, 1874-03-10

taken ptronu Mound til opposition to g!ayory. III
1911, tho Wings bolng In mnjorlty in tho 1ionao
(Jonn Tylor having succeeded Harrison aa rfcai-
lont), MIR. Fillmore was n1ato Chairman Of tile
Committee on Ways and Mems, and hc with
tint Committee, matstroa what WAS afterwards
known as tho tnr[r Of 1912. At tho close Of
tho Congross In March, 1918, lo declined o re-
olection.
Ii, 1874. tho Wing Convention nominated h{r.
Clay for proaldont, mud Mr, Fillmore, who had
boon voted for but not nominated for Vice.
President, waa uado tho Wllig candidato for
Governor of Now York, w1loro It was lo!ioyod
tho groat fight was to bo made. The Domocratp,
with eaua1 knowledge Of tho situation, Lad non'-
natod Sins Wright. MI. Wright'a power and
influence wcro sufficient to carry tho State,
thereby olcotlng Polk over Clay to tho PrcHl'
tloncy Two yoars later, Mr. Fillmore was |
elected Comptroller Of the Stato Of New York,
which Office ho hold whom tho Wing Natioua1
Convention met IN Philadelphia, iii Juno, 1sas. !
In tho meantime tho slavery question had bo-
como ono of absorbing interest. Tho annexa- |
ton Of Texas as D alayo 6tato in 1916, mud tho |
subsequent acquisition Of Mexican territory !
"a q result Of tho war, hnd produced |
widespread feeling at tho North. Tho Wi'mot |
rrovlao, excluding slavery III oil tho now terri
tory, WA tho popular demand among tho North
| crn Whigs with fow exceptions. Still 1t was
necessary to have candidate satisfactory to
tho Southern Wings. Gen. Taylor, tho horo of
tho Mexican War, was q Louiaianian and, though
unfamiliar with politics, was opposed by those
who distrustcl all men from tho South OIL TINT
question. So florce and bitter WAS tho contcst,
tbat tho Convention, in order to preserve har~
nouy at al, Hat with o1osod doora. Tho result
WIS tint tho Convention nominated Gen Taylor
(suppoaed to DO pro-slayory) for President, and
h1illartl Fillmore (Hupposcd to DO anti-Blavory)
for Yicc-prosident. Mr. Fillmore waa strongly
opposcd i'll tho Convention by Thurlow Weed.
Thoy woro elected. 1n tho meantime tho qucs-
tio, OF slavery in tho Territories had acquired
vast Importance With tho new Administration,
Mr.. Clay had returned to tho Senate for tho
purpose Of playing tho part Of paci!lcator, and
Mr. Seward appeared as scnator from New
York. Whom Congress met In Dccombor lSl9,
l
tile House Of Representatives was unable for
many weeks to organize, d 1nrgo number OF
Whigs refusing to vote for Robert @. Winthrop
for Speaker OH tho ground that he was not s1'f-
} tlciently auti-slayory. Tie Administration OF
Gen. Taylor proved to he anti'slayory, and MIR.
soward's influence with 1t waa complete. This
threw AIr. Fillmore to the other aide. 11r. Clay
J introduced Lis celebrated compromise. propos'
ipr tho admission Of California; the organization
} Of Territorial Governments for Utah and New
Mexico, eilent on the slavery question, the Het-
tl,n,cnt Of tho Toxas boundary, and moro
: efficient Fugitive Slave low. These wero Tic
7 five gaping wounds" Which he propoEcd te
closao and heal. This mcaunro, originally cousti'
, tutjug one "omnlbuB bill, was debated fai
B into tho summon, tho Wings being very nancl
r divided, when q most unexpected evcnt too!
place, Which changed tho whole course Of afrairH
= Gen. Taylor, utter few days i1lness died
i July Q, 1850, md Mr. Fillmore became Prosidon
Q Of tho United States. Ho solicited l. Cabino
cooposcd Of f,iouda OF the compromise, in
Guiding Mr. Crittonden, of Kentucky, aB At
:. toruo;-Gencral Mr, Seward, though still til
leader Of the anti-Blayory Whigs, being dopriye
~ Of tho support Of the Administration. was power
- lesa md tho yariouH measures proposed by ill
=. Clay wcro nil enacted into laws. The new pres
- dent, who bud been elected as IN anti-eayor
:, man to Offset tho pro-slayory head Of tho ticket
- - reversed tic policy OF his predecessor an
adoptod the yiows of tho Southern politician
,11t SIN XII Inn 11l1ff
tive slayo law was presented to him, ho submitte
it to the Attoruey-Ci onera1, under whose adyit
:, he approved 1t. He was at once denounced |
- tho auti-slayery Whigs. The Compronit
=, Measures, however, appeared to BatiBfy tt
country for q tinlo, and wcro formally approve
-, - by both parties in their National Convention
in 1882 h1r. WobRtor was Secretary
State from July, 1850, to the tamo
,1 his death, in October, 1852, when ho "
succeeded By Mr. Edward Everett. The Admi
=. istraton closed in March, 1883. Though esse
- tlally "doughfaco," 1t was marked with dccid
~ H. abihty, ana with purity and dignity that col
.s pared with tho bost days Of tie Goyornmol
But lIr, Fillmore had ceased to be counted
49, tho Anti-slayory party, mud had bccomo t
chief of tue Conservative or Slver-Grey Whi
The election Of 1869 terminated tho existence
..- the WAig party. Tho repeal OF tho Mlaso
'"A Compromise in 1864, and tho subsequent dlstu
auceb iu Kansas, divided the country into
parties,--the Ant-Nobrasl,a party and tho Dol
led cratic party. THIS division was complicated
tho ,isc Of third party, known rs tho An'orlc
ur- or Know-Nothing party. III 1856, while abs
INV in Europe. Mr. Fillmore was nominated by t
.oso third party for tho Presidency, and accept
sou lie received worry largo popular voto, p'
md cipally from tho old Wlligs in the South
Inv Htatos, but obtained the Electoral vote only
rer. alarylanl Since that lima ho has llvod
Inv Buffalo, doyoting his tmo to law, litoratuso,
oaa- Kindred pursuits. A fow days aftor rctir
,on~ from the Presidency ho lost his wife, and 4