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TY L E R
o HN
Ten tlz Pres iden t
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Un ited Sta ter
A N A D D R E SS
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A R M I ST E A D
the
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,
C
G O RD ON
.
de d ica t io n , O ctob e r 1 2 , 1 9 1 5 ,
M o n u m e n t e re c t e d b y
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J OH
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TY L
ER
E re cte d b y C o n g re s s
I N H OLL Y W OOD C E M E TER Y , R I C H M ON D,
1 91
5
J
TY L E R
OHN
Te n t iz Pres iden t
f
o
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Un ite d Sta ter
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BY
A R M I ST E A D
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f Virgin ia
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S ou th
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An
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ofi o f ti
'
Of
h e U n i t e d Sta t e s in Pro vi di n g
Th is M o n u m e n t
pprove d M a r ch 4 1 9 1 1 Con gre s s a uth or i e d th e erec tion
o f a s u ita b le m o n um e n t o ver th e g r a ve o f th e la t e J o h n T y ler
f o r m er Pre s ide n t o f th e U n ite d State s in H o lly w oo d Ce me tery
Ric h m on d V a an d b y an a ct appr o ve d A ugu s t 2 4 1 9 1 2 an appr o pr ia tio n
w a s m a d e fo r th e p u rp os e prov ide d th a t n o par t o f th e a m ou n t
of
s o a p pr o pr ia te d s h o u ld be e xpe n d e d u n t il th e Secre tar y o f W a r w as s a tis
h e d o f th e e xis te n ce O f a re s p on s ib le le ga l a s s o c ia tion for th e care an d
m ain te n an ce o f th e m on um e n t an d prov ide d f u r th er th a t w h e n th e s a id
m on um e n t w as erec te d th e re s p on s ib ility fo r th e care an d m a in t e n a n ce
an d w ith o u t e xpe n s e to th e
o f th e s a m e s h o u ld be w ith s u c h a s s oc ia tio n
I n p u r s u an ce O f th is la w th e H olly woo d Ce m e te ry C o m
U n ite d Stat e s
p an y agree d to take ch ar ge o f th e T y ler lot in H olly w oo d Ce m e te r y as
s oo n a s th e m o n um e n t it w as pr o p o s e d to h ave p la ce d in th e lo t w as co m
p le te d an d to keep th e lot in perpe tu al care h av in g f u ll re gar d to its
a s is don e in a ll o th er lo ts in s a id
s igh tly a n d re s pec ta b le appearan ce
ce m e t e ry th a t a re u n der th e p e rpe tu a l care O f s a id c o m pan y it be in g
un der s too d th a t th e r e s p o n s ib ility for th e c a re an d m a in te n an ce s h o u ld be
w ith out e xpe n s e to th e U n ite d State s
Th e Secre tar y o f W a r un der da te O f Nove m ber 2 6 1 9 1 2 dire cte d th e
C h ief o f En gin eer s Un ite d State s A r my to s e le ct an Offi cer o f th e c o rp s
U n ite d Sta te s A r my to t ake ch ar g e O f th e co n s tr u c tio n o f
o f e n gin e er s
th e m o n um e n t th e a dver tis in g fo r b ids an d de s ign s c o n du c tin g a ll n e ce s
s a r y corre s po n de n ce re ga r din g d e s ign o f m on um e n t an d th e in s cr ip t io n s
a n d th e dis b u r s in g o f th e a ppropr iatio n m a d e b y th e s un d ry c iv il a ct ap
pr ove d A ugu s t 2 4 1 9 1 2 for th e c on s tr uc tion o f th e m on um e n t
I n acc o r dan ce w ith th e o r der s o f th e Secre ta ry o f Wa r th e C h ief o f
E n g in eer s U n ite d Sta te s A r my un der da te o f D ec e m ber 1 0 1 9 1 2 de s ig
to carry o u t th e in s truc
n a te d th e dis t r ic t e n gin eer offi cer at No rf o lk V a
tio n s give n
On D ece m ber 1 6 1 9 1 3 c om p e titive de s ign s fo r th e m on um e n t were
in v ite d b y th e Secr e tary O f W a r an d a s a re s ult o f th is c o m pe tition an d
W a s h in gton
o n th e rec om m e n da tio n o f th e C om m is s io n o f F in e A r ts
D C th e de s ign s ub m itt e d b y Th e T F M cG an n Son s Co m pan y O f
B os ton Ma s s w a s ac cep te d
Y AN
a ct a
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A c on tr a c t w as e n te re d in to w ith th e s ucce s s f ul c om pe tito r s w h ich
:
e rs
n J un e 2 3
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w a s appr ove d b y diet Ch ief of Blr
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9
iwig
p
i tluii e 9 1 1 5
th e m o n u m e n t w a s cdm p le te d or
9
Z -"
Th e f o llow
ing s t lie 9 cqlp tb i s geé é rip tjo n Of th e m o n um e n t
E s s e n tia lly th e m o n um e n t w ill co n s is t O f a m o n o lith ic g ra n ite s h a f t
r is in g fro m a gran ite p e de s tal b e f o r e w h ich w ill b e p la ce d a br on e b us t
O f th e Pr e s ide n t an d s ur m o un tin g w h ich w ill be a br on e fin ia l
Th e br o n e fi n ia l w ill b e v is ib le fr om a co n s ider a b le dis tan ce an d as
it is s e e n to con s is t O f a G r e e k urn s u ppor te d b e tw e e n th e s pr e a d w in gs
Of tw o A m er ican e agle s it w ill in dicate a t o n ce th e b ur ial p lace o f a m an
o f n a tion a l ch a r a c ter
U p o n a c lo s e r appro a ch a n h ero ic b r o n e b u s t o f th e Pre s id e n t w ill be
Ob s e rv e d r e s tin g in a dign ifie d m a n er up on a pe de s ta l Of th e mon o lith
a f te r th e e xce lle n t m an n er O f th e an c ie n t G r e e k s a r coph agi
On e a ch s ide O f th e m on o lith th e re w ill be a b a s r e lie f th e on e be in g
a life s i e d figu r e Of th e R ep ub lic w ith a s h ie ld b e a r in g th e s e a ls Of th e
Un ite d State s an d O f th e Sta te O f V ir gin ia Sign ifican t O f h is r e la tio n s w ith
Th e oth er w ill be a drape d
th e n atio n a l g over n m e n t a n d h is n ative Sta te
fe ma le figu re r e pre s e n tin g m e m o ry h oldin g in o e h an d a laure l wreath
a n d c ultiv a tin g w ith t h e o th e r th e y o u n g t r e e o f th e R e p ub lic w h ic h du rin g
"
Ty ler s a dm in is tration began to gr o w an d e xp an d in an e xc e ption a l m an n er
Th e f o u r f ace s o f th e m on o lith w ill b e pa n e lle d a s in dic a te d o n th e
"
m o de l an d e s pec ia lly w ill th e on e on th e r e a r be s u itab le fo r an in s cr ip tion
,
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g
athered
to
g
ether
to
d
o h on o r to a g reat
r
man and to d edicate to h is m emory th i s monu m ent
erected by th e g overnment o f h i s count ry that he
served with unexcel l ed fide l ity and patri oti sm John Ty l er
tenth President o f the United S tates was b o rn at the home o f
“
h i s father Greenway i n Char l es City County Vi r gi n i a on
March 2 9 1 7 90 H e came O f a di st i n gu i shed l i ne o f V i r
i
n ia n s
and
al
l
h
i
earl
i
e
r
ancestors
the
Ty
l
er
name
he
ld
s
o
f
g
places O f S ign i fi cance i n thei r commun i t i e s as j ust i ce o f the
county bench o r sher i ff o r coroner
,
,
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.
"
John Tyle r th e President s great grand father w h o d i ed
abo u t 1 7 2 7 w a s a j ustice o f James C i ty County ; John Ty l er
hi s grand father w h o died i n 1 7 7 3 wa s marshal o f the V i ce
Admi ra l ty Cou rt an d h is fathe r Judge John Tyler not on l y
occupied a prom i nent po s i tion a s Ju d ge o f the Genera l Court
but he was al so Speaker o f the House o f De l e g ates of the
General Ass embly Go verno r o f the Commonwea l th and at
the ti me o f h is d eath in 1 8 1 3 at th e age o f s i xty fiv e Judge O f
the Un i ted States Di str i ct Co u rt o f Vi r g inia
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"
The earl i est o f Pres i dent Tyler s progen ito rs i n the c
olony
was Hen ry Tyler w h o is first mentioned i n the Y ork County
records i n 1 64 5 ; an d h i s so n Henry w h o was him sel f j u st i ce
sheri ff and coroner i n su ccession w a s the father o f John
"
Tyler the President s g reat grandfather It i s interesting to
observe that since the i m migrant Hen ry Tyl er the l i ne h a s
"
“
been one nat i ve and to the manor bo rn and that i n n o in
stance down to the present g eneration have they ha d the i r
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-
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'
I I
t b l e sect i on O f Co l ony an d
n ot E
ihap tly d esign ated as The
homes e l sewhere tha n I n that
Co m monwea l th tha t h as be en
"
Cr ad l e o f the R ejp db ljé 5
no a
.
