Jack-son thought it would be well for Con-gress to pass a bill, that no thing on the slave trade should go through the mails; but that bill did not pass. Some were made friends to Jack-son by this strong course, when the South had a plan to break up our States, and leave the North; but, of course, there were those who did not like him for the same cause. He had both strong friends and foes; but made so good a rule, that he put the land out of debt, and had a sum left to share with the States. Much new land was bought in his time.
Jack-son was a great man. He had come from poor folks, and as a boy he was more fond of sports than of books. His life had its ups and downs. Once he was in the hands of the foe, and told he must clean some boots for them. It was too much for a free born A-mer-i-can to clean Brit-ish boots. It made his blood boil, and he said with scorn that he would not do such work. He was not mild or meek, you know, but had a strong will of his own. And he kept his word spite of blows, and was sent to jail. There the poor boy had small pox. He knew not where to turn when he got out of jail, for he was poor, and had no one left to help him. He had more than one fight in his time, and scars that he did not gain in war. He was brave through and through, and won fame where he went. He was in his old home when he drew his last breath in peace.
When Mar-tin Van Bu-ren came in, the talk on the slave trade grew worse. A slave child by the name of Med, who had been brought to Bos-ton by a man, was said to be free by the Court of that State, as she had trod on free soil. But at the same time some of the dames who met to take the slaves' part, were set on by a mob, and Gar-ri-son, who stood up to make them a speech, was bound with ropes. Then this fierce mob set to work to drag him through the streets; but some friends got hold of him, and had to lodge him in jail to save his life. Two schools for the blacks were set on fire; and one man in the West, who was a great friend of the slave, met his death at the hands of a mob.
Just at this time there was a plan to bring in Tex-as as a slave State, and this shook the land from North to South. Long pleas with the names of a great mass of folks were sent to Con-gress, to beg them not to let Tex-as come in as a slave State. John Quin-cy Ad-ams, it is said, spoke an hour a day for twelve days, on the side of those who would make Tex-as a free State. They put off the strife at that time, and did not bring Tex-as in at all. Con-gress made a rule, that no bills that spoke of slaves should be brought in, and this was in force for ten years.
In Van Bu-ren's time there was a great crash in trade, and hard times in the land. He did not make the hard times, still he had but one term for that cause. Men felt a hope that a new man might bring in a new state of things. They chose Har-ri-son, who had fought in a brave way in the wars with the red men.
He came from the far West, where his home had once been in a log house. So he had the name of the Log Cabin man, and the poor men in the land all felt proud that one of their own kind was their chief; one who had made his way out of the ranks. There was a print of that log cabin on all sorts of things, and toys were made in that form, and songs were made on it, and sung when men met.
The new Pres-i-dent did not live but one month, and so for the rest of the four years, John Ty-ler took the rule; but he did not please those who had cast their votes for him. He would not let their bills pass: one of which was to form a States Bank, on which the Whigs had all set their hearts. The State of Tex-as was brought in at this time.
You have all seen the wires which stretch from pole to pole in the streets of our great towns, and in lone roads by field and wood. You know what they are for, and how by means of them you can send word to a friend in time of need, or hear from those you love in a flash. It may be a death that is told, or some news of joy that they can not wait to send by the slow way of the post.
SAM-UEL F. B. MORSE.