Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-01-15

me his successor. Before my return home
President Polk had also appointed me-
brigadier general of volunteers, an ap
pointment which I declined on the ground
that volunteers are militia and tnat the
Constitution reserved to the State the ap
pointment of all militia officers. This was
in 1847. In January, 164s, the Mississipp
Legislature unanimously elected me United
States senator for the rest of the unexpre
term, and in 1850 was re elected for The
full term as my own successor. In the
United States Senate was chairman of the
Military Committee, and / also took ar
active part in the debates on the compro
mise measures of 1850, frequently opposing
Senator Douglass of Illinois, in his theory
of squatter sovereignty, and advocating as
means of pacifcation the extension of the
Missouri compromise line to the Pacific
When the question was presented to Mis-
sissippi as to whether the State should
acquiesce in the compromise legislation ol
1850. or whether it should join the Other
Southern States in a convention to decide
as to the best course to pursue in view oi
the threatened usnrpations of the Fedora
Government, 1 advocated a convention o.
1HO SOubuCiu Obdtccy Wita a Wow " ouOH
cooperation as might effectually check the
exercise of constructive powers. the parent
OF despotism, by the Federal Government
that year. The candidate of the Demo
cratic party was by his opponents repre-
sented to hold extreme opinions-in Other
words, to be d sunionist. For, although
he was man of high character and had
caruod thu oo,1utru oil ir, pooco ord
this supposition was so artfully cultivated
that, though the Democratic party was es
timated to be about 5000 In majority, whsr
the election occurred in September the
Democratic candidates for convention
were defeated by a majority of over 1000,
and the Democratic candidate for Governor
withdrew.
The election for Governor was to occur
in November, and I was called on to take
the place vacated by the candidate who
had withdrawn from the canvass. It was
forlorn hope, especially as my health had
been impaired by labors in the summer
canvass, and there was not time before the
approaching election to make such q can
vass as would be needed TO reform the
ranks of the Democracy. However. as a
duty to the party, l accepted the position
permitted, with the result that the majority
against the party was reduced to less than
1 200. From this time I remained en-
gagged in quiet farm labors until the pomi-
nation of Franklin Pierce, when l went
out to advocate his election, having formed
very high opinion of him as a statesman
and a patrio5 from observations of him in
1887 and 1888, when he was in the United
States Senate.
On his election as President I became q
Secretary of War during his entire term.
During these four years | proposed the
introduction of camels for service on the
adopted. 1 also introduced an improved
system of infantry tactics, effected the
substitution of iron for wood in gun-car-
riages. secured rifled muskets and rifles
and the use of Mimic balls, and advocated
the increase of the defeuces of the seacoast
bv heavy guns and the use of large grain
powder.
While in the Senate I had advocated, as
a military necessity and as means of pre-
serving th Pacific territory to the Union,
the construction of military railway
across the continent; and, as Secretary OF
War, was put in charge of the surveys OF
the various routes proposed. Perhaps for
a similar reason-my previous action in the
Senate-I was also put in charge of the ex-
tentiou of the Uoited States Capitol.
The administration of Mr.. Pierce pre-
sents the single instance of an Executive
whose Cabinet witnessed no change of per-
sons during the whole term. At its close,
having been re elected to the United States
thot
During the discussion of the compromise
measures Of 1850 the refusal to extend the
Missouri compromise line to the Pacific
was early put, on the ground that there
was no constitutional authority to legislate
slavery into or out of any Territory, which
was in fact and seemed intent repudia-
tion of the Missouri ompromise! and it
was SO treated in the Kansas-N ebraska
bill.
subsequently Mr.. Douglas, the advocate
insisted upon the rights of the first immi.
grants into the Territory to deoids upon
the question whether migfaiiEg citizens
might take their slaves with them; which
meant, if it meant anything that Congress
could authorize few settlers to do uhat
it was admitted Congress itself could not
uDs DuG OuG III tuiS OlIi niOoO q uioeOhoiOu
wb ich finally divided the Democratic party
and caused its defeat in the presidential
election of 1860.
And from this empty, haseless theory
grew the Iliad of our direst woes.
When Congress met in the fail of 1860
was appointed one of Senate committee
of thirteen to examine and report on some
practicable adjustment. of the controver-
A. ~ kIo
of the Union. / at first asked to be ex.
cused from the committee. but at the So
Iicitaton of friends agreed to serve, avow-
ing my willingness to make any sacrifice to
avert the impending struggle. The COM
mittee consisted Of men belonging to the
three political divisions of the Senate, the
State-rights men of the South, the radicals
of the North, and the Northern Demo
Gratis, with one member who did
not acknowledge himself as belonging
to any one of the three divisions
Mr.. Crttenden, an old-time Wing, and
the original mover of the compromise
When the committee met it
was agreed that unless some measure
which would receive the support of the
majority of each of the three divisions
could be devised it was useless to make
any I6pOTt3 anu dlbcI uduy odyS VI dHAtpus
discussion and a multiplicity of propo-
sitions, though the southern State-rights
men and the northern Democrats and the
Wings (Mr. Critterden) could frequently
agree, they could never get a majority of
the northern radicals to unite with them
in any substantive proposition. Finally
the committee reported their failure to find
on which the three divisions could
unite. Mr.. Douglas, who was a member
of the committee, defiantly challenged the
northern radicals to tell what they wanted.
As they had refused everything, he claimed
that they ought to be willing to tell what
they proposed to do.
When officially informed that Mississippi
bad passed the ordinance of secession took
formal leave of the Senate, announcing for
The last time the opinion had so often ex-
pressed as to State sovereignty, and, as
of it, the right of State to
it's delegated powers. Before 1
reached home had been appointed by the
of Mississippi commander-in-
chief of its army with the rank of major
general, and at once pro: eeded with the