Bradford reporter. (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, June 14, 1848, Image 1
MM GM al 1120 I Illornitin InitA lA, 1848. w or the Life and Public Serykes of N. LEWIS -CASS, 1 . s fee was born at Exeter, in New Hump tri the 9th of October, I'M. his father, o nathan Case, was a soldier of the revolu r, to mlisted as a private the thy after, the bat ,extagniti. Ile sion•c l a in the army till the, I tie war, and was in all tie important hat; the eastern and middle States, where he was uisled for 165 valor and good conduct, and il tle rank of captain. He was afterwards a a . Ytyne's army, all died at an advanced ter i life of nsefulnets and honor,' at his re e,trar Dresden,in Itlnskinpun county. Oliio. ji;lpvcis Cass, the subject of this biography, tia, at the age of seventeen, to the then north m erritory. and settled first at Marietta, in lquy of Watllingt, on. lie was thus, as he pnitly called by the convention of Ohio; one 3arly pioneers" of that immense western hich has already risen to such a magni or. owndays, and is destined to attain one f, , ,reateqiereaTter : The country north of then contained One Territory and aboarl ousand people. • ass byre his full share in the toils, priva -1 dangers, in which-the nefence of a new I . 1. runt and its conversion Irma a primitive forest t appy abodes of civilized :nun,. are inxte•ssa .lv posed. Ile read law at :Marietta, and was Ai rd to thy dtar before the c ..se of the territo u" nvernment. lie commenceil the practice, and; as •a the custom then, visited lire courts in a large ,line oficountr3, travelling on Intrseltiick; and en coofficing many difficulties unla own to the Mein lters 0 :-the bar at the present day _ Y ' Ih we IN MEI :mu , t 01 P ia OM, he war elected a nieriter of the legis- 7iCOL°, and during the i•ssion he took his he business of the day.r He draughted the cirarrested the tmitorots designs of Burr, d.oduced an address to- ,r. Jefferson, which as inimously adopted, e ircesing the attach- f r net, the .people of Ohio to :Le constitution cf the 1 .;nifStates, and their con ence in that illustri- , las a.- In March, 180 T, a was appointed, by' Ir. ferson, marshAl of 0 .e.. Id the execution' f thanes. of that office, . the business of his trefien, and in the occu dion . of a 'farmer in Uvum county ; where .e resided, he passed T intil tat 1. Thetic difficulties with En mired a portentous ;pct. Her multipli ssions left us no recottse but vox ; and the n of the daft prepay e& at it with firmness. )i the propFatoryar - ements; it was de to march a considera I force to the north tontier, to be readk f ffensive or defen smig* render it ne in to general Hull ; ,which had fought rssigned to•him.— i rgiments of Ohio ;ad upon their pa id that State has id the foiled was . Mr. .Cass was ted to the com oceetted imme where the ar t comeenced raj a trackless tt. Great dif -1 e of the troops the necessity P A " *. 3 fr.( esi frumfgastc: land was gi r afar troou ,etaiioe, was added thr?e in as this det , the citizent their country, ty or difficult: is, and was el ;invent. He 1 imentlo Dap( NI, and whencl t. The count .14 ( 1 ni u c , ~ , I t was low and ficulties•w e „ erpowd to the adv I•iy the !..tr and marshes, and of cutting a d. 'but these were ~,the usual will and perseveran ',lean s u ldie •The army reached 9th of July, 12 Oiliv. i . a l - formation that war w Ibe declar ed, nvertook em in the wildembss int the dec laration its was t.ot received mil' tey reached Detroit. CO Ca-. was perhapsmo • +-gent for an invasion of , anaila titan any of fi cer i tiull's army. lie Was' de&lcdly iii favor of makin el early and derisive movement, before the Dritish Lull' be pre pare& for the invasion. We ebncei it to be no disparagement 'to any one to say that :ie was the trraster-sp;rit of that army until the affkat the tCa nards; a ft er which, it is known, he di . .proved of "every step: takrn by the connitanding aineral.— 'There can not be no doubt that Hull's, illy never T ti would have entered canadu but for the nasioni of Col. Cis. So anxious was he to • forward and do something to meet the just exp tions of tilettiltwiti*Vilithe eti'llntrlli•Sh l l e-c°43- manded the-advance detachment, and . thefirst men to landtn arms in the enemy's' counts*. On the ill of July he was ordered to attack a British dotsyearient stationed at the rivet kus Ca nards, abOut fifteen miles from Detroit and five miles from Fort Malden, then the British headquar ters. Ile crossed the river some distance above.the eastuy s piatoi l tand briskly attacked them: when, affer some 10. they fled, Here was spilt the first 'blood during the last war. Col. Cass took posses sion of fa° - abandoned position, and immediately ii'mpaivlied a ines,elivr to (en. Hull, intniming lulu et hi. sucrei-.. and advising, lam to' may% im nusl ..1 vtl rt 1 —th e road -to m w a s opened. Clad this bi.eit done, success natal : aye .crowned operation e and the I.v2x, in that limi ter, would have been over. Ile waisTiowever. sa d• ly ilisappoialeil lay the indecision of Ilull, wl,O or- ,dered him to return and jour the.army. rrok this s moment bad coutb‘els prevailed, the army lost all confidence m I ta;'„ . and he proceeded in his own I. course, regardl.ps of the advice or remonstrance of his omcers. *,it three weeks after the-afar at the Canards, the whole army was ordered across ' the rifer' to Detroit ; in winch time, had Col. Ca4's advicti,been to n, 11 . 