‘
‘
—
V i ce Ad m i ra l ty
John Ty l er the marsha l o f the
Court mar
r i ed Anne Contesse only d aughter o f D r Lew i s Contesse a
French Huguenot physic i an who l ive d an d practi sed hi s p ro
fe s s io n i n W i ll iamsburg dur i ng the first quarter o f the eigh
te e n th centu ry ; and i t i s d oubt l ess to the blen di ng o f the Ga lli c
sp right li ness o f Contesse with the Engl ish steadine s s which
characterized the Tylers that the r emarkab l e ta l ents O f the
descendants o f th i s union may be attr i bute d
,
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No t only has the l ine o f the Ty l ers Si nce ill ustrated these
ta l ents but a l so that O f Bou l d i n i n the persons o f the d escen d
"
ants O f Judge Tyler s si ster Joanna who marr i e d M aj or Wood
Bouldin an d was mothe r o f Thomas Ty l er B ouldin M C
Ja m es Wood Bouldin M C an d Lewi s Contesse Bou l din
l ong a State Senator ; and who was also the ancestress o f
Wood Bou l din l ate Judge o f the Sup r eme Co u rt o f Appeal s
O f Vi rginia and o f Powhatan Bou l d i n w rite r and autho r O f
"
“
Home Rem i niscences O f John Rando l ph O f Roanoke
Thi s
m i ng l ed strain i s fu rther di stin gu i shed i n the ta l ents an d abil
"
i ties o f the descendants o f Pres i dent Tyler s si ster Maria
Henry who married John B Seawel l and wa s mother O f two
br i l l iant lawyers o f the Commonwealth John Ty l er Se a wel l
and Machen Boswel l Seawe l l and grandmother o f M iss Mo l ly
E lli ott S eawe l l the novel i st
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But save the Pres id ent h imse l f none o f the descendants
the M arsha l an d hi s w i fe Anne Contesse
o f John Ty l er
ach i eved o r deserved a l arger fame than di d the i r son
Ju d ge John Tyle r He was the persona l fr i end o f Thomas
Je fferson an d o f Patrick Henry and wa s imbued w ith thei r
pr i nciples o f republican const i tut i ona l government Je fferson
“
sai d o f him that he was a veteran patr i ot who from the first
dawn O f the Revo l ut i on to thi s day has pursued unchangeab l y
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12
the same honest course and i t i s wo rth y o f Obse rvation that
the Sage o f Mont i cello shou l d have thu s emphas i ze d in the
father the characteri sti c o f co n si stency which was o n e o f the
"
most not i ce able traits i n the caree r o f Judge Ty l er s d i stin
,
i
0
h
s
e
5
1
1
u
d
g
.
"
M r Henry s admi ration for Judge Ty l er was marked
“
Judge S p ence r Roane w rote to W ill iam Wi rt that M r H en ry
was very fond o f John Tyler as a warm hearted patriot and
"
an honest an d sensible man ; and Roane himse l f w h o ado rned
with con sp i cuous abi l i ty and l ea rn ing the bench o f the S upreme
Court o f the S tate sai d o f Jud g e Ty l er that h i s un d erstand
"
ing was o f the highest o rde r and that he w as pla i n in hi s
appearance fo r h i s great sou l d isdained the t i nse l o f pomp an d
"
pa rade and w as intent on l y on vi rtue
Henry C l ay sai d o f
“
h i m on the floo r o f Congress that a pu rer patr i ot o r mo re
"
honest man never breathed the breath o f l i fe ; wh i le the Gen
e ral Assembly O f h i s native S tate reso l ved o f him that he was
“
a vene rab l e patr i ot o f the Revo l ution a fa i th fu l an d ab l e l egi s
lato r Judge an d Ch i e f M ag i strate O f thi s Commonwea l th a
man o f fix ed and un d eviatin g i ntegr i ty yet endeare d to h i s
friends by every so fter vi rtue
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Judge Ty l er had been i n h is youth a student at the Col l ege
ferson he
o f William an d Mary and i n company w ith M r Je f
"
h ad heard Patr i ck Henry s speech on the S tamp Act and had
"
felt h is patrioti sm k i ndled by the o rato r s voice an d wo rds
H i s antagoni sm to the B ritish Gove rnment and h i s intolerance
o f its acts o f opp ress i on towa r d the Co l onies became so ea rnest
and outspoken that h is father w a s accustomed to predict o f
"
“
h i m that he woul d be hung as a re b e l
H e ser ved on the
C ommittee o f S a fety fo r Charles C i ty County i n 1 774 and h e
"
j oined Henry s troops with the l oca l company O f wh ich he
was captain when Dunmore removed the powder from the
magaz ine at V illiam urg The Convention o f 1 7 7 6 made
h im Judge o f Adm i ra l ty ; but h i s eager patriot i sm impel l ed
h im to l arger act i vit i es than those o f the bench and in 1 7 7 8
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3
he became a member O f the Legi slature Here he s erve d w ith
ability and fidel ity successively as chai rman o f the committee
and as Speaker
o f j ustice
o f the committee o f the who l e
Hi s fame as a statesman rests on h is steady suppo rt in the
Legi slatu re o f th e mili tary and financia l measures O f the
A merican Revo l ution and O f the Je ffersonian reform s du ring
hi s incumbency o f the O ffice o f Spe aker on his authorsh i p o f
the resolutions fo r the Annapol i s A s sembly o f 1 78 6 on h is
stalwart opposition in the Vi rginia Convention o f 1 7 88 to the
a d option O f the Federa l Constitution becau se it permitted the
continuance of the S lave trade a measu re t h at was faste ned on
the country by the votes o f four New England and tw o South
ern States o f the Union ; and o n hi s services as a member o f the
j udicia ry and as Governo r o f the Commonwealth
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H i s gubernatoria l term began o n December I 1 8 08 a
notab l e year in the hi story o f Vi rginia as being that which
s aw the abolition by England o f the A frican slave trade wh ich
Governor Tyler had SO strenuously opposed in the Con s titu
tio n a l Convention o f 1 7 88
H i s admini stration o f the high
O ffice O f Governo r was marked by the Si mp li city O f h is manners
and conduct by the fide l ity and uprightness with which he
discharged hi s d uties and by hi s continual enj oyment in an
unusual measu re o f the confidence respect and esteem o f his
constituents H i s term expi red in January 1 8 1 1 and during
its continuance under the i nfluence O f o n e o f hi s messages to
the G eneral Assembly on the s u bj ect O f education and
the school s w a s establi shed through the legi slative activities
o f James Barbour O f O range a successo r in O ffice o f Governor
Ty l er the still exi sting Literary Fund O f V i rginia
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Judge Tyler s career on the bench was characterized by
the same diligent attention to business uprightness Of purpose
and inte l ligent di scharge O f duty that adorned al l o f hi s publ ic
l i fe He had studied law fo r some years under Robert Carter
"
Nicholas a distingui shed j u rist and patriot O f Judge Tyler s
youth whose name and fame were pre served and e n ch an ce d i n
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14
with Marshall Tyler I am certain would do i t
and h is
"
opinion was verified in Judge Tyler s success fu l contention
against the principle o f a universal common l aw j u ri sdiction
fo r the Federa l Cou rts that was favored by hi s colleague
.
