force
into the Creek country. When the men were close upon starvation, they
mutinied. Jackson rode in front of them, pistol in hand, and declared he
would shoot the first one who refused to obey his orders. Not a man
rebelled. At the same time he divided all the food he had among them,
which consisted solely of acorns. Nevertheless, he pressed on and
utterly destroyed the Indian confederation.

Added to these fine qualities was his chivalrous devotion to his wife,
the unvarying respect he showed to the other sex, and the purity of his
own character. Such a man cannot fail to exercise a powerful influence
upon those with whom he comes in contact. In Jackson's estimation, the
only living person whose views were right upon every question was
himself. He was intolerant of opposition, and merciless in his enmity of
a personal opponent. He made mistakes, as was inevitable, and some of
them wrought great injury; but even his opponents respected while they
feared him, and the qualities which we have indicated gave him a warm
place not only in the affection of his own generation but in the
generations that came after him.

When his tempestuous career came to a close, Jackson retired to his
home, known as the Hermitage, in Tennessee, where he passed his
declining years in quiet and peace. He became a devout Christian, and
died of consumption, June 8, 1845.

"TO THE VICTORS BELONG THE SPOILS."

It need hardly be said that when Jackson became President he shared his
authority with no one. He made up his cabinet of his personal friends,
and, on the principle of "To the victors belong the spoils," that an
administration to be successful must be composed of those of the same
political faith with its head, he began a system of removals from
office. The total number of such removals made by his predecessors was
seventy-four, some of which were for cause. A year after his
inauguration, Jackson had turned 2,000 office-holders out, and, since
their successors were obliged in many instances to remove subordinates,
in pursuance of the same policy, it will be seen that the President
adopted no halfway measures.

He regarded the members of his cabinet as simply clerks, and, when he
wished to consult with trusted friends, called together a certain number
of boon associates, who became known as his "Kitchen Cabinet."

JACKSON'S FIGHT WITH THE UNITED STATES BANK.

One of the President's unbearable aversions was the United States Bank