1alden might have been reduc ed, and a sec lodgment made in 'Upper Canada. The order of H to return was not less unexpect. '1••.. I . . . . . ~. . . t... . . • 1x - - , - t . • ... • .. : , , 1 , - i'. -- -•. - :• -..- . 1 ---- .1 - : :'," 1 ".•-. -•' - i." - :-2 .1 ',••- ••'. , '.... , ;'"-" f.5,4".".i,... ', .: ' . . - . , • -1 , , :-.f. . - -.:- , :., ,, L ,,, ,,'-'" -. ) ,`- , .L.- -- 1: -'-',-;`:„.•,.• _- ' -i ' • . . . . . . . • ' '- .....:.,...,-.4 " -- ,, ,- - ,-..4. 0 , - _.:-:::- , ...- ~.... . . . ""'..---:" '''' ''. 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Unfortunately for the 'country, the author of tie proclamation, Col. Cass, was not the commander of :lie army. 'Hadhe been so, the conntry would' ha!' been saved the morti fication of behotd."g tlip t seent from the promised fulfilment. As i: was, tic used every 'exertion to arouse in the conimandug general that spirit of pa triotism which 1-eathesil every line of the admi .rahle paper, but in vain. t A spirit of infatuation, or 1 something wore', seizei upon Hull, and led him on from one fal step tot..nother, until the crown inc act, the surrnder of 4 .Petroit, without firing a gun, completed is own a, and brought disgrace ' - upon the arms cr, his coo . It is well knowd to the country that loth Colo Cass and Colonel Dil'-* 1 Arthur were detached fro )etroit previous to the B W - render, ostenSibly fort) isions, but, in fact, be cause they were unwell' . counsellors at head quarters. Stung with m ication on hearing of the surrender, 'Col. Cass, a ordered to deliver up his sword, indignantly ered it iii pieces, and threw it to the earth, refits' to surrender it to. he El= After the surrender of De to Washington, to report t whole circumstances attend, He was exchanged during I 1 spring was appointed a bri = , after this. he joined Gen. Har the army was collecting desti • story of Michigan, and to to wc•=tem district of Upper Can . ry arrangements being comp) iug Open to the trans.portation'il , victory- of Perry, Gen. Harrisy movement in September, 1813,a troops at the mouth of Portage i , moved, and were concentrated From here they sailed to the Wen island oti the coast of Canada, wt lectad, the final arrangements xi debarcaion Was superintended arA neral Cass, of the army,.and Captd navy; and the troops landed in , p, petting to meet a formidable mad enemiliad fled, alter destroying f ings at Amherstburg and Detroit, a retreat for Lake Ontario. - The Ann medially commenced the pursuit, taring; two small detachments, whiel reSistattre in favorable positions, or my at the Moravian town on the about eithty miles from Detroit. The ral (I'roc'or) proved himself unequa nand. Having some days the start, i:, to escape. he should have pushed his -t pidly as possible. But he moved slow) Jed with much unnecessary baggage, a the American army closing upon him,h for battle. The ground he chose was it eted with trees and his left rested up)t Thames, while his tight eitended into tl termtuating in a marsh. This flank we , by the Indians, who it was intended t the American left wing and attain the t army moved so rapidly that many of t were left behind, a small portion only of Ce command was in the battle -, they were t MI thedtately in front of the enemy's amino, con.manded the road, with directions to ch on aas soon as the action commenced. Co v(.:onteered his services, together with Cons 1 1, 1ry, to assist Gen. Harrison and at the mein el he charge of Colonel Johnson's regiment which th , •ided the fate of the day, Gen. Casa took a posi ti,n with the right wing of it, commanded I.YlLieut. C lonel Johnson, and acNimpanied it in its charge eon the British line. It was a dangerous experi tio•nt to charge a line of disciplined British soldiers by undisciplined mounted Americans; but valor epplied the place of discipline : and notwithstand kg the resistance, that brave 4 regiment broke thro' he line, and instantly the enemy was thrown into confusion, and threw down their arms, happy to 1 , ape With their lives. The British general, Proc. Er, fled almost at the commencement of the action, aid was pursued by Gen. Cass, with a detachment fr some miles but could not .be overtaken. It is well knoWn that in this important battle (le 'reral Cams bore a -prominent part, fully shanni in be exposure and dangers of the conflict. The battle of the Thames