CHAPTER XI.

NOMINATION OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE-OPPOSING CANDIDATES-NON-AC

QUIESCENCE OF DANIEL WEESTER-TAYLOR'S POLITICAL SAGACITY-HIS LET

TERS TO CAPTAIN ALISON AND OTHERS-HIS NOMINATION AT CHARLESTONTHE ALBANY MEETING-FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS AT UTICA AND BUFFALOTHE BUFFALO PLATFORM-CASS' CHANGE OF OPINION CONCERNING THE WILMOT PROVISO-ELECTON OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE-THE ISSUE DECIDEDTAYLOR'S INAUGURATION—HIS CABINET-HIS OPPOSITION to the furthER EXTENSION OF SLAVERY EFFORTS TO OVERBEAR HIM-HIS DEATH-ACCESSION OF FILLMORE-CHANGE OF CABINET AND POLICY-DEFERS TO SLAVERY-ENCOURAGES A SCHISM AND FORMATION OF A NEW PARTY-SECEDERS STYLED SILVER GRAYS-PRESIDENT FAVORS THE COMPROMISE MEASURESANOTHER CONCESSION TO SLAVERY.

GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR, of Louisiana, succeeded Mr. Polk in the presidency, and Millard Fillmore, of New York, succeeded Mr. Dallas in the vice presidency. They were nominated by a Whig national convention held at Philadelphia, on the 7th of June, 1848, under circumstances somewhat peculiar. From the time when information of the brilliant victories achieved by General Taylor, at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, first reached the United States, his name had been associated with the presi dency, and from the date of Governor Marcy's letter censuring him for his leniency to the Mexicans on their capitulation of Monterey, the popular sentiment in his favor had warmed with active sympathy. He had been nominated for the office at various public meetings in different sections of the country, and was urged upon the national convention as the people's most available and popular candidate, by the delegates from Louisiana. The personal friends of Mr. Clay brought him forward, again, as the

proper candidate, insisting that every consideration of justice, policy, and expediency required his re-nomination, whilst the friends of Daniel Webster felt that the time had come when the heavy debt of gratitude owing by the party to him ought to be paid. The nomination of General Scott was also urged by several delegates, as one demanded by the public sentiment. And as General Taylor had not, from the nature of his profession, been much identified with the distinctive policy of the Whig party, and had not fully committed himself to it by any public act, the friends of Mr. Clay and Mr. Webster protested that he was not fit to be made its standard bearer in the approaching canvass. The general had written several letters in reply to inquiries, and among them one to Captain J. S. Alison, under date of April 22d, 1848, containing the following passages:

"First. I reiterate what I have often said, I am a Whig, but not an ultra Whig. If elected I would not be the mere president of a party. I would endeavor to act independent of party domination. I should feel bound to administer the government untrammeled by party schemes.

"Second. The veto power. The power given by the constitution to the executive, to interpose his veto, is a high conservative power; but in my opinion should never be exercised except in cases of clear violation of the consti tution, or manifest haste and want of consideration by congress. Indeed, I have thought that for many years past, the known opinions and wishes of the executive have exercised undue and injurious influence upon the legisla tive department of the government; and for this cause I have thought our system was in danger of undergoing a great change from its true theory.

"The personal opinion of the individual who may happen to occupy the executive chair, ought not to control the

THE ALISON LETTER.

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action of congress upon questions of domestic policy; nor ought his objections to be interposed where questions of constitutional power have been settled by the various departments of government and acquiesced in by the people.

"Third. Upon the subject of the tariff, the currency, the improvement of our great highways, rivers, lakes, and harbors, the will of the people, as expressed through their representatives in congress, ought to be respected and carried out by the executive.

