SUCH a session of Congress as that described in the last
chapter could have had no other effect than to develop
parties, and to bring about a designation of candidates for the
presidency. The separation of Mr. Calhoun from General
Jackson, long since complete, and the avowed wishes of the
latter to make Mr. Van Buren his successor, left scarcely any
doubt that Mr. Van Buren would be the candidate of the party
which supported the Administration. Among the opposition,
Mr. Webster was the person most naturally to be regarded as
the first choice. Mr. Clay was scarcely in a position to be
selected a second time, immediately after his unsuccessful can-
didacy of 1832; and if he was to be regarded as out of the
question, on this occasion, the opposition had no statesman
who was for a moment to be compared to Mr. Webster, in re-
spect to ability, to past services, to reputation, and to popular-

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