terminated the North vestein campaign, and put an end to the war in hat quarter, but not to the difficulties or importance if that command. The United States being once nore in the possession of the Territory of Miehi , ...ran, and of the province of Upper Canada, Gerip ral Cass was assigned, temporarily, the command of the district, and Gen. Harrison withdrew with As army. Oa the 9th of Octooer, 1813, he iVas appointed it President. Madison Governor of Michigan, at :hat time one of the most important civil offices within the gift of the Executive... He Was the civil as well as military governor of a large territory, having many 'hundred miles of exposed frontier, tilled and almost surrounded with numerous tribes of hostile Indians, 'in the pay of the British govern ment:llml eonbeautly excited to acts of hostility by British agents. As a ',reef of the defenceless state of the °wintry, it may be mentioned, that incursions were-utinle by the Indian lord some pensomi made prisoner, and others killed within sight of the tow n of Dot troit, and three expeditions of mounted militia has. tily collected, were led by Goy. Cass in pursuit of the Indians, and some of them were killed withm hearing of the town. A single incident will ,Show the nature. of these excursions in the forests in pursuit of the Indians. ,Gen. Cass's servant, who rosle lately in his Tea:laid a personal lent with • , who ercome with of the Arne etroit on the v 40 EVERY WEDNESDAY, AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, :PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH, ,cro % started from behind a tree, and' having discharged his rifle, attacked him with the but-end, and was killed after a short conflict, But peace came to put an end to this state of things. The executive power of the Territory was almost unlimi:ed, and the legislative power was in the hands of the governor and judges until 1819. That • Govertior Cass performed well his highly im portant and/delicate duties, the whole body of the t people of lichigan will bear us witness ; and the :fact of his aving been seven times nominated by four sncoe-sive Presidents, and seven times coa -1 finned byithe Senate, without a single vote against I li him in t : body, or a single representation against him fro the people over whom he presided—a state of iings unexampled in the history of our ter ritorial tovernments—is a suflicieut proof of the wisdotn'of his administration. In the ilischarg,e of his duties as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Governor , Cass was called upon to enter into many negotiations with the Indian tribes, and often under circumstances of great peril ti and . ponsibility . He formed twenty-one treaties wit sein, and gVnguished their tide to nearly one , tindreil millions of acres of land—a vast do main acquired for the I.Tuited States, but upon terms soiust and satisfactory to the Indians, that not tho least complaint was . ever -made by thorn'► on the submt. 'ere are two ineidetits connected with the for mation of these treaties, which strongly illustrate Governor Cass's judgment and decision of charac ter. In the expedition of 1820, it became his duty to inform the banana at Sault do St. Marie of the intention of the government to establish a military post there, and to fix upon the site for the same.— The chief of the tribe was openly opposed to the United States, and in the pay of the British govern ment. In consequence of this, they heard the in tention of Governor Cass with aprarent and broke up the - councils, with the most hostile feeling. On returning to the encampment, they removed their women and children into Canada : and hav ing prepared themselves for battle., raised the Bri tish flag, as a token of defiance. Governor Cass had but a small detachment of soldiers with him Col. Cass repaired le government the the expedition.— winter and in the r general. Shortly n at Seneca, where o mover the ler- possession of the The preparato . and the lake be our troops bylthe commenced his &l embarked his cr, whence they t Sister, a sm e being all e:l l "while the Indians numbered eight hundred war e ma d e . The noes.' Unaccompanied; except by his interpreter, trected.by Ge- he advanced directly in, their midst ; and with his Elli o tt 0 1 th e own hands pulled . down the flag, trampled it un lect order, dor his feet, and afterwards burned it, ordering the nce. But the interpreter to inform the -Indians that " they were public build- within the jurisdiction of the United states, and that were in full no other flag than theirs could be permitted to wave over it." - - an army im. it after cap -1 tiered some oh the one. - ty Thames, hrit6th gcnl7- ,0 his com e designed real as ra encunitw. d finding prepared tvily coy the river woods, occupied aid turn Er. The troops Ca. , s's dinned which The moral influence of this bold act had the desi red effect, the Indians