St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-03
MIR. BLAINEs BOOK,
The Wing yictory Of 1s4s-Ho,s cass

nous campaign OF 184S is told.
The course of events which disabled Mr..
Polk as a candidate proved equally decisive
against all the members OF his cabinet; and
by the process of exclusion rather than by an
enthusiastic desire among the people, and
still less among the leaders, Gen. Cass was
selected by the democrrtic convention as
candidate for the presidency, and William
o. Butler, of Kentucky, for the vice-presi-
dency. The democracy of New York, in
consequence of the divisions arising under
the goyernorship of Mr.. Wright sent two
full delegations to the convention, bearing
credentials from separate organizations. The
friends of Mr.. Marcy bore the name of hunk
ers; the followers of Mr.. Wright ranged
themselves under the title of barn-burners,
distinctions which had prevailed for some
years in New York 1t was, in fact, the old
division on the annexation of Texas, and
now represented the pro-slavery wing and
the anti-slavery wing of the democratic party.
The national convention sought in vain to
bridge the difficulty by admitting both dele
cations, giving to them united the right to
/ cast the vote of the state. But the barn
burners declined thus to compromise prin-
ciple. On question Of bread, the half-loaf
is preferable to starvation, butwhen political
honor and deep personal fe cling are involved
so material an adjustment is not practicable.
| The barnburners retired from the conveG-
ton, disclaimed all responsibility for its
| conclusions, and proceeded in due time to
organize the ticket of Cass and Butler. The
| hunkers, left in the convention as the sole
representatives of the New York democracy,
were startled at the situation and declined to
| vote. They were anxious that the nOmina-
! ton Of Cass should not appear to be forced
on the barnburners by the rival faction. 1t
| thus happened that New York, which Tor
| twenty years under the skillful leadership OF
| Mr. Van Buren, had dictated the course OF
| the democracy, was now so shorn 10 lntlu-
ence through the factions engendered by his
defeat that presidential nomination was
made, not only without her lead, but with
out her aid or participation.
The Democratic candidate was a man Of
high character. He had served creditably in
the early part of the war of 1912, had been
governor of Michigan territory from 1913 to
| 1881, had been five years secretary of war
| under Gen. jackson, and had gone to France
as minister in 1886. He remained at the
court of Louis Philippe, where he received
eminent consideration for six years. When
he returned to this country in 1912, at 90
years OF age, he undoubtedly intended to re-
enter political life. He landed at Boston,
and was received with enthusiasm by the New
England Democrats, especially of that class
who had not been in special favor during the
long rule of jackson and his successor.
Popular ovations were arranged for him as
he journeyed westward, and, by the time he
reached his home in Detroit Gen. Cass was
publicly recognized as a candidate for the
Presidency. These facts did not escape the
jealous and watchful eye Of Mr.. Van Buren,.
He was aggrieved by the course or Gen. Cass
feeling assured that its direct effect would be
to injure himself, and not to promote the
political fortunes of the general. But the ri
valry continued to develop. Cass remained
in the field, a persistent candidate for nomi-
nation, and in the end proved to be, perhaps
the most powerful factor in the combination
which secured the triumph for Polk. He had
deeply wounded Mr.. Van Buren,, and, as
the latter thought, causelessly and cruelty.
He had disregarded a personal and politi-
cal friendship of thirty years. duration, and
had surrendered ties which life was too short
to reunite. Cass had gained no victory. He
had only defeated old friends, and the hour
of retribution was at hand.
DWhen the delegation of barnburners with
drew from the Baltimore convention of 1S4S,
they were obviously acting in harmony with
Mr.. Van Buren's wishes. Had they been ad-
mitted according to their preemptory demand,
as the sole delegation from New York, they
could have defeated Cass in the convention,
and forced the nomination of some new man
unconnected with the grievances and enmi-
DIT 1I,N .Iof4 H.
barnburners was denied, and they were
asked to make common cause with the assas-
sins of Wright, as James S. Wadsworth had
denominated the hunkers, they Indignantly
shook the dust of the city from off their feet,
returned to New York, and forthwith called a
Democratic convention to meet at Utica on
the 22d of June.
Before the time arrived for the Utica con-
vention to assemble, the anti-slavery revolt
was widely extended, and was, apparently,
no less against Taylor than against Cass.
There was agitation in many states, and the
barnburners found that 10y uniting with the
opposition against both the old parties
most effective combination could be made
1t was certain to profit them in New York
and it promised the special revenge which
they desired in the defeat Of Cass. The var
in one great convention, which met at Buff
falo on the fifth of August, with imposing de-
monstrations. Many of those composing it
had held high rank in both the old parties
Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, was selected as
president. The convention represented a
genuine anti-slavery sentiment, and amid
excitement and enthusiasm Martin Van Bu-
rem was nominated for president and Charles
Francis Adams for vice president. The
barn burners, the anti slavery wings, and
the old abolitionists co-operated with appar-
ent harmony under the general name of the
free-soil party; and the impression with
many when the convention adjourned was
that Mr.. Van Buren, would have plurality
over both Cass and Taylor in the state of
New York. The management OF tie popu-
lar canvas was intrusted to democratic par
tisans of the Silas Wright school, and this
fact had a significant and unexpected infu-
ence upoh the minds of anti-slavery wings.
In the first flush of the excitement the
supporters of the regular democratic nomi-
nee were not alarmed. They argued not il
logically, that the free-soil ticket would
draw more largely from the wings than from
the Democrats, and thus very probably injure
TAYLOR more than Cass. But in a few weeks
this hope was dispelled. The wings of the
country had been engaged for long period
in an earnest political warfare against Mr..
Van Buren,. In New York the contest had
been personal and acrimonious to the last
degree, and ordinary human nature could
hardly be expected to bury at once the griev-
ances and resentments of Il gen Grafton. Nor
did the wings cOnfide in the sincerity of Mr..
Van Buren's anti-slavery conversion. His
repentance was late, and even the most char
liable suspected that his desire to punish Cass
had entered largely into the motives which
suddenly aroused him to the evils OF slavery;
after forty years OF quiet acquiescence in all
the demands of the south. Mr.. Seward who
possessed the unbounded confidence of the
anti-slayery men of New York, led a most