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Judge Tyler was an earnest and patriotic supporte r o f the
War O f 1 8 1 2 with Great B r i tain and decided the first pr i ze case
ari sing ou t o f the war He he l d the Offi ce o f District Judge
“
until hi s death at Greenway Charles C i ty County V a Jan
uary 6 1 8 1 3 and died with the expression o f h is regret that he
“
could not live long enough to see that p roud B ri ti sh nat i on
"
once more humb l ed by American arms
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Judge Tyler married Mary Armistead only ch i ld o f Robert
Booth Arm i stead o f Y o rk County V a a descendant o f
Will iam Armi stead i mmigrant to the Co l ony f rom K i rk
Deighton i n Y orksh i re Eng l and w h o was al so a p rogen i tor
and the tw o Wh i g
o f P resident Wil l iam Hen ry Harri s on
“
cand i dates o f 1 8 3 9 Tippecanoe and Tyler too were cousins
S prung from a common Arm istea d ancesto r
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John Tyler the P resident was the second s on o f the mar
riage o f Judge John Tyler and Mary Arm i stead
H i s earl ier
education was obtained i n an O ld field school taught by a
tyrannical S cot named M cM u rdo ; and the sto ry i s told that
the future Presi d ent at the precociou s age o f e l even was o n e
o f the leaders in a rebe l lion o f the pupil s against thei r master
The dominie was an admi rer O f John Tyler and when he s aw
him participating i n th e attempt O f the boys to lock h i m up
“
he exclaimed a fter the manner o f Scots dominies E t tu
"
B rute "and surrendered But h is regard fo r the boy di d not
"
p revent M r M cM u rdo from repo rt i ng h i s son s conduct to
"
Judge Tyler w h o countere d on the pedagogue s apt Latin
quotation by another since become scarcely less c l assic and
"
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repl i ed S ic sempe r tyrann i s "
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In 1 8 07 young Tyler graduated at Wil l iam and Mary C ol
l e ge which with its roster o f: statesmen and lawyers an d
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16
sold i ers had l ong been a nu rsery O f greatness H e then studie d
l aw fo r two years unde r Edmund Randolph S ecretar y o f S tate
under Washin gt on an d son in law o f Robert Ch rte r Nicholas
"
hi s father s dis tin gu is h e d la w precepto r H i s fathe r had been
a stu d ent at W i l li am and Mary when M r Je fferson was study
i ng l aw i n W i l l iamsbu rg under the eminent j ur i st Ge o rge
Wyth e and fr om him the s on ea r l y imbibed and continued to
che ri sh an d ma i ntain th roughout h i s l i fe the republ i can p rinci
p l es O f Je fferson i an democ racy I t wa s w i th hi m a fundamental
tenet that the union o f the S tates constituted in e ffect the
conce rt o f two nations differ i ng in i n stitution s in occupations
in re li gion an d i n manners each f rom the other and that the
only su re method o f p reventing separation o r war was in th e
maintenance and preservat i on O f the r i ghts o f the constituent
S tate s Th i s rema i ned hi s polit i cal gu iding star th rough hi s
career an d by its li ght must that career be tested and j udged
He he l d that the act i vities o f the Federa l Government S hou ld
be kept i n most th i ngs very far apa rt from those o f the S tates ;
that they S hou l d be confined chiefly to tho se fo re i gn re l ation s
that invo l ved the action and conduct O f a centra l power while
they i nter fered as l i tt l e a s p o ss i b l e w i th th e i nternal an d domes
tic a ffai rs O f the country
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Sp rung f rom the st r u ggl e o f antagoni stic interests and
pass i ons th e Federa l Constitut i on was ful l o f troub l e fo r the
future ; and it was the aggress i ve assert i on o f the nationa l prin
cip le by the North i n derogatio n o f th i s p r i nciple hel d by M r
Ty l er that sti rred the fires o f n ullificatio n in 1 8 3 2 and kindled
the mighty con fl agration O f secess i on and wa r in 1 8 61 wh ich
came near resu l t i ng i n that permanen t di srupt i on wh i ch he
apprehended and s o long sough t to avert
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It i s in the p ro found recogn i t i on o f th i s great fun d amenta l
"
characteristic o f P res i dent Ty l er s pol i tical creed that the key
to hi s pol itica l hi sto ry i s to be found B eliev i ng as he d i d i n
—
a union
the basic idea that the Un i on o f No rth and South
that from the beginn i ng wa s socia l ly an d econom i cal l y in con
.
I
7
grous
could only be maintained th rough State Rights M r
Tyler was as ci rcumstance s deve l oped first a Democratic
Republican and when that party broke up i n 1 8 2 4 1 8 2 8 a
State Rights Democrat and when the Jackson and Van Buren
nati ona l ists in the Democratic party obtained contro l o f it and
as a con s equence the Whig party w as formed a Whig who
agreed w i th the State Rights Democrats on state rights and di f
fe re d from nationa l ist Democrats o n nat i ona l i sm
After al l i s
said there was never for him a shadow o f variab l eness o r tu rn
—
i ng f rom the great doctrine O f State Rights which was a very
part O f h imsel f H i s att i tude w a s never a change o f position
but a natural a l i gnment w i th parties as they successively de
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v e lop e d
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In 1 8 09 two years be fore atta in in g h is maj ority the young
graduate o f Wil l iam and Mary was adm i tted to the bar ; and
had already entered upon a good practice when in 1 8 1 1 he was
elected to the General Assembly Here he was a firm s up
"
porter o f M r Ma d ison s election ; an d at an ear l y stage o f h i s
s ervice
he became p rom inent as an e l oquent and persuas i ve
S peaker The quest i on O f the recharter o f the Bank O f the
Un i ted S tates was a burn i ng po li tica l issue o f the t i mes as i t
cont i nued to be fo r many years Wi ll iam B Gi l es and Richar d
B rent the Senators from V i rginia i gnored the instruction s O f
the Vi rginia Legislatu re and favo red in 1 8 1 1 th e recharter o f
the bank In January 1 8 1 2 M r Ty l er i ntroduced a reso l u
tion censurin g these Senators taking then the tw o positions
f rom wh i ch he never dev i ated first that the act creat i n g the
bank was in violation o f the Federa l Constitution and second
that the legi slatu re o f a State had the right to instruct i ts
senators in Congress whose duty it was to Obey such in struc
t i ons or to resign
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I t is not without interest to note that it was M r Benj amin
Watkin s Leigh who drew the i nstruct i ons o f the Vi rgin i a Leg
is la tu re to the Senators ; and that M r Ty ler w a s the author o f
its resolution O f censure ; fo r subsequent events growing o ut of
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1
8
"
these two resolut i ons se rve to i ll ust rate the l atter s stea d y ad
When B enton
h e re n ce to what he conce i ve d to be a princ i p l e
"
“
o ffered hi s famous Exp un gi ng Reso l ution i n the Un i te d
S tate s S enate M r Le igh and M r Ty l e r were S enato rs from
V i rginia The Vi rg i n i a Le gi s l atu re instru cted these S enators
"
to suppo rt th e Expung i ng Res ol ution
Both r
efused to
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Obey but M r Ty l er s re fusa l was accompan i ed by h i s re gi s
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n a tI O n
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the 2 0th O f March 1 8 1 3 M r Ty l er marr i e d M i ss
Let i tia Ch r i st i an d aughter o f Robe rt Chri stian o f New K ent
“
“
County Va
Th i s marr i age i t w a s sa id un i ted the house
o f Democracy i n the b ri d e g room and the house o f Federa l i sm
i n the b ri de but the new house was Democrati c
On
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Robe rt Ty l er a son o f th is marri age was di stingui she d as
poet pol itician an d o rato r H e was c l erk o f the S up reme
Court o f Penn sy l van i a and cha i rman O f the Democ r atic party
i n that State regi ster O f the Treasu ry O f the S outhe rn Con
federacy and at the ti me of h i s d eath i n 1 8 77 was e di to r o f
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th e
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M on tgom e ry M ail a n d A dve rtis e r
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A
few weeks a fte r h i s marr i a g e M r Ty l er l e ft hi s home
at the h ead o f a m i l i t i a company to assist in the defense o f
Richmond then th reatene d by the B r i tish ; but h i s comman d
w a s n o t ca l le d i nto action and h i s m ili tary se rvice was con
c l uded a fter a mon th
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M r Ty l e r was re elected annu all y to the Legi s l ature unt i l
1 8 1 5 when he wa s e l ecte d a member o f the Execut i ve Counc i l
and the next year when a vacancy occu rred in h i s con g res
sioua l d i str i ct he was chosen fo r the unexpi red term He was
again e l ected to Congress fo r two successive terms and ea r l y
in h is ca reer became consp i cuou s as a strict constructionist
"
H e opposed M r Calhoun s b ill fo r i nterna l i mprovements by
the Federa l Gove rnment o n the grounds o f unconstituti onal i ty
and O f l ack o f uni form app li cation ; he anta g on ized the enact
ment o f a nationa l bankrupt l aw ; and he made a great speech
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9
against the bank and to the ci rculation o f thi s speech i n h is
district he attributed h is first re election to Congre s s without
oppo sition
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H is
v i ews on slavery were those O f hi s father w h o had
voted in the Convention o f 1 7 88 against the a d opt i on o f the
Federal Constitut i on largely on the ground that i t permitted the
continuance O f the slave trade In the debates in Congress on
the admi ssion o f Mi ssouri he took strong position against any
restriction o f slavery in the new State in s i sting w i th great
v i gor and po w er that by the very terms O f the Federal Consti
tu tio n the territo ries S hould when admitted po ssess all the
rights o f the original States He went further and added as
M r Jefferson and M r Madi son al so thought that it w a s un fai r
fo r the North which had accompl ished within its l imits the
"
emancipation and scattering o f the S laves to wal l in Virginia s
population and thereby to confirm the continuance o f S lavery
there H e was foremost and most persistent in h is congres
sioual course in holding that Congres s had no constitutional
power to l egi slate either for o r against S lavery i n any territory ;
and when the M i ssou ri Comp romi se measu re was adopted
with i ts demarki ng line o f 3 6 degrees 3 0 minutes that seemed
“
—
to M r Je fferson in hi s O ld age at Monticello l ike a fi re bell
"
i n the night M r Tyler cast h is vote in the negative with the
p ro found and wel l founded conviction as again st that o f M r
Clay and O f M r Calhoun that the comprom i se bil l was an
abj ect surrender O f the whole s ituation
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But M r Tyler never changed h is earliest j ud gment that a
negro population was an evil whether slave o r free ; and
th roughout hi s career he was a con s istent op ponent O f the con
—
i
n
t uan ce o f the slave trade which h i s ow n State o f Vi rginia
had been the first constituted government i n the wor l d to p ro
b ibit in 1 7 7 8