returned the next day to the council, and the treaty was concluded, without any further threats or insults. On arriving at Green Bay. in 1827, for the purpose of forming a treaty, Governor Cass , found that the Winnebago Indians had not yet come in ;, and as the object of treaty was to settle difficulties among some of the tribes, the 'non-appearance .of the Winnebagoes was an evidence of their desires for war rather than peace. He immediately re-embarked on board his birch Canoe, for their camping ground, to prevent any hostilities and to bring them to the treaty ground. He rapidly pursued his Voyage up the Fox river, across the portage, and down the Wisconsin, to the place of encampment. Taking with him only his interpreter, where,he foimilthern in warlike mood; and determined not to treat. Threats and entrea ties were alike unavailable with this exasperated tribe. He left them, and returned to his canoe.— As be turned to . go to the river, a young warrior raised his gun, and taking deliberate aim at him, pulled the tria.er ; but, providentially, the gun mis sed tire. , ge up. .. Cass .odor() This is the only instance of violence ever offered, to him during the long period of his intercourse with the Indians.. Ho proceeded immediately to Ptairie du Chien, where he organized the inhabi tants, and placed them in a condition' of defence, and returned to the treaty ground. By his prompt and energetic movements he prevented extensive hostilities, the end of which no man could know. In 1831, Gen. Cass was called by Gen. Jackson to take charge of the War Department, and his re moval from Michigan Territory was marked by a Universal expression of regret His colleagues in the cabinet were Mr. Livingston, Mr. McLane, Mr. Woodbury, and Mr. Taney—men who possessed the confidence of the President, and soon acquired that of the country. The characteristic traits of Ge neral Jackson's administration have now passed in to history. It was bold, prompt, honest, and na tional. It sought no dangerouS constructive pow ers, and it endeavored carefully to exerelaerthose of which it was the trustee, for the American con federation. The great questions of the bank, of the removal of the deposites, of nullification. ) • of the French indemnity, and of the Creek and Cherokee difficulties—three of which involved delicate points connected with State rights—occupied its attention, and were all happily disposed of. Few, if any, _now call in question the wisdom of General Jack son's curse upon these important subjects, though it is difficult now to realize the intense anxiety they excited, and the momentous consequences which bung upon their decision. So far as the War De partment necessarily took any immediate course in these questions, it was prompt and energetic, and met with the approbation of the country. At the portentous period of nullification, the military or ders were 'firm, but discreet; and it appeared by a message from the President, in answer to a call up on that pibject, that no order had been at any lime Omuta " resist the constituted authorities of the Stale q - Soeth Can:ohne, within the chartered limits of said State.o ,The orders to Gen. Scott informed him that, " should, unfortunately, a crisis arise when theordina rypower iliac hands of the civil officers :lima not be sufficient for the executitn' . if the taws, the - President would determine the course to be taker caid the mea sures to be adopted; till then Ise was yi•ohitpited frees acting." tr RECIRDLITAR OT DENUNCIATION FEDII ANT QUARTER." The *eine caution marked the order to the troops when there seemed to be danger of act:illation with the authorities of Aclalimuna, arising out of occurren. ces upon the lands of the United States in that State In proof of this, we quote the followinp extract of letter from the War Department, written by GO- . verner Cass to Major Mclntosh, and dated October 29th, 1833. "Six—Your letter of 21st inst. to Major General Macomb has been laid before me •, and, in answer, I have to inform you that you will interpose no ob stacle to the rvice of legal process upon any offi cer or soliliet-under your command, whether issu ing from the courts of the State of Alabama, or of -the United States. Ott the contrary, you rsill give all necessary facilities to the execution of such pro cess. It is not the intention of the President that any part of the military force of the United . States should be brought into collision with the civil au thority. In all questions► of jurisdiction, it is the duty of the former tb submit to the latter and no considerations must interfere with that duty. If, therefore, an officer of the State, or of the billed States, come with legal process against yourself, or an officer or troldierof your garrison, you will free ly admit him within your post, and allow him to execute his writ undisturbed," In 1836, Gen. Cass was appointed minister , to France, and immediately mined his post as Secretary of War. On retiring from the depax ment, he received a letter from General Jackson expressing warm personal feelings tosianli him and commending his whole otlicial conduct. He As diplomatic relations had not been fully re-estalr !gilled with France, hu was directed to proceed to Hagland, and there ascertain the views of the French g,ovemalent. He found that a French rein liter hal been appointed to this country, and' he immediately repaired to Paris mid took up his residence there. After his. reccigOition, his first official duty was to procure the nacre:4 due upon the twenty-five millions of francsindemnity, which had been retained when the principle was pad. Attar some hesitation this was edected: and thualhiS great controversy, which at one time threatened such grav6 consequences, was happily closed. In 1837, Gen. Cass made a tour to the eest. Ho -visited Italy, Sicily, Malta, Greece, the islands of the Archipelago, Constantinople, and the Black- Sea, Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. He was at Flor ence, Rome, Palermo, • Athens, Corinth, ,Elensis, Salamis, arid the battle-fields of Platten, Leuctra, Cheronwa, and Marathon—at the plains of Troy, at Alexandria, Cairo, and the Pyramids; at Jaffa, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, the Sea of Siberias, Tyre, Sidon, Baalbee, and Damas cus. Memorable plaoes these, and calculated to excite strong emotions in the mind of an American who had passed a large portion of his life amid the toils and privations of a new country. Alter his return to Paris, Gen. Cass resumed the duties of his mission, and continued in their regular execution till its termination. He was proverbial for his kindness and hospitality to ins' country men none of whom were den ed his attentions, and few of whom visited Paris without ,being invited to his house. His observations upon the govern ment and people of France were given to the public in the pages of the Democratic Review, in an ar ticle entitled " France its, King, Court, and go vernment," which• most of our readers will proba bly recollect. Among- other literary papers he published in this country, was one upon the French tribunals of justice, which contained much infor mation interesting to an American, and in which the author expressed his decided condemnation of the system of the English ,common law, looking upon it as a code originating in feudal and almost semi-barbarous times, and utterly unsuited to our condition and institutions. This opinion is fast gaining ground, and we trust the time is rapidly approaching when this 'elk: of feudal tyranny—this perfection of sense as it is called, but this perfection of nonsense, as it in many cases is—will give way to reason and justice. In 1841 arose the well-known question of the quintuple treaty, in which General Cass acted a prominent and an efficient part. The British government, in its scheme of maritime superiority which it never abandons, any more than its plans of territorial aggrandizement, projected a plan, by which, under the pretence of abolishing the slave trade, her ships of war would have been embed to search and examine, and ultimately to seize, the Vessels of other nations at their pleasure. The plan was to form a treaty, to which the five great pow ers of Europe should be parties, by which means a new principle in the law of nations would'' be established, and our flag amongethers, prostrated at the feet of England. This treaty was negotiated and, actually signed by the ministers of the five powers—those of England, France, Russia, Prussia, and Austria—before the nature of the transaction was fully understood by the world. It became disclosed before the ratifications were exchanged With the French girternment. General Cass pub lished a pamphlet which entered deeply into the whole matter, and which translated into French and German, and circulated upon the continent. It awakened public attention, and created a great sen sation even in England. - The success of this scheme, so long cherished, and so long Projected on the part of England, turn ed upon the !ratification of France. With it she could hope to establish this new principle in ma. ritime law, and with that attain her daring object of maritime supremacy. But the opposition of two • such commercial nations as the United States and France to this interpolation would have rendered hopeless its general recognition. price her efforts to accomplish this measure ; and as, for more than half a century, she had not failed in any great ob ject of her policy, her "pride and ! intetrest were equally united in this. Her journals, therefore were filled with this subject. It occupied the attention of her government, herppople, and ter press; and her diplomatic agents , Europe were active and perstivering. While the subject was under discussion in the French