gain, how could the
many discordant groups be rallied to the support of any single leader?

Jackson predicted in 1834 that his opponents would nominate William
Henry Harrison, because "they have got to take up a soldier; they have
tried orators enough." The prophecy was a shrewd one, and in 1840 it
was fulfilled to the letter. Upon the present occasion, however, the
leaders decided to place no single nominee in the field, but rather to
bring forward a number of candidates who could be expected to develop
local strength and so to split the vote as to throw the final choice
into the House of Representatives. This seemed the only hope of
circumventing Van Buren's election. Four sectional candidates entered
the race: Webster was backed by New England; the Northwest united on
Harrison; the Southwest joined the Tennessee revolters in support of
White; Ohio had her own candidate in the person of McLean.

The plan was ingenious, but it did not work. Van Buren received 170
electoral votes against 124 in spite of his opponents. He carried
fifteen of the twenty-six States, including four in New England.
Harrison received 73 votes, White 26 (including those of Tennessee),
and Webster 14. South Carolina refused to support any of the
candidates on either side and threw away her votes on W.P. Mangum of
North Carolina. The Democrats kept control of both branches of
Congress.

Victory, therefore, rested with the Jacksonians--which means with
Jackson himself. The Democrats would have control of both the
executive and legislative branches of the Government for some years to
come; the Bank would not soon be re-chartered; the veto power would
remain intact; federal expenditure upon internal improvements had been
curbed, and the "American system" had been checked; the national debt
was discharged and revenue was superabundant; Jackson could look back
over the record of his Administrations with pride and forward to the
rule of "Little Van" with satisfaction. "When I review the arduous
administration through which I have passed," declared the President
soon after the results of the election were made known, "the
formidable opposition, to its very close, of the combined talents,
wealth, and power of the whole aristocracy of the United States, aided
as it is by the moneyed monopolies of the whole country with their
corrupting influence, with which we had to contend, I am truly
thankful to my God for this happy result."

Congress met on the