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In 1 8 3 2 as a member o f the Senate committee he inse rte d
in the code o f l aws prepared b y him for the Distr i ct O f Col
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20
umbia a provi sion p rohibit i ng the u se o f the D i strict a s a slave
mart When P resi dent he w rote in hi s message to Congress
June I 1 8 4 1 that th e highes t con sideration o f publ ic honor
a s well as the strongest p romptings o f human i ty requi re a re
sort to the mos t vigorou s e ffo rts to supp ress the trade ; and
again i n h is me s sage o f December 7 1 8 4 1 he i nvited th e atten
tion o f Con g ress to ex i sting law s fo r its supp ression and
recommen d ed such alte ration s as might give them greater fo rce
*
and e ffi ciency Later in 1 84 2 he personal l y secured the in
sertion o f a c l ause in the Ashbu rton T reaty p rovi ding fo r the
—
maintenance and co o peration o f B riti sh and American squad
ron s o ff the coast o f A f r i ca fo r the suppression o f the trade
and urged the rat i fication o f the treaty upo n the Senate as con
“
ducive to the abolition O f what he termed the unlaw ful an d
"
i nhuman tra ffic
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A s to the abo l ition o f S l avery itse l f he comm i tted i t to the
op e ra t1 o n o f time be li ev i ng that i f it cou ld n o t be attaine d by
the deportat i on o f the negroe s a s contemp l ate d by the A frican
Co l onization Society O f w hose V i rgini a branch he was Presi
dent in 1 8 3 8 i t woul d take place by some othe r means and
peaceab l y i f l e ft free f rom o rganized assau l ts on the part o f the
No rthern abol it i on i sts Indeed an agency o f th i s cha racter
not du l y recognized pol itically at the t i me wa s the invention
O f the reaper by a Vi r ginian i n Rockbr i dge County Cyru s
Ha l l M cC o rm ick The phenomena l deve l opment o f a ll kinds
o f agricultu ral machinery o f which th i s i nvent i on p roved a
st i mu l us wou l d p robably have made s l avery a bu r d en upon the
planter and have l ed to i ts final abol i t i on
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In the first se ss i on o f the S i xteenth Congres s a p rotective
tari ff b ill was fo r the first time passed by the House but re
d
by
the
Senate
Str
i
ct
construct
i
oni
sts
l
ike
M
r
Ty
l
er
e
c
t
e
j
bel i eved that the sole powe r gi ven by the Con stitut i on to C on
gress i n the fixing o f tar i ff s wa s to prov i de thereby fo r the
,
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*
2
40,
Se e
a ls o
Mr T y ler s le tter
p 2 38
"
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in
L
r
e tte s
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2 1
an d
T im
es
f
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Ty l r I I p
e s,
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expenses o f government and for the payment o f the national
debt ; and that any a rrangement o f duties fo r the benefit o f
Northern manu factu rers w as one S ide d and un fai r and a usu r
patiou O f a po wer not granted o r imp l ied To th i s tariff bill
M r Tyler made the opening Obj ections in an ar gument o f
great force which created a deep impression though it di d not
defeat the passage o f the measure i n the House
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In 1 8 2 1 on account o f fail ing hea l th M r Ty l er re s igned
hi s se at in the House o f Rep resentat i ves and reti red to p rivate
l i fe Two yea rs l ater ho we ver he was again elected to the
General Assembly Of Vi rginia and in the year fo l lowing he
was nominated for the United S tates S enate to fi l l a vacancy
but was defeated by M r Tazewe ll In 1 8 2 4 he opposed the
attempted removal o f Wil li am and Ma ry Co ll ege to Richmond
and later became successively recto r and chancel l or O f that
venerable insti tution O f learning whose ear li er serv i ces in the
cause o f education an d scho l arsh i p a fter an ent i re prostration
by the war b etween the States have been renewed in the ab l e
admin istration o f hi s son D r Lyon G Tyler its presen t
President
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In December 1 8 2 5 M r Ty l er was e l ected Governor O f
Vi rginia by the Leg i slatu re wh i ch down to the Constitution
He
O f 1 8 50 posse s sed the power o f gubernatoria l election
was re —e l ected G overnor fo r a second term by an unanimous
vote ; b ut before completing thi s term he was sent in 1 8 2 7 to
the Un i ted S tates Senate over John Randolph o f Roanoke by
a combination O f the C l ay an d Adams men in the Legi slature
w ith the follo w ers o f Wi l l iam H Craw ford
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At thi s point for a better understanding O f M r Tyler s
career a brief retrospect i s advi sab l e In 1 8 1 6 the Old Federal
i st party o f Hamilton and John Adams was crushed and buried
under the od i um excited by its oppos i t i on to the War o f 1 8 1 2
"
and during M r Monroe s administration i ts ancient antagoni st
—
the Democratic Republican party o f Je fferson was the only
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22
ford men and voted for Jackson in the e l ection o f 1 8 2 8 The
—
faction s O f the Democratic Republican Party crystall ized into
two new parties The follo w ers o f Clay and John uincy
Adams t oo k the name o f Nationa l Republicans and the fol
lowers o f Jackson and Craw ford that o f Democrats Neither
party admitted any kin s h i p with the defunct Federal i st Party
O f Hamilton and John Adams Both Ra ndolph and Tyler
however decl ined to b ecome parti sans o f Jackson and while
they both supported h im in the canvass o f 1 8 3 2 they made o f
him o n thi s occasion as be fore a choice o f evils
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In 1 8 2 9 while S enator M r Tyler was elected a member O f
the famou s Vi rgini a Constitutional Convention o f 1 8 2 9 —1 8 3 0
an assembly o f which M r Ritchie w rote in h i s p re face to its
debates and before many o f its younger members had achieved
“
thei r su bsequent fame that some have he l d i t equa l to the
celebrated convention which met in Vi rgin ia i n the year 1 788
"
and which numbered
to pass u p on the Federal Co n stitution
in i ts membership o f ninety six tw o ex Presidents O f the
Union the Ch i ef Justice and many men already distingu i shed
on the b ench and at the bar and incl uded othe rs w ho were then
yet to become p residents senators governo rs members o f
presidential cabinets mini sters abroad and members O f the
Supreme Court O f the United States
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He returned from th i s body to hi s seat i n the Senate and
found a further pred i lection fo r President Jackson in the lat
"
ter s veto o f the Maysville Tu rnpike B il l in 1 8 3 0 But Jack
"
son s antagoni sm to internal imp rovements was only di rected
against roads and did n ot apply to water courses and what w a s
regarded by the str i ct con structioni s ts as his unconst i tutional
usurpation o f execut i ve powers in favor i ng app ropr i ations fo r
rivers and harbors in making parti san remova l s in approving
the p rotective tari ff O f 1 8 3 2 and in removing the deposits from
the United S tates Bank resulted in the complete al ienat i on o f
the Craw ford men
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24
o f the po l it i ca l confl icts o f the period emerge d the
"
tari ff o f abominat i ons o f 1 8 2 8 an d the p rotective tari ff o f
“
1 832
carried th rough Cong r ess b y J
Adam s in perfect
" *
“
concert w ith the administration
and the B loody Fo rce
"
B ill i n 1 8 3 3 To al l o f these measures M r Ty l e r was al ike
An d wh il e he d i d not favo r n u llifica tio n as a remedy
opposed
"
fo r the tar i ff he denounced Jackson s famous p roclamation O f
“
December 1 0 1 8 3 2 aga i nst South Carol ina a s sweeping away
“
a ll th e barr i ers o f the Const i tut i on and a s in e ffect estab l ish
"
ing a consol idated m i litary despoti sm
O ut
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Jackson w ith relentless d eterminat i on pu rsu ed h is d ic
A p rominent congressman o f Vi rgin ia w h o
ta to ria l way
sai d to h im that he had been h i s fr i end and su pporter when he
was right but could not go w ith him when he was w rong w a s
met by the cha racter i stic rep l y from th e Pres i dent that he d i d
not ca re fo r the kind o f fr i en d and supporte r w h o wou l d stand
by h i m on l y when he was r i ght but that the f riends he de si red
were those w h o wou ld stand by h im When he was w rong
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M r Ty l er wh i le oppose d to the tari ff wh i ch on the admis
S ion o f M r D i cker s on o f New Jersey made on the floo r o f
the S enate annual ly tran sferred from the S outh to the No rth
di d not a s al ready stated favo r n u llifica tion but
when th e bal l ot was taken O u the Fo rce B i ll investing the
P resident w ith extraordinary powers to en force the Obnoxious
tar i ff and when all the rest o f the oppo s i tion l e ft thei r seats
he rema i ned and h i s was the so l e vote i n the S enate reco rded
against i t on i ts pa s sage
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H owever the danger o f war and the a l most certain at
tempted destruction O f the Un i on that was threatened by the
Fo rce B ill were obv i ated by the C omprom i se Ta ri ff B i ll wh ich
M r C l ay introduced into the Senate ; an d th i s b i l l i n al l re
H e suggested the deta il s to
s p e cts was the work o f M r T y l er
M r C l ay p reva il ed upon him to O ffer it and brought abou t a
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Nile s
,
R e gis te
r
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L"II I p
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1
72
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meeting o f M r Cla y w ith M r Calhoun who agreed to support
*
it
Thus the Union w a s saved ; for a blow st ruck at South
Carolina at thi s time w ould have united the wh ole South as it
did in 1 861 when that sect i on was relat i vely much weaker
"
While the Force Bill was pending M r Tyler s term expired
and hi s re election was contested by the able James M cD o w e ll
o f Rockbridge who was however defeated by him
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The excitement over these events had scarcely s ubsided
"
when the passions O f men were rekind l ed by Jackson s removal
o f the Federal deposits from the United S tates Bank The Vir
"
ginia Le g i slature wh ich until Jackson s proclamation in De
ce m b e r 1 8 3 2 had supported h is administration was in opposi
tion and her delegation i n Congress wi th practical unanimity
determined in caucus i n favor o f the restoration O f the deposits
to the bank while pub l ic opinion in the S tate became over
"
whelmingly anti Jackson
In rebuke o f the P resi dent s as
sumptiou s and arrogations to h i msel f o f what they d eemed a
violation o f the law M r Ty l er and M r Clay worked e n th u
s ia s tica lly w ith M r Calhoun and M r Webste r in behal f o f the
Senate resolut i on o f cen su re which wa s adopted
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,
Then came the determined e ffort o f Thomas H Benton to
have this censure expunged from the j ournal o f the Senate
Vi rgini a exper i enced another change O f sentiment and turned
Jackson i an and M r Tyler wa s instructed in 1 8 3 6 to vote for
the ex punction He dec l ined and resigned from the Senate
having been honore d by election as President p ro te m o f that
body at the c l ose o f the session o f 1 8 3 4 1 8 3 5
.