Chamber of Deputies, the eyes of Europe were directed to Paris, anxiously watching thefts:suit, That result ' -- was seen manifested. The ; public opinion of France speltoleo loudlytelmi:ttsristed. Nies treaty negotiated under its -orislitectnnts, and signed its owe tniniSter, was neier ratified! The part w Gdn. Cass bore in ibis transactiorl well under- stood and . appreciated by this eourittymen ; and, if any tmubt existed on the subject,it would have been removed by the abuse heapedepon hint in the Eng- fish jciumalr , , and by the declaration of Lind Palmer- ston, in the House of Commonsi, that his efforts contributed in ins great degree to I the rejection of the measure. In December, 1811, General Cos returned to the United States. He was received 6y the citizens of Boston and New York with eveiy demonstration of repect. His,bold . stand on the; quintuple treaty had excited the feelings of the people in his favor, and he was every where hailed as the champion of the freedom of the seas, and the rights of Ameri can citizens. At New York het was addressed upon political subjects, to whicW he furnished a brief reply, stating his unshaken attachnient to the principles of the Democratic partj, and his hostility to a national bank. On his mute to the west, he was received at Harrisburg, Pennisylvania, and Co lumbus, Ohio, by the governments and legislatures of those States, who came out t 6 meet him, and escorted him to their towns. At Detroit ; the go vernor, legislature, city authorities andpeople came out to welcome him home, as children welcome the return of a long absent lather. Ott the Bth of January ho was addressed by a commitee of the Democratic State Convention of Indiana, upon political questions; to which be replied at letr; , th, declaring himself against a national bank, .opposed to the distribution of the proceeds of the public lands opposed to a ta?ifliTor protection} 'i_That the reven ue should be kept to the loweSt-point compatible with the Performance of its constitulional fuuctions," and opposed to altering the c4istitution by abol ishing the Executive veto; that lie should not be a candidate for the Presidency, Unless nominated at the Baltimore Convention; and hat- ho would sup port the nominee of that convention. In the spring of 1844, Gen.' Cass, in reply to interrogatories upon that subject, wrote a letter de claring himself in favor of the annexation of Texas. In the month of May following, the Democratic National Convention met at Baltimore, to nominate candidates for President and' Vice President. On .the first balloting General Ca, received eighty three votes, and continued to rise till on the seventh, he received one hundred and twenty-three votes. Had another ballot been taken 'that day', Gen. Cass would, without doubt, have been nominated. Be fore the assembling of the convention on the follow ing day, Mr. Polk was broughtltorward as a corn promise candidate, and after taM receiv ed the nomination. . On the day that the news Of the nomination of Mr. Polk reached Detroit; meeting of the Demme racy was held, at which Gen. Cass, in an able and eloquent speech, gave his warmest support to the nomination, and declared his r‘adimns to enter the contest to secure its 'mess. In pnrsnance of this he accepted the inviation of the Nashville commitee and was present at the great Nashville convention in August. His arrival was axtonnced by the firing of cannon, and he was received with every de monstration of popular ctathusiasm. General Cass spent Some time with General Jackson at the Hermitage. When they parted, the Scene was most impressiVe and affecting. An eye-witness remarks, " the ars of the veterans were mingled together as they bade each other a last farewell." In compliance with the popidar wM, Gen. C. took the tour of the States of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. He everywhere met with the most enthusiastic reception from the people. 1 He was hailed as tie father of the west. But a great change had been effected since first he came among them. The lofty Wrests which he then traversed were now fruitful fiehls ; the lonely cabins which ho protected from the firebrand of the savage transformed into populous *cities ; the Indians war- path was converted into the railroad ; the harboni u?on the l;kes and rivers which he first surveyed now the seats of commerce and the wealth ; and the• scattered population Which he governed were now a great people. The result of the contest in 1844 is well known. The vote of every western siState, save one, and that by meagre majority, was given for Mr. Polk. To the efforts of General Cass, and his great per sonal popularity exerted in favor of Mr. Polk, much of this is to be attributed.' In the following winter General Cass was elected• tolthe Senate of the Unit ed States, and took his seat on the. 4th of March, 1845. In the formation of the commi.tees of the