The Portland daily press., 1893-12-09
GEN. LEWIS cAss.
some "reminiscences of a Prominent
American Statesman.
tBY HON. JOHN j. PERRY

For long series of years Gen. Lewis
Cass was a conspicuous figure manner
lean politics. I first knew him IN the
3ith Congress, when a United States
Senator from Michigan. brief
sketch sof This life and political
career may be interesting to your read
ers. He was a New Hampshire boy,
born in Exeter in that State October 9,
1882. His education was very limited.
only what he could obtain in the COM
mon schools of that day. In his case
the boy foreshadowed the man, for at
the early age of seventeen, he crossed
the Allegheny mountains on foot and
sought home in the great West, then
an almost unbroken wilderness. His
first settlement was in Marietta, Ohio.
Here he managed by hard work to get
Il small amount of money, which he ex-
pended in the study of the law, opened
an office and became successful. AT
twenty fve he was elected member OF
the.Ohio legislature, and Mr.. Jefferson-ln
his printed works states. that young
Cass originated the bill, which first
arrested the proceedings of Aaron burr,
IN what is known as the Burr consplr-
acy. Mr.. Jefferson appointed him
United States Marshal OF Ohio, which
office he held from 1907 to 1911. At the
commencement Of the war of 1872 he
entered the military service OF the
United States, and was appointed Col
onel of the third Ohio Regim emit of Vol
unteers. He was an early advocate OF
the invasion of Canada by forced
march to Detroit and from thence to
Canada. his command was the first to
Hand on that foreign soil, where he
fought and won the battle of Tarentoe.
BY the capitalization at Detroit, where
Gen Hull shamefully surrendered his
army without firing g gun, Col. Cass was
absent from his regiment, but on his
return found himself and his command
had been included as prisoners OF war.
He was subsequently liberated on parole
and appointed colonel in the regular
army and soon after was promoted to
the rank of Brigadier General. Upon
being exchanged he again repaired to
the frontier and joined thesarmy for the
recovery of Michigan, serving as. volun-
teer aide-de-camp to Gen. Harrison, in
which place he distinguished himself at
the battle of the Thames. In October,
1878 President Madison appointed him
Governor of Michigan, which position
he held until July, 1881, wnen he was
by Gen. Jackson made Secretary OF War
What is now the great and powerful
State of Michigan was then in 1873 an
almost unbroken wilderness, inhabited
by numerous powerful tribes of disaf-
fected Indians, hostile to the white set
Elements and civilization. In the man.
agement of governmental affairs in this
large territory, Gen. Cass was remarkably
successful Under his sway peace was
preserved between the whites and the
Indians. law and order esta bllshed and
the territory rapidly advanced in popu-
lation resources and prosperity. His
eighteen years service as governor of
this territory was in every sense grand
success.
President jackson retained Gen. Cass
in his ca binet as Secretary of War until
the latter part of 1886, when he appointed
him Minister to France. This position
ne held until 1912, when he resigned
and returned to this country. It is but
Justice to him to say that he held both
of these high and responsible positions
with great honor to himself and the
country he so ably represented.
In January 1915 Gen. Cass was elected
by the legislature of Michigan to the
Senate of the United States, which place
he held until May. 1S4S when he re-
signed his seat And here commences
a new chapter in the political career OF
Gen. Cass. The Democratic party had
made him their nominee for the presi-
dency, and he resigned his seat to .ac-
cept it. No one doubted the ability Of
Gen .Cass. His long and varied expert
ence in thesaffairs of the National gov
eminent, ibis mature age, and high
standing as a man and a citizen all
tended to make him popular candidate
with the people. But he was defeated.
and that by single mistake-the same
mistake that defeated Henry Clay four
years before that time-to wit, writing
a letter.
Clay to get Southern support wrote
what is known as his Texas Letter, lean
ing towards the annexation of Texas,
and by the act lost New York and the
presidency. Cass, to satisfy his South
ern friends, wrote his cele DRAFTED Nichol-
son Letter. substantially denying the
power Of Congress to prohibit slavery in
the Territories. The Barnburners" of
New York bolted the nomination and
raised the flag of freedom, and Gen.
Cass lost that State and the presidency.
History writes down the defeat OF these
two distinguished statesmen as singu-
lar coincidence, and SO it was.
What was known as the Barnburners"
bolt against Gen. Cass in New York was
the largest bolt in the history Of the old
Democratic party. Cass received on the
=DOPuidli NObO III AoO0uCN l1H3clo VouSo
while Van Buren, the Barnburners'
candidate, received 100, $40. Gen. Taylor,
the Wing candidate, I'm Ter the plurality
rule, carried the State, receiving 21S.603
votes.
After his defeat for the presidency his
State, Michigan, reelected him to the
United State Senate, to fill out the I'M
expired term where he remained until
the expiration of the 34th Congress-
When Mr.. Buchanan became President
he invited Gen. Cass to the head of the
Department of State, which position he
held until Dec. 1860.
Gen. Cass was Democrat of the old
school. He, had served in the Cabinet
of Gen. Jackson, and never had any sym
pathy with the reasonable doctrines OF
Calhoun and his Southen campfollowers.
Upon the best authority it can be said
that after the election of Abraham
Lincoln to the presidency and the threats
of the rebels began to assume a definite
form. Gen. Cass most eanestly remon-
strated with Buchanan against his "do
nothing" policy and cowardice in deal
ing with the rebels. He indignantly
protested against the Presidents treas
enable assupmtion that while secession
was unconstitutional the National gov
eminent had no power to put it down.
n II