.
,
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,
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,
-
.
O f the ruck and turmoi l o f i t a l l grew 3 great coalit i on
o f many men o f many minds that became the Nat i onal Whig
Party I ts parents were the anti tari ff me n and strict con
s tru ction is ts l argely l ocated i n the South and M r Clay s Na
t io n a l Repub l ican Party who believed in the Amer i can System
O ut
,
-
.
"
,
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.
Se e
te rly
Mr
M ag a e in e
466 67
Tyl r
e
.
,
""I
"
s
,
8
le tte
-
r
to
1 0 ; an d
J oh n
L
F loy d
e tte rs a n d
-
.
2
6
T
in Willia m
im es of th e
M a ry "
ua r
Ty le rs I 456 460
and
-
,
,
An ana l ys i s o f the Pres i dential votes in the years 1 8 3 6 and
wn f ro m
1 8 40 demonstrate s that the S outhern \Vh igs were dr a
the ol d Craw for d element o f the Democratic Republ ican Pa rty
Gathered about thi s fo rm idable a l l i ance were others who
had been n ullifie rs and others who had been p rotectioni sts ;
wh i le the anti Masonic Party that ha d grown up about the
hi stor i c Masonic ep i so d e O f Mo r g an fo rmed the rearguar d O f
the potential though in con grou s phalanx
-
.
,
-
,
,
.
Thu s wh il e some membe rs O f the new Nat i ona l Whi g
Party o rigina ll y favored a p rotective tar i ff others had fiercely
opposed it ; some had been fo r a Un ited States Bank an d others
again st a bank O f any k i nd ; some had favo red i nterna l i mp rove
ments by the nat i onal government and others had oppose d on
the ground o f unconst i tutiona l i ty ; and there were a l so some
w h o cont i nued Nullifie rs i n the expectation o f a future success
fu l rev i va l O f the d octr i ne
,
,
,
,
,
.
The gene r i c appel l at i on o f Wh ig embrace d al l the hetero
genous elements thus un i ted an d the i r rea l Si ng l e bond o f
union was oppo s i t i on to Jack s on an d the Jacks on i an democracy
I t was some years be fo re the \Vh ig Party attempted a formu l a
t i on O f p r i ncip l es and po li ci es fo r the Obv i ous reason that i n
such an assoc i ation there cou l d be no a g reement in any othe r
thing than the o n e thing o f making common cause aga i nst
execut i ve u surpation
,
.
,
.
In the e l ect i on o f 1 8 3 6 n o common P res id ent i a l candidate
cou l d be agree d upo n by the Wh ig s W il l i am Henry Harr i son
wa s the favo r i te cand id ate O f the Nat i ona l Repub li ca n Wh i gs
o f the N o rth
and Hu g h L Wh i te was the favo r i te o f the
—
S tate Rights Wh i gs o f the S outh ; but the Massachu setts
VVh igs voted fo r Webster and the South Carolina Wh i gs voted
fo r W i lli e P M an gum M r Tyler wa s placed upon the White
ticket fo r Vice P resident and i n several S tates upon the Har
ri son t i cket but most o f the No rthern States supported Franc is
Granger Under these ci rcumstances the Democrats had an
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'
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,
2
7
easy v i ctory and no o n e O f the Wh ig candidates was elected
“
"
The double S hotte d t i cket k il led us w rote M r Ty l er to M r
W 1 se a fter the elect i on
,
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,
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In 1 83 8 M r Ty l er w as again sent to the S tate Leg i slatu re
and as the martyr to the expunging resolution was at once
p l aced by h is friends i n nomination for the United S tates
“
"
Senate but a small faction call ing themse l ves Conservatives
led by Wil liam C Rives who because O f the In d ependent
Treasury measure favored by M r Van Buren had severed
relations w i th the Democratic Party held the balance o f power
between the Whigs and Democrats and p revented hi s election
An intrigue set on foo t by M r Clay by wh ich the maj ority O f
the Whig vote w a s finally cast fo r M r R i ves was i n turn de
"
feated by M r Tyler s particular frien d s who were indignant
at what they termed his betraya l by M r Clay and the Legis l a
ture adj ourned w i thout any election at thi s time
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Be fo re it could reassemble the great Whig Nationa l Con
Pa
December 4 1 8 3 9
ve n tion assembled at Harrisburg
"
and nominated the party s first success fu l ticket Harrison and
Tyler which w a s elected in the fo l lowing year The party
made i ts nomination w ith a view to the success wh i ch i t
achieved but as i s mo st significant it promulgated no p l at
form
,
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In the light o f thi s anoma l ous fact and O f the form er i rre
co n cilab le po l itical i deas an d interests o f the var i ous faction s
from which it S prung are to be read the accusat i ons that were
made against M r Tyle r by his enemies when after the death
O f General Harri s on he S ucceeded to the o ffice o f President
Ap ri l 4 1 8 4 1 To all such accusations O f h is having deserted
Whig p r i nciples and the Whig Party during his administration
it may be answered that his l i ght had shone a l ways as a beacon
o n a h i ll ; that he w a s known o f a l l men throughout hi s po l it i ca l
career to have been a s trict constructionist and S tate Rights
advocate ; that he was boun d by no p l edge o f po li tica l d octrine
,
,
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,
,
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,
2
8
w ritten o r unw ritten to the i ncongruous party that elected
him ; an d that he d i scharged the duties o f hi s h i gh o ffi ce in the
l o ftiest sp i rit o f patrioti sm an d acco rding to the p ro found and
matu re convictions that he had always ente rtaine d i n regard
to constitutiona l government
,
,
.
During the P res i dentia l canvass O f 1 840 the course O f the
“
"
W hig o rators i n the North was to ta l k loud l y o f reform
and to s ay nothing O f the Old i ssues O f bank tar i ff and internal
improv ements In the S outh where th e Whig constituenc i es
were p ractica ll y al l fo r S tate Rights they were strong in thei r
"
p ro fessions against these measures An d M r Clay s pos i tion
"
“
w as that a ll the O ld i ssues ha d become ob s olete in the p res
ence o f the Federalism O f the Jackson Van B uren Democracy
Indeed in a S peech made in the S enate i n S eptembe r 1 8 4 1
“
M r Buchanan dec l ared that dur i ng the whole e l ection cam
i
n
1
n
a
O
f
8
0
he
never
sa
o
sing
l
e
reso
l
ution
i
n
favo
r
a
f
w
e
o
4
p g
n ationa l bank which had been passed by any Whig meet i ng in
"
any part o f the country
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I t is a notab l e fact that i n th i s canvass M r Clay and many
o ther p rominent Whigs expre s sed in thei r s p eeches the v ery
views which M r Ty l er put i nto co n crete e ffect in hi s vetoes o f
—
f
f
the bank bi l l s and O f the ta r i bi lls and i t was fo r the first time
upon h is veto o f the F i sca l Co rpo ration B i l l that the Wh i g
members O f Con gress put forth i n thei r Address to the Peo
"
ple a W ritten d ecl aration o f what purported to be Whig pu r
poses and polic i es ; and d ec l aring that the Presi dent ha d im
“
periled these Whig measures p rocla i me d that a ll po l itica l
connection between them and Jo hn Ty l e r was at an end
Th i s
pronunciamento may be attributed so l el y to the party dom i
nance o f M r Clay and o f the No rthe rn National Repub li can
Whig influence i n Congress
.
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Th e Whig Pa r ty in th e S o u th A C Co le ( A m er ic a n H is to r ica l
page s 2 9 3 0 an d s e q , an d au th o r itie s
A s s ocia tion , W as h in gto n ,
cite d
Spe e c h O f Mr B u ch an an in
on g r es s ion a l G lob e , a p p e n d1 x t o V o l
*
,
"p
,
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.
.
C
3 43
2
9
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.
