92 



CASS, LEWIS. 



Shortly after this, finding his health impaired, 

 he resigned his secretaryship, to the great re- 

 gret of President Jackson. 



In 1836 he accepted the appointment of 

 minister of the United States to France, and, 

 after dispatching some important business with 

 that Government, he, in 1837, embarked at 

 Marseilles for a voyage in the frigate Constitu- 

 tion to Egypt, by way of Constantinople, fol- 

 lowing the coast, and stopping at the principal 

 ports, whence he made excursions into the in- 

 terior. He was on excellent terms with Louis 

 Philippe, of whose character he gave a friendly 

 and favorable account in his " King, Court, and 

 Government of France," published in 1840. 

 The most remarkable incident of his diplomatic 

 career occurred just at its close, in his attack on 

 the quintuple treaty for the suppression of the 

 slave-trade, and which resulted in his resigna- 

 tion in 1842. Upon his return he found his 

 country in a state of political excitement ; his 

 name had been mentioned as a Democratic can- 

 didate for the presidency, and at the public re- 

 ceptions, in honor of his return, his opinions 

 upon the important questions of the day were 

 eagerly sought. In the Democratic National 

 Convention of 1844, however, after repeated 

 ballotings, James K. Polk received the nomina- 

 tion, and was elected to the presidency in the 

 following November. In January, 1845, he 

 was elected by the Legislature of Michigan to 

 the Senate of the United States, which place 

 he resigned on his nomination, in May, 1848, as 

 a candidate for the presidency by the political 

 party to which he belonged. After the election 

 of his opponent, General Taylor, to that office, 

 he was, in 1849, reflected to the Senate for the 

 unexpired portion of his original term of six 

 years. Here he wielded a powerful influence, 

 lie was a strong advocate of compromise, be- 

 came the chief ally of Henry Clay, and opposed 

 both the Southern rights dogmas and the Wil- 

 rnot Proviso. The latter of these he had been 

 instructed by the Legislature to support, but he 

 declared in the Senate that he should resign his 

 seat in case this direct conflict came between 

 his duty and his principles. Originally General 

 Cass was the most prominent candidate for the 

 chairmanship of the Committee of Thirteen, 

 but himself urged the appointment of Mr. Clay 

 to that position. The passage of the resolution 

 constituting that committee was, by the testi- 

 mony of its mover, Henry Stuart Foote, chiefly 

 due to his prompting and assistance. He sup- 

 ported the various measures that it originated 

 save the Fugitive-Slave Law, on the passage of 

 which, in the Senate, he declined to vote, though 

 present in his seat. 



Being reflected a Senator from Michigan for 

 a second term of six years from March, 1851, 

 he still continued a prominent Democratic can- 

 didate for the presidency, but, in 1852, as in 

 1844, he waa unsuccessful, and Franklin Pierce 

 was selected as a compromise among the con- 

 flicting interests as the candidate of that party. 

 This defeat terminated General Cass's aspira- 



tions for the chief magistracy, and he remained 

 a member of the Senate until the expiration of 

 his term. In 1857, when Mr. Buchanan entered 

 upon his administration, General Cass accepted 

 the position of Secretary of State. In the dis- 

 union movements that followed Mr. Lincoln's 

 election, he was, as in 1850,- a friend of com- 

 promise, sustaining especially the resolutions of 

 his former colleague, Mr. Crittenden. He also 

 originally in the Cabinet approved (or at least 

 did not pronouncedly disapprove) President 

 Buchanan's message, denying the existence of 

 any power in the Constitution by which the 

 General Government could coerce a State. 

 Eight days later (December 14, 1860), how- 

 ever, he reasserted the Jacksonian principles 

 of 1832-'33, and upon Mr. Buchanan's refusal 

 to dispatch troops and supplies South, to re- 

 enforce Major Anderson and reprovision Fort 

 Sumter, he promptly resigned. His resigna- 

 tion was the closing-up of a public career 

 of fifty-six years' duration. After that period 

 he dwelt among his family, mingling little in 

 society save in the exercise of the hospitalities 

 of his own home. During the war his sym- 

 pathies were always with the national arms, 

 and the prolongation of his days to witness 

 the ultimate triumph of the Government ho 

 considered among the greatest blessings of his 

 life. General Cass was a man of great nat- 

 ural abilities, a prudent, cautious legislator, a 

 scholar of fine attainments, of the purest in- 

 tegrity, temperate in all his habits, and person- 

 ally popular throughout the country. As an 

 orator, he was successful, though not famous. 

 His speeches were always effective, whether be- 

 fore popular assemblies or upon the floor of the 

 Senate, but none will ever be preserved as re- 

 markable models of eloquence. The selection 

 of live topics, a clear and appropriate system 

 of argument, and animated delivery were the 

 chief features of his oratory, and he always 

 commanded attention in a body that daily list- 

 ened to the splendid periods of "Webster and 

 the impassioned voice of Clay. His wealth 

 was largely the result of his fortunate original 

 investment in real estate, but the steady increase 

 of his property in value has been also due to 

 able management. In all enterprises of public 

 improvements railroads, highways, and other 

 systems of internal development he willing- 

 ly participated, and in matters of chanty, 

 though not a miscellaneous giver, no meri- 

 torious and substantiated appeal ever failed ofj 

 a response. 



Besides his published works mentioned, and 

 another, entitled ''History, Tradition, Lan- 

 guages, etc., of Indians in the United States,'' 

 Mr. Cass's contributions to contemporary litera- 

 ture were comparatively few in number, and 

 confined to magazine articles upon topics in 

 regard to which he possessed peculiar sources 

 of information. They were, therefore, rather 

 designed as vehicles of useful knowledge than 

 as models of the essayist's art. Their style was 

 lucid and ornate, the essential facts and statis- 



