By this measure, Fillmore should be considered a success. He favored the Compromise of 1850, and by working with Senator Stephen Douglas of the Democrats, was able to forge a bipartisan coalition to get the legislation's essential elements passed. The Whig Party elected a president in 1848. Its base was in the North and Midwest, whereas its rival Democratic Party was equally divided between North and South. Yet by 1854 the Whig Party was almost completely eclipsed by the upstart Republican Party, while the Democrats remained within the two-party system.
Some people believe that compromise on issues is always to the good.
Others believe that one should never compromise on principles. When the Hungarian patriot Kossuth came to the United States to seek support, Fillmore and his secretary of state gave lip service to his independence movement, but refused to make any commitments, or offer him financial or diplomatic support. Democrats criticized Fillmore for not doing enough.