M r Ty l er took over the Harri son Cabinet and soon wa s
called to con f ront the currency question He had no confidence
in any mere bank at thi s time as a remedy fo r the financia l
troubles in the country but he naturally desi red to grati fy
t h e Whig leaders i f possib l e
As he did not believe that Co n
gress had power to create corporation s in the States he gave
h is Cabinet to understand that he would approve any bank fo r
the Di strict o f Columbia i f accepted and establ i she d in good
faith by the Wh i gs According l y Thomas Ewing the S ecre
tary O f the Treasu ry drew a bank bill fo r the Di str i ct which
though it contained features o f local di scount i ng that were
Obj ectionab l e to M r Tyler had nothing actually u n con s titu
tio n a l about it
But when this b ill which was known as a
measure to establ ish the Fi scal Bank O f the United S tates wa s
p roposed in Congress M r Clay moved to subst i tute fo r the
clause requ i ring the as s ent O f the States to the creation o f
branche s another clause author i zing the bank to establi sh
branches without the con sent o f the S tates The bi l l passed
Congress and was vetoed by the President and M r Ew i ng
"
“
adm i tted that the veto w as in con fo rmity w i th the Pre s i dent s
"
Opinions pe rtinac i ously adhered to in all hi s conversat i ons
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The attempt then was made to p repare another b i l l for what
became known as the F i s ca l Co rpo ration o f the Unite d States
and on Augu st 1 8 1 8 4 1 the P resident d i scu ssed its principal
outl ines i n Cab i net There was n o w ritten bil l be fore them
At thi s meet i ng he authorized tw o O f the Cabinet O fficers M r
Ewing and M r Webster to con fer with Messrs Sergeant and
Berrien w h o represented the Whigs in the House o f Represent
atives about putting the bi l l in shape for Con gress Looking
fo r ground to j usti fy thei r de s ertion O f the Presi dent Ew i ng
and tw o other members o f the Cab i net a fterwards asserted i n
thei r letters o f resignation that thi s bill was drawn to con form
"
to the President s ideas as out l ined to them and that he acted
in bad faith in vetoing it
a charge that has been frequent l y
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30
.
"
moment committed hi s conscience to any man s keeping A c
cording to the letter o f resignation of John Bell the Secretary
“
o f War the President at the Cabinet meeting expressed a
wish to s e e the bi l l be fore it w a s prese nted to the House i f it
"
could be SO managed
Why S hou l d he have made thi s demand
i f he had parted with hi s contro l over the bill " He tol d M r
Webster and M r Ewing that they might express to the Whig
Committee thei r confidence and belief that such a bill as had
j ust been agreed upon wo u l d receive hi s sanction but i t S hould
be a matter o f in ference from h is veto mes sage and h is general
"
views
What cou l d he mean by thi s except that he wanted to
be consi stent with hi s action in the Fiscal Bank B il l and that
"
reserved
the
right
O
f
fina
l
j
udgment
How Webster re
be
garded the matter i s S hown by h is note o f Au gust 2 0th to the
President wri tten after talking with Sergeant and Berrien to
whom he had gone in pursuance o f the understanding at th e
“
Cabinet meeting : I have done or said noth ing a s from you or
by your authority o r i mplicating you in the s l ightest degree
I f any measure pass you will be perfectly free to exercise your
constitutional power wholly unco m
m itted except s o far as may
"
be gathered from you r publ ic and O fficial acts Th is letter can
not be reasonably regarded as consi stent with the thought that
the President in conscience was bound in any way to hi s Cabi
net o n the Fi sca l Corporation B ill
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3
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The P r esident himsel f show s that the p rincip l e O f the Fi s
cal Corpo ration w as as Obj ectionable as the principle O f the
bil l j ust vetoed I t w a s not reconcilable with his late veto
The Fi sca l Corporation was a cor
o r h is other O fficial acts
created
by
Congress
i
n
i
ts
national
character
and
not
i
r
n
o
a
t
o
p
a local bank O f the Di strict o f Co l umbia create d by Congress in
its character as the local l egislature O f the Distr i ct It dealt
ostensibly in exchanges but admitte d a system o f l ocal di s
counts which he had condemned in hi s late veto message and
at the Cabinet meeting But whether a bank o f loca l discount
.
.
,
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,
,
.
32
an exchange ba nk i t l acked the fundamental featu re
S tate assent a s to branches
or
,
Of
.
M r Ty l er states that he had suggested to the Cab i net n o t
a nationa l bank but a l oca l bank o f the D istrict o f Co l umb i a
without the d i scounting power o f the Fi sca l B ank B ill ei ther
in its o riginal shape a s fash i oned by M r Ewing o r as amended
by M r Clay and o n e confined to dea l ing i n foreign exchanges
S o far a s the right o f a l oca l bank to deal i n fo reign exchanges
was concerned M r Tyler looked to the deci sion o f the
S upreme Court o f the Uni ted S tates i n the case o f B an k of
"
A ugus ta vs E a rle ( 1 3 Peters R e p orts
wh ich settled the
p rinciple that a bank O f o n e sovereign country autho r i zed to
deal in exchanges might by the comity o f nat i on s estab l ish
agencies o r branches fo r that pu rpo se in another sovereign an d
i ndependent country unless p roh i bited by it s l aw s from s o
do i n g
‘
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,
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S uch was the pu rpo rt o f h is suggest i on s at the Cabinet
"
"
meeting and M r Tyler s account o f the matter ta ll ies with
the statement o f o n e o f the Wh ig s M r A H H S tuart o f
Vi rginia who admi ts that on August 1 6th two d ays be fo re
the Cab i net met he brought a pape r contain ing the c l au s e i n
regar d to b ranches to the P res i dent w h o w rote upon the mar
g i n a n amen dment to meet th e case i n po i nt Under it th e
consent to branches m i ght be taken as imp l ied until fo rbi dden
by the S tate Th i s amendment di ffered in operation but not
in p rinc i pl e from the o r ig inal requ i rement as to branches in
"
Ewing s B i l l The d i fference i n operation occasioned by re
s trictin g the b il l to exchanges
w a s a dist i nction founded on
the l aw O f nat i ons w h i ch l aw i s i tsel f founded on the consent
O f S tates ; but the p l an gave oppo rtun i ty fo r the bank to estab
li sh branches mo re free l y an d fo r thi s reason M r Ty l er hoped
that it would be p leas i ng to the Whig maj o r i ty Y e t the
"
Whigs seized u pon M r Tyler s patriot i c ove rture as an ab so
<
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For Mr T y ler s o w n c lear an d co n c lu s ive ac coun t o f
L e tte rs a n d Time s of th e Ty le rs I I 66 70 ; 98 1 02
"
.
see
-
,
33
,
-
.
th e
Ba n k b ills
,
lute surrender and the Fi scal Corporation bil l appeared in
Congress without any l imitation o n the establ i shment O f
branches M r Tyler tried to have the bill amended and fai l ing
to e ffect thi s tried to have it postp oned but the Whigs bent
upon making an i ssue with M r Tyler b e fore the people ru tl
lessly pushed the measure j ust a s it was to its pa s sage A
second veto followed ; all the Cab i net resigned except M r Web
ster and the p ronunciamento mentioned was i ssued A fte r
all the question between M r Tyler and the Wh igs was not a
me re on e o f bank and no bank but the Old one O f centraliza
tion O f power in Congres s and St ate Rights O f a con sol idated
n ation and a con federate d repub l ic
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,
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Despite the decadence o f State R i ghts the fact endur i ng to
thi s day i s that M r Ty l er saved the country f rom a vast
f
moneyed trust and Carl Schu rz de cla re s that the verdict O f
impartial hi story w i l l p robably be that John Tyler by prevent
ing by h i s veto the inco rpo ration O f another United States Bank
rendered h i s count ry a valuable service
The p l an o f a United
S tate s Bank i n the Old sense O f the word as a S ingl e gigantic
private corporation owning numerous a ffi l iated banks in a ll
the S tates and made the depositary and beneficiary o f al l the
moneys o f the government may sa fely be sai d to be a discarded
thing forever
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,
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,
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,
.
M r Ty ler during the next two years wh ile the Whigs had
a maj ority in Congress received but slight support from that
party an d was in l ittle better case with the Democratic ma
dominated
by
the
Van
Buren
influence
when
that
party
o
r
i
t
j
y
succeeded in legi s la tive superiority He re li ed upon the w ings
o f either party who were as he had alw a ys been the support
ers O f State Rights A fter the resignation o f the Harrison
appointees w i th the exception of M r Webster who d i d n ot
approve the co nduct o f the Whigs and ever remained the Pres i
"
dent s warm personal friend he filled hi s Cabinet with State
.
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,
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,
Sch u r z
,
H e n ry
C l y II
a
,
,
2 09
( A me r ica n S ta te s m e n Se r ie s )
34
.
R ights
Whigs who l ike hi mse l f had voted fo r Harri son and
—
two years l ate r he inc l uded in it several State Rights Demo
cra ts who were opposed to Van Bu ren
,
,
,
,
.
