A fearless supporter of the recharter of the national
bank, he had championed the doctrine of implied powers and denied
the right of a state to resist the laws of Congress except by
changing its representation or appealing to the sword under the
right of revolution.
Nevertheless, in the period of this volume, Crawford joined the
ranks of the southerners who demanded a return to strict
construction and insistence on state rights. In the congressional
caucus of 1816, he obtained 54 votes for the presidency against 65
for Monroe. Had not the influence of Madison been thrown for the
latter, it seems probable that Crawford would have obtained the
nomination; but his strength in building up a following in Congress
was much greater than his popularity with the people at large.
Controlling the patronage of the treasury department, he enlarged
his political influence. As the author of the four-years'-tenure-of-
office act, in 1820, he has been vehemently criticized as a founder
of the spoils system.
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