242 SPECIALPROYIDENCEJeffersontopoweras ananticentralizing,antidebtcandidate,and the
lastingdisenchantmentofthepeoplewithHamiltonianfinancialshe-
nanigansisoneofthekeystounderstandingthepoliticsofthenine-
teenthcentury.Themoonshinerupinthehillskeepingthe"revenuers"
atbaywithhisweaponsremaineda popularcharacterinAmericanfolk-
loreforcenturies.
Jacksonians,however, inHamilton'sdayand later,werelesscon-
cernedthatthegovernmentwasspendingmoneythanthatitwastaking
Jacksonianmoneyandgivingittoothers.Whenitcametoexpenditures
thatbenefitedsmallfarmers,Jacksonianopinionwasmoreunderstand-
ing.Oneofthegreatpoliticalfootballsofthefirsttwo-thirdsofthenine-
teenthcenturywasthequestionoflandsales,thepriceatwhichfederal
landwouldbemadeavailable.Jacksonianswantedcheap,evenfreegive-
aways offarm-size plots offederal land. This goal was ultimately
achievedwiththepassageoftheHomesteadActof1862.Allocationof
federallandatbelow-marketprices,orfreeofcharge,madea substan-
tialholeinthefederalbooks,yetJacksonianopinionfeltlittleanxiety
aboutit.
Similarly,whileJeffersonianstriedtokeepmilitaryforcessmall,and
toavoidincessant,perhapsoccasionallyevenunjustwarsagainstNative
Americantribes,Jacksonianswantedanaggressivefederalpresenceand
roleinmanagingtheIndianpresence,andinremovingtheIndiansfrom
particulardistrictsasthetideoffolksettlementmovedon.Representa-
tivesfromwesternstatesalsoworkedtogetsubstantialcashpayments
to compensatefarmersfor war damageinthe Indianconflict zones·.
Theseclaimscouldbeasinflatedaspain-and-sufferingawardsintoday's
product-liabilitycases;Jacksoniansthoughtthatpayingthemwaspart
ofthefunctionofgovernment.
AnotherearlyboondoggleforJacksonianswas thevastandfecund
swampofCivilWarpensionclaims.Ultimatelytheever-expandingand
-looseningcriteria,nottomentionspecialcongressionalpensionsvoted
tothosewhocouldn'tqualifyunderexistingrules,allowedvirtuallyany
politicallyactivewhitemaleintheUnionstatestocollecta cashpension
forlife. MarkTwain(whowroteaboutJacksoniansbutwas himselfa
staunchJeffersonian) mocked and denounced it, budget hawkslike
GroverClevelandtried torein itin,butthegreatpensionmachine
movedserenelyon.
DuringthetwentiethcenturytheU.S.Treasurycontinuedandaccel-
eratedthetransferofpublicfundstoprivateownershipunderconstant