The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-03-03
ALEXANDRIA LA, WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 1897.

Y, MARCH 3. Is
an honor that James X. Polk
wrung from him four years before
rs \ dark horse. He carried Mich.
igan, but the Van Buren, element
aud the southern shareholders CON
passed his defeat. So he went
back to the Senate. Again, in
1852, he received ll8 votes in the
Presidential convention. Upon his
election Buchanan made him Sec.
rotary Of State. He was there
when South Oaroliua seeded, IN
old man. LOSING, tho historian,
was with him iu his home when he
learned Of the secession. Cass, he
says, threw up his hands in anguish
and exclaimed: "Can it bsl Gan
it be! Oh, I had hoped to retire
from the the public service and go
home. to die With tho happy
Thought that l should leave to my
children as an Inheritance from pa
trotic men . united and prosper.
ons republic. But it Is all over!
This is but the beginning Of the
end. The people in the South are
mad; the people Of the North are
asleep-God only knows what is
to DO the fate of my poor country.
10 Him alone must We look in this
hour Of thick darkness.n
Indeed, the darkness vas thick,
too thick for Cass to see the light
that could not pierce through.
But he lived to see it when the war
was over. He went ont of the
cabinet In 1860 and came to De
troit, where he spent his last years
qnietly iu his Detroit home. In
1866 be died. He was Michigan's
great statesman.
Robert McClellaud Is a name al.
most forgotten Ivy this generation.
But he was secretary Of the interi.
or under Pierce, taking office
March 6, 1857, the second Michi.
gan man to get into the cabinet.
McClelland Was a big figure in
Michigan politics in his day. He
occupied many . position Of trust.
The first one accorded him of i'm.
portance was as = member OF the
state constitutional convention in
1885, when Michigan was getting
ready to come into the union. Nc.
Clelland had come into the state
from Pennsylvania, as . lawyer
looking for clients, in 1888. He
settled in Monroe. BE did such
good work in the constitution that
he vas sent to the Legislature from
1888 to 1913, and attained to the
high position of speaker. He was
sent next to Congress and there he
made his debut December 1, 1843,
and his exit March 8, A1849, serv-
ing we'll three terms AZ q Demo.
crat. He was one of the eighteen
Democrats that Joined hands and
voted for the famous Wilmot pro.
viso that forbade the extension Of
slavery into the territories. Mo.
Clelland was q delegate regularly
for years to the national conven.
tion, and in both the constitution.
al conventions of 1850 aud 1867 he
vasa prominent figure. In the
Pierce campaign Of 1882 he took
an active part and his reward was
the secretaryship of the Interior.
Previous to that honor no had
been provisional governor Of Mich.
.igan in 1851. He served in Pierce's
cabinet for full four years and
came back to Michigan to spend
the remainder of his life. He died
at his Detroit home in 1889.
Even the young men of this
day have not forgotten the name
and prowess Of Zachariah Chan.
der. BE was, next to Cass,
probably IS able a man in many
ways as Michigan has sent to the
national capital. His name is
closely associated with Detroit
and the evidences of his fame and
fortune have not yet died out.
! Chand1Ar,s old homo IN Woat Fort