"Fourth. The Mexican war. I sincerely rejoice at the present prospect of peace. My life has been devoted to arms, yet I look upon war at all times, and under all circumstances, as a national calamity, to be avoided if compatible with national honor. The principles of our government as well as its true policy are opposed to the subjugation of other nations, and the dismemberment of other countries by conquest. In the language of the great Washington. Why should we quit our own to stand on foreign ground?' In the Mexican war our national honor has been vi dicated, amply vindicated, and in dictating terms of peace we may well afford to be forbearing, and even magnanimous to our fallen foe.

"These are my opinions upon the subjects referred to by you; and any reports or publications, written or verbal, from any source, differing in any essential particular from what is here written, are unauthorized and untrue."

These differences of opinions and interests destroyed for a time not only everything like harmony in the convention, but all hope of a choice, that would command even a decent support. The friends of Messrs. Clay and Webster were factious and stubborn, and threatened to break from the party if neither of their favorites were nominated. The first day passed without results. On the second a secret caucus was held and a ballot taken, at which Gen

eral Taylor received one hundred and eleven, Henry Clay, ninety-seven, Daniel Webster, twenty-one, General Scott, forty-six, and John McLean, two votes. A second ballot was taken with a result similar to the first, when the convention adjourned for the day. On the second ballot of the third day, General Taylor received one hundred and seventy-one, Henry Clay, thirty, General Scott, sixtythree, and Daniel Webster, twelve votes; whereupon, General Taylor, was declared nominated. An adjournment was then moved, but after debate withdrawn, when Mr. John A. Collier, of New York, publicly nominated Millard Fillmore, of New York, for vice president. Mr. Carroll, of New York, proposed that before proceeding to nominate a vice president, the convention should make the nomination of General Taylor unanimous. Mr. Boyer, of South Carolina, concurred with Mr. Carroll, and said he could give his hearty assent to the nomination. Mr. Allen, of Massachusetts, could not assent, but said he believed the Whig party was that day dissolved. Mr. Bingham, of Ohio, offered a resolution to the effect that the nomination should be considered unanimous provided General Taylor would pledge himself to accept it as the nominee of the Whig party, and to carry out its principles of non-extension of slavery over territory then free, and of protection to American industry. Mr. Ashmun, of Massachusetts, declared his acquiescence in all the proceedings of the convention, but General Wilson, from the same state, said he could not concur, but should do all he could to defeat the nominee. But before any question was taken, the chair decided that neither motion was in order, as the convention had resolved to proceed to nominate a vice president, and that oral nominations were still in order, whereupon Abbott Lawrence and twelve others were named for that office. A ballot was then ordered,

NOMINATION OF TAYLOR.

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and on the second trial Millard Fillmore received one hundred and seventy-three votes, and was declared nominated. An effort was then made to make both nominations unanimous, which signally failed; whereupon the convention adjourned.

The nomination of General Taylor was succeeded by violent paroxysms. The veteran friends, par excellence, of Clay and Webster, who perceived at once that it extinguished forever all hope of exalting either of those eminent statesmen to the presidential chair, were highly enraged. Even Mr. Webster himself betrayed the severity of his disappointment, by declaring that it "was a nomination not fit to be made." But with the people, composing the body of the party, who cared more for principles than men, the nomination was acceptable-the more so, because of their well-grounded confidence that the general was quite as sound on the slavery question as either of his distinguished rivals. And as it had come to be understood that emancipation from the bonds imposed on the party by hackneyed politicians was indispensable to success, they took new hope from the circumstance, and entered the canvass with confidence and vigor. General Taylor was a sagacious man. He fully appreciated the disappointments of Mr. Clay and Mr. Webster, and the mercenary feelings toward him entertained by the administration at Washington, which had endeavored to crush him whilst he was in Mexico. He perceived the character of the forces which were to be marshaled against him; and that his election lay through the defiles of another Buena Vista, to be carried only by the use of tactics. which he, better than any one else, knew how to employ. He was a Whig, but did not choose to exhibit any of the ordinary traits of a partisan; he was a Whig, but not an ultra Whig; he would not consent to be merely the presi