The steadiness w i th w hich he met these vary i ng cond i tion s
w a s matched by h is firmness in sustaining the ful l digni ty o f
“
He did not rega rd h imse l f as P resident by acci
h is position
"
"
“
“
dent o r chance o r as a Vice P res i dent act i ng as Pres i
dent b u t as Pres i dent by election an d by the constitution
A s such he was reco gn ized by both Houses o f Congress
No r
in h is op i nion S imp l y because h i s act i ve functions were depend
ent upon the death O f P res ident Harrison d id that event to
“
u s e the slang ph rase o f the Wh i gs
make h i m an acci d ental
"
President any mo re than was the then ueen o f England
Victoria an accidental monarch because her accession to the
th rone had been cont i ngent on the death o f her uncle Wi l l iam
IV Acco rdin g to the constitut i on when the Vi ce P resident
i s e l ected it is fo r the very purpose o f hi s succeeding to the
“
Office o f P res i dent and there i s no room fo r chance
o r as
Ca l eb Cushing the em i nent l awyer o f Massachusetts exp ressed
"
"
“
it the V i ce Pres i dent s success i on i s a fixe d fact by the
constitution By h i s determ ine d and fo rtunate stand h e pre
served the executive from a d ep l orab l e lo ss o f powe r and
author i ty and establ i s hed the p rece d ent that has been fol l owed
to thi s day
.
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,
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In place o f th e vetoed bank b i l l s wh ich h i s opponents vainl y
sought to pas s over h i s veto he d ra fted as a substitute the
"
Exchequer B ill which w as declared b y M r \Ve b s te r in its
S i gnificance and importance to be only in ferior to the Fed
eral Constitut i on itse l f and which in its character as a govern
ment measu re w ith a b o ard O f contro l under the supervi sion
O f the Treasu ry Department
and in its p rovision s to i ssue
L
government notes and receive depo s i ts was a p roto typ e ] O f
,
,
(
.
,
,
,
,
,
F an eu il H a ll s pee ch
co n n e c tio n w a s n ote d
a rec e n t s peec h
I n h is
TTh e
I s lan d, in
,
Se p te m ber 3 0 1 842
b y Se n a tor N W A ldr ich
.
,
.
.
35
.
,
of
Rh o de
the recently enacted Federa l Reserve Act
When parti san
politics occasioned the rej ection O f the exchequer by Congress
Presi de nt Tyler fo r the remainder O f hi s admi n i stration h ad
the moneys o f the government in what was p ractically h is own
private keeping and the country l ost not one dollar
-
.
,
,
,
,
.
A fter the cu rrency question was di s p osed o f he had to con
front in 1 8 4 2 the equally important i f not more i mportant
o n e O f the revenue
He inherited a bankrupt treasury whic h
necessitated a public loan and a revi sion O f the comp romi se
tar i ff o f 1 8 3 3 ; and fo r fl oating the loan successful l y he wi shed
to p l edge the net proceeds O f the sales O f the publ i c l and s
But the Whig Congress under the leadersh ip o f M r Clay
in sisted on giving thi s only immediately rel iable fund to the
S tates and attache d a rider fo r thi s purpose to the new tari ff
bi l l thus unit i ng in the same measu re tw o diametrical l y o p
— on e having fo r its obj ect putting money in
i
things
os
t
e
p
and the other taking money from the treasury To e ffect a
separation th e Pres i dent had to resort a s in the bank affai r to
tw o vetoes ; and at length Congress passed unencumbered with
the rider the Whig tari ff O f 1 8 4 2 which despite some Ob je c
tio n ab le protective features the President approved as a reve
nue measu re demanded by the exigencie s o f the treasury Nor
d i d it disappoint hi s expectation s as it speedily filled the empty
treasu ry to overflow in g
,
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The di sapproval O f the people O f the conduct o f the Whigs
was reg i stered in the fall elections o f 1 84 2 The Whig Pa rtv
w a s swept from power and tw o years later when M r Clay
was the Whig candi date fo r the Presi d ency he was de feated
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The con fusion and clamor O f these earlier po litical strug
g l es have l ong since passed away and in the retrospective o f
histo ry men have come to s ee clearly the truth s that have
emerged from them O f these truths there i s n ow none more
sal i ent and con spicuous than that tho s e who charged M r
Ty l er w ith recreancy to the Whig Party and its princip l es bore
“
fa l se witness against him A s has been sa i d o f h i m : It was
,
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36
i mpo ssible i n the nature o f th i ngs fo r a party compo sed O f s o
many di s cordant and oppo sing elements to have any well
de fin e d principles o r determinate pol icy ; and i t was perfectly
understood in the Harr i sbu rg C onvention wh ich nominated
Harri son an d Tyler that M r Tyler was put on the ticket as
we ll on account O f hi s great popu l arit y th roughout the
country as fo r hi s w ell known anti bank a n ti tari ff strict
State Rights and anti internal imp rovemen t
n is t
con s tru ct iO
"
“
A S General W i se tru l y says :
views and pr i ncip l es
He did
not comm i t himsel f to a Federa l party o r Federa l opinion s
by accept i n g the nomination but the Whig Party committed
itsel f to Democratic pr i nciples and se l ecte d a Democrat to
"
guard them
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At the time o f the acc ession o f M r Ty l er to the P residency
the diplomacy o f England apparently contemp l ated an ab s orp
t i on o f that section o f the Am erican Continent that lay west
O f the M i ssi ssippi River
a territo ry which compri sed Texas
Colorado New Mexico Arizona I daho Montana W y oming
Nevada Cali fo rnia O regon and Wa sh in gt on
and which
w a s claimed by M exico but uncontrolled by her a u thority
From thi s S ituation grew the A shbu rto n Treaty w ith Great
“
B ritain negotiated a s M r
hi msel f says
From step
to step and from dav to day under the President s o w n imme
"
diate supervi sion and di rection everything being first agreed
upon in in formal con ference s and a f t erwards reduced to w rit
L
ing and subm itted to h im fo r hi s final co rre ct io n s ) An d out
O f the same condit i on s a l so grew h i s success ful p rocurement
o f the i ndependence o f the S andw ich I sland s n o w an impo rtant
dependency o f the Un i ted S tates M r Tyle r applied the M on
roe Doctrine to these i sland s a s part o f this continent and thus
in being the first president to reach out to them the protecting
a rm o f th i s government le d the w ay to thei r ultimate acquisi
tion under President M cK in le y
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D a n ie l
TL e tte rs
W e b s te r
an d
Ti m
to
L ew i C
f th Ty l
es o
s
e
as s
( Nile s R e gis te r
e rs ,
37
,
II
,
2 42
;
I II
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L"I V p
2 05 - 2 06
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B ut the most far reaching question o f thi s diplomacy o f
Great B ritain and the United S tates related to Texas and
Cali forn ia A s early as 1 8 4 1 M r Ty l er had pointed out to
M r Webster the si gn ificance to the United States o f the ulti
mate acqui s i tion O f Texa s and this i dea continued persistent l y
w i th h i m unti l i ts con summation was finally achieved and the
j o i nt reso l ution O f the two Houses O f Congress p rovid i ng for
annexat i on was adopted and sign ed by him on the last day o f
h i s term O f offi ce That thi s great purpo se was very near his
hea r t an d that i ts u l t i mate accomp l i s hment a fforded him much
satis fact i on i s indicated i n a l etter to M r A l exander Gard i ner
in wh i ch he w rote on the eve O f hi s reti rement from the p resi
“
We sha ll l eave the government an d country sound
de n cy :
an d prosperous ; and i f the annexation O f Texas shal l crown
O ff my pub l ic li fe I shal l neither reti re ignomin i ously nor be
"
soon forgotten
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Whatever the views O f other Southern men he took from
the fi rst as to Texa s the broad gro und O f the nationa l good
the monopoly o f the cotton plant the growth o f the coastwise
and fore i gn tra ffic and the extension o f the national domain
And that i n all the mani fol d ci rc u mstances w h ch marked the
deve l opment and accompli shment o f the great measu re O f an
n e xation h i s motives and conduct were O f a h igh and noble
cha racter i s confirmed by D r Ju stin H Smith O f Boston who
“
in h i s recent work The Annexation o f Texas
has
subj ected the whole question to the most thorough and pains
tak i n g i nvestigation In hi s summary O f the action s and mo
tiv e s O f men No rth and South both for and aga i nst the meas
u re D r S m i th dec l ares that among the leaders Ty l er the
unpopu l ar comes ou t rather the best as s o O ften occurs when
"
con d uct and principles are closely examined
By resorting to
j oint reso l ution s o f Congress for the annexation o f Texas he
aga i n fu rn ished a precedent to ou r own times Although thi s
method o f annexation was strongl y denounce d as u n con st itu
tion a l especially i n the North i t was later resorted to by M r
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.
