The use of harsh words was not confined to one
side. The opponents of nullification were accused
of being "Submission men," ready to yield any
and everything to the central government; their
party was tauntingly referred to as the Submission
party, and the members of it as "cowards,"
"recreants," "tories," "Yankee party of Charleston," "federalists," and "luke-warm politicians."
They were said to be "Clay men," and that
was about the worst thing that could be said of
a South Carolinian.[1] Some editors there were
who were more magnanimous, and, though they themselves took more or less of a partisan view,
credited both sides with honest motives.[2]
For a time the Nullifiers claimed to have President Jackson on their side in this discussion; but after the Jefferson celebration in Washington in the spring of 1830, when he gave the toast: "The federal Union — it must be preserved," both factions boasted of his support. The interpretations of this toast varied greatly, with the result that even late in the year there was much uncertainty as to just where he stood. To this
