest man of all the candidates was Andrew Jackson, the “Hero of New Orleans.”  He had never been prominent in politics.  But his warlike deeds had made his name and his strength familiar to the voters, especially to those of the West.  He was a man of the people, as none of his rivals were.  He stood for democracy and the Union.  The legislatures of Tennessee and other states nominated Jackson for the presidency.

[Sidenote:  The election of 1824.]

[Sidenote:  It goes to the House of Representatives.]

[Sidenote:  The House chooses Adams.]