Senate, General Casa 'Was unanimously tendered the port of Chairman of the commitee on Foreign Aflairs, which however, he declined. On tvrosub sequent occasions, the same position has been of fered him, but be has unit - Firmly declined it. In December, 1845, General Care introduced resolutions ist the Senate relative to the national defences, and condition of our . affairs with Great Britain, growing out of the Oregon qiiistion. these resolutions - he supported in i a speech, of which the following is an , eitract, referring to the course which should be pursued in maintaining our rights to-the tertitciry in question: lc As to receding it is-neither to be dismissed nor thought of. I rettit; to it but to denounce it—a de -1 nunciation which will find a response in every American bosom. Nothing la ever gained by na tional pusillanimity. And thecountry which seeks to purchase temporary security, by yielding to unjust pretensions, buys present case at the expense of permanent honor and safety. It sows the wind to reap the whirlwind. have said elsewhere, what I will repeat here, that it is better to fight for the first inch of national territory than for the last. It is better to detknd the door-sill than the hearth-stone —the porch than the altar. Nationalcharacter is a richer treasure than gold or silver, and exercises a mdral influence in th hour of danger which, if not power itself, is its surest ally. Thus far, ours is untarnished ; and let mall join, however separated by party or by space, so to preserve it." In the month oligarch following General Care delivered his celebrated speech on the Oregon queition: As this speech•haslbeen circulated and read very generally, a mere, ailurk. in to it bore is —mid/ ' • 0 4 7 ' (N.Y -! Ir4V • MEI all that wo4hl . aptie4 lollowin,4 eitract eicpcessei]so , •fully teiithileat- of if 4.40 patriotic Amerintr, that is. worthy ofrecord "It pains me sit., tixhearothrttrthinieetrocto, than, of iiiitc - Govemmeut; and lo'lhe'destrpctitaiNif this Confederacy. It pains rue,, net because they spire the with any, fear but Wellies!, ire ought to', have one unpronounceable' word, es this`,le'ws 7 1ad) of old, and that word is Dissetaticni. Ike ShOrdli re= jeet the feelitg from our hearts OA its_Mtrue from our tongues. This cry of fro; Wa, to Jerusafem. , ' grates harshly upon my ears. - Our Jerusalem is neither beleagured nor in dancer. It is yet the city upon a hill, glorious in what it is, still more glen* oils, by the blesiing of God, in what it is to he..a landmark, inviting the itatiOns of the world,- atm. Wing, upon the stormy ocean-of political oppressirnt to follow us to a haven of safety and of rational lib- erty. No English Titus will enter out temple, of freedom through a breach into the battlements: Ler bear thence the ark of our Constitution and the book of oar law, to take their station in a triumphal pm. cession in the streets of modem Rome, as trophies of conquest and proofs of submission. • .; " Many a raven has croaked in my day, tatt:Shet augury has failed - , and the republic has marched on ward. Many a crisis has presented itself tothe int= agination of our political Cassandras s but we have still increased in political prosperity as we have in• creased in years, and that; too, with an accelerated pro tress unknown to the history of the world. We havea class of men whose eye* are always upon the future, overlooking, the blessiiw around us and forever appreheetive of some great political evil, which is to arrest ourpoursit somewhat or other on this side -of the milleninm: To them we aver thei iniage of gold and silver, and brair, and clay, con trariety in unity, which the first rude blew of mils. fortune is to strike front the pedestal. For my own part, I cot:toiler this the strongest Government on'the face of the earth for good, and the weakest for evil. Strong, because stipportea by the peptic opinion'of a people inferior to none-offing communities of-the earth in all that constitutes Mo ral worth and useful knowledge, and who have bteathed into their political system the breath of lite; and who would destroy it, as they created it, if it were unworthy of them, -or failed total intheir past expectations. " And weak for from this very consitleration which would make its follies and its faults the signal of its overthrow. it is the only Government in ex istence which no revolution can subvert. It may be changed, but it provides for its own change, when the public willjeguires. Plots and insurrec. tions, and the various struggles, by which an op.. pressed population manifests its sufferings and seeks the recovery of its rights, have no place' here. We have nothing to fear but ourselves!'" The part takeri by General Cass in the sabseter exciting controversey on the this question, , his vote in opposition to the treaty, are too well i. knmin to require future notice. Having bearrtrain• ed in the