Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-05-27

The SD anniversary of the pomina
ton of Lewis Cass to the presidency
which took place on May % reminds
us of the period when annexation was
an issue in American politics. General
Cass was one of those great Ameri-
cans whose fate it was to be first N
| their day in the hearts and esteem Of
their countrymen and yet who We're
never destined to reach the presi
dency He was a candidate in 1874
| for the presidential nomination which
fell to James K Polk; again when the
annexation of Texas was the issue and
once more in 1852 while representing
/ Michigan in the United States senate
The northwest is said to be the fos-
ter child of the republic, and if so,
General Cass was it's putative father.
A great portion of his life was devoted
to introducing settlers, popular gov
eminent modern habits of life and
| legal methods of procedure into the
five states north of the Ohio river. In
Americanizing this immense region he
| deserves an abiding place in the his
tory of American statesmen.
Politically considered Cass like Hen,
ry Clay and James G.. Blaine was from
the standpoint of the statesman better
qualified by experience and attain
ments for the executive Office than any
man of his day. He was also the man
| for whom the people would doubtless
have voted if the choice had been
theirs, but he was apparently too
| timid, too fine-grained and too scholar
| ~ man to find favor with the caucus
and the ring. He was a jurist and
pleader of national reputation, sol
! der who had seen service in the war
with England under General Hull, an
| illustrator of affairs first as gov
ernor of Michigan and later as secre-
| tary of war and finally as minister to
| France AS a statesman whom Lord
Brougham thought it necessary to
cross swords with in his day and
| throughout an extended career proved
| to be prudent, cautious legislator he
could have brought ripe experience
and rare attachments to the presi-
dency, had he been elected in 1848.
The defeat of Cass and the election
of Taylor are principally interesting
now because the annexation of new
territory and the desire of the people
for expansion and for a foreign policy
different to that of the wings, was the
chief cause which told in the national
democratic convention. Cass was
man of argument and of peace. Tay-
lOr was rather a man of action than of
argument who favored the Texas war
and who despised metaphysical nice
ties and ethical principles. Cass had
negotiated no fewer than twenty-five
treaties through which were secured
the ceSsion to the united States by the
various Indian tribes what is now the
great northwest. Taylor, too, had led
the Texas campaign and had brough:
into the union but in the opposite di-
rection, viz, the southwest, a country
as large as France. Southern inter
ests were .nen predominant and
though Cass was the plumed knight of
peace chiefly from the circumstance
that he had made effective reply to
Lord Brougham in the senate, and had
resisted the English right to search
American vessels, nevertheless Gen
) eral Taylors policy won the day and
he was elected. On the first attempt
| Of Cass to reach the presidency he was
not an active candidate. His name had
been put forward by his friends, and
| everywhere throughout theunion there
was general acquiescence as to his
| fitness, but FOLK triumphed at the con-
i vention. Cass then took the stump
vigorously for him throughout the can
vass. In the following January Cass
was elected to the senate. But pre-
vious to the second attempt Mr. Cass
made no secret of his presidential in
| tenti0ns and in order to fit himself for
| the campaign he resigned as senator
for Michigan to thus meet his fate a
| second time He was then Sc years of
age and had accumulated large pri-
vate fortune. Cass was then probably
the richest man in the union and had
for an American attracted unusual at