56 POLITICAL LIFE-I 



ling qualities in the Mexican &quot;War, was now the candi 

 date of the Whigs, and against him was nominated Mr. 

 Cass, a general of the War of 1812, afterward governor 

 of the Northwestern Territory, and senator from Michi 

 gan. As a youth of sixteen, who by that time had become 

 earnestly interested in politics, I was especially struck 

 by one event in this campaign. The Democrats of course 

 realized that General Taylor, with the prestige gained in 

 the Mexican War, was a very formidable opponent. Still, 

 if they could keep their party together, they had hopes of 

 beating him. But a very large element in their party 

 had opposed the annexation of Texas and strongly dis 

 liked the extension of slavery; this wing of the party 

 in New York being known as the &quot;Barn Burners, &quot; be 

 cause it was asserted that they &quot; believed in burning the 

 barn to drive the rats out. 9 The question was what these 

 radical gentlemen would do. That question was answered 

 when a convention, controlled largely by the anti-slavery 

 Democrats of New York and other States, met at Buffalo 

 and nominated Martin Van Buren to the Presidency. 

 For a time it was doubtful whether he would accept the 

 nomination. On one side it was argued that he could not 

 afford to do so, since he had no chance of an election, 

 and would thereby forever lose his hold upon the Demo 

 cratic party; but, on the other hand, it was said that he 

 was already an old man; that he realized perfectly the 

 impossibility of his reelection, and that he had a bitter 

 grudge against the Democratic candidate, General Cass, 

 who had voted against confirming him when he was sent 

 as minister to Great Britain, thus obliging him to return 

 home ingloriously. He accepted the nomination. 



On the very day which brought the news of this ac 

 ceptance, General Cass arrived in Syracuse, on his way 

 to his home at Detroit. I saw him welcomed by a great 

 procession of Democrats, and marched under a broiling 

 sun, through dusty streets, to the City Hall, where he was 

 forced to listen and reply to fulsome speeches prophesying 

 his election, which he and all present knew to be impos- 