and he for the pa l try sum o f fifteen d ol l ars ; wh il e the expenses
o f government were reduced on e fourth
as compared w i th
those o f the preceding admin istration M r Webster paid him
“
*
the tribute o f sa ying :
that in a l l thin g s respecting the ex
i
e
n
r
d
t
u
s
o
f
the
pub
l
ic
moneys
he
was
remarkably
cautious
e
p
"
exact and particu l ar
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And yet no pub l ic i nterest was neglected
The Navy
Department h itherto chiefly conspicuous for its chaotic con
ditio n s w as o rganized into bureau s w ith a veteran commander
at the head o f each The naval force w a s augmented by two
—
new squadrons the Home and the A frican squadrons The
National O bservatory was establ i shed with the eminent Vi r
ginia s cientist Matthew F Maury at its head and the first
steps were taken towards the founding o f the United S tates
Nava l Academy
Increased e fficiency w a s imparted to the
army and the fortification s at O ld Point and other places
which M r Tyler received in an almost di smantled condition
bristled when he left the government wi th guns and military
equipment He filled the i mportant posts abroad with men
l i ke Everett VVh e aton I rving Thompson Cush ing and Payne
di st i n g ui shed for abil i ty and l ove o f literature He threw
the influence o f h is O ffice in favor O f Morse and h is telegraph
sent Fré mon t to discover the best path over the Western p l a i ns
and through the mountain s to O regon and encouraged the
caravans o f i mmigrants under El ij ah White and others who
went to make thei r homes on t h e di stant waters o f the Co l um
bia R i ver
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H e had married as hi s second w ife in June 1 8 44 M iss
Jul ia Ga rdiner daughter Of Hon David and Juliana Gard i ner
New Y ork who was the mother o f h i s two
o f Long I s l and
still l iving son s the Hon David Gardiner Tyler ex Congress
man and present Ci rcuit Judge and D r Lyon G Tyler the
di s tingui shed scholar and hi storian and present Pres i dent s i nce
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L if
f D a n ie l
e o
We b s te r II p
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75
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o f the anc i ent College o f Will iam an d Mary H i s second
wi fe l ies bu ried by h is Si de beneath th i s monument
1
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A fter leav i n g the Whi te House M r Tyler went to l ive on
“
an estate in Charles City County th ree mi l es fro m Green
"
"
way h i s father s Old home an d h i s own bi rthp l ace an d to h is
“
"
new res i dence he gave the name o f S herwood Fo rest
Here
he cont i nued to dwel l fo r the rest o f hi s li fe ceasing to take
an active part i n politi cs but even in hi s reti rement exerc i s in g
a potent i nfluence on publ ic opin ion in V i rgini a Du ring thi s
time he w a s in much demand fo r l ectures and addresses and in
1 8 57 he was the o rato r at the cel ebrat i on o f the two hundredth
an d fiftieth anniversary o f the sett l ement at Jamestown O ld
enmities d i ed away and he acqui red much o f hi s fo rmer great
popularity in Vi rginia and i n othe r S tates
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The growth o f the nationali st p ri nc i p l e in the No rth a s
ev id enced by the ri se o f the Repub l ican Party i n 1 8 56 brought
the country face to face with the di re results which M r Ty l er
had a l ways apprehended The two nation s constituting the
Un i on grew more an d mo re un li ke and to the social industria l
and econom i c di fferences former l y exi sting were a d de d v i o l ent
sect i onal d i strust an d enm i ty
The e l ection o f L i nco l n a
No rthe r
n man by No rthern States and upon a p l atfo rm wh i ch
i n defi ance o f a recent deci s i on O f the S up reme Court den i e d
the right o f a Southern man to g o w i th h i s s l ave s i nto any o f
the territo r i es secure d by the common b l oo d and the common
treasu re w a s construe d by the Southern States a s a Northern
monopo l y O f po li t i ca l and economic power
Deeming the
Un i on under a ll th ese ci rcumstances to have be come a pos i t i ve
fa il u re and assert i ng the natu ra l r i ght to independence based
on the vast extent o f the i r Southern territo ry and a population
three t i mes a s great as that o f the o riginal co l onies they ap
pea l ed to the wo rds o f the Declarat i on O f Indepen dence and to
the i r reserve d r i ghts un d e r the Co nstitu tion an d p repared for
peaceable separation
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In th i s eme rgency M r Ty ler who had a sincere attachment
to the Un ion o f the Fathers repeated the part wh i ch he had
played in 1 8 3 3 He tried to save the Union by peaceful means
but was unsuccess ful Upon the s ecession O f South Caro l ina
"
after M r Linco l n s election h is counse l and advice were sought
by h is people and he w a s e l ected to the State Convention which
met in Richmond February 1 3 1 8 61 He was sent as Peace
Commi ssioner to President Buchanan and it was due to h is
patriotic e ffo rts that the Peace Convention o f which he w a s
chosen President and whose purpose w a s to preserve the
Union was ca l led to meet in Washington February 4 1 8 61
The result o f the de l iberation s O f th is conference took S hape
i n an amb i guous p roposition which M r Ty l er opposed and
wh i ch the Republ ic an Congress rej ected Rea l izing after thi s
that all comp romi se was impossible M r Tyler advocated the
secession o f Vi rginia and on the 1 7 th o f Apri l 1 861 was
e l ected a de l egate to the P rovi siona l Congress o f the C on
federate S tate s an d was an active member o f that body i n
R i ch m ond In the November follow i ng he was e l ected a mem
ber o f the Confederate House O f Rep resentat i ves but d i e d on
Janua r y 1 8 1 8 62 before tak i n g h i s seat in the l atter bo dy
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Dur i ng the pe r i o d that he l ived a fter the beg i nnin g o f the
Wa r between the States he suggested the system o f gunboats
d ev i se d for the Con federacy ; and Commo d o r e M atthew F
M au r y who ment i ons th i s fact pays him the tr i bute o f stat i ng
that h i s d eath w a s the heav i est b l ow susta i ned by the Con
*
fe d erate S tates during the first year o f the war
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T i me wou ld fai l for the rehearsa l here o f the Op i n i ons
exp ressed o f hi m by men o f dist i nction and renown
Mr
“
Davi s sai d o f h im that he was the m ost fel icitous among the
“
"
orators he had known ; Alexander H S tephens s a i d that h is
State papers compared favorab l y i n point o f abi l ity w i th those
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Officia l R e co r d
6, p 63 3
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f
o
th e
Un io n
an d
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42
C on fe de ra te
Navies Ser ie s
,
I
,
V ol
.
of
any o f hi s p redecesso r s an d Daniel Webster and Hen ry S
Foote and Hen ry A Wi se an d Geo rge Tickno r Curti s and
R M T Hunter and a host O f othe r great men bestowed upon
h i m the exp re s sion s o f thei r admi ration respect and regar d
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Concerning h is genera l appearance we have the report o f
the nove l i st Charles D i cken s
Reco rding in h i s A me rican
Notes an account o f a v i sit to th e W h ite Hou se i n 1 8 42 he
"
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w rote o f h i s m il d an d p l easant exp res sion an d o f hi s r e
ma rkab ly unaffected g ent l eman l y and agreeab l e manners
“
and added that he thou g ht that i n h i s who l e carr i age an d
"
demeano r he became h i s stat i on s i n gu l ar l y we ll
That he
w a s a man O f fine l iterary accomp l i s hments i s S hown not on l y
by hi s messa g es and p rivate letters but by h is beaut i fu l and
e loquent addresses among wh i ch may be ment i one d h is orat i on
on the death o f Je fferson i n 1 8 2 6 h i s lec tu re at the Mary l and
"
“
Mechanics In stitute in 1 8 5 5 and h i s di scou r s e on the Dead
"
o f the Cabinet
in 1 8 56 in wh ich he pays a tende r tr i bute to
Webster Calhoun Legar é Upshu r Gil m er Spencer and
Wickl i ffe h i s able associates in the conduct o f the g overnment
o f the Un i ted S tates
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H e w a s buried in Ho l lywood Cemetery where a l ar g e con
cou rse gathered to testi fy thei r pride in h i s greatnes s and thei r
sorrow for hi s departure ; and i n h is funeral obsequ ies c i ty and
S tate an d Con federacy a l ike took part
,
.
And now the Federal Government h as erected th i s monu
ment over h i s morta l body ; but the si gn ificance o f the act does
not l ie in the cost o r the beauty o f the m on ument i tsel f I ts
erection i s uni que in that i t i s the first monument to be voted
by the Federal Congress to any man whose sense o f duty im
him
to
take
sides
w
ith
the
S
outh
in
the
sto
rmy
day
o
f
s
ll
e
e
d
p
secession Viewed in thi s l ight thi s memo ria l S ha ft to John
Tyler i s the most impressive and s i gnificant o f al l memorial
structures in the United S tates fo r it i s the first i n which
both No rth and South have f reely j oined and i t stands to the
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worl d as the S ign an d p l edge o f a reunite d country and a tes
tim on y that the passion s o f the past have peri shed
,
.
John Tyler statesman and patriot needs no eulogy The
austere epitom e o f hi s l i fe and deeds can convey but an in a de
quate concept i on o f hi s courage h is ability hi s steadfastness
and hi s patr i otic devotion to country Hi s dust reposes h ere
beneath th i s monument and on the page o f hi story hi s fame
itsel f is monumental H i s name has been placed there along
—
side th o se o i the great l eaders o f ou r epic story
O f J e ffe r
son an d Madison o f Calhoun and Davi s and as long as the
reco rds o f the republ ic shal l endure he will be remembered and
honored as one o f i ts most i l l u s triou s sons
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C IRC ULA TIO N DEPA RTM ENT
RETURN
A l l BO O KS M A Y BE RECA l l ED A FTER 7 DA YS
.
Re n e w a ls
a nd
r
r rt
Re ch a ge s ma y b e m a de 4 da ys p io
Bo o k s ma y b e Re
ne
w e d b y ca llin g
642 -34 05
o
th e
due da te
.
.
DUE A S STA M PED BELO W
UNIV ERSITY O FCA LIFO RNIA BERKELEY
,
FO RM NO
.
DOO
BERKELEY CA 9 4 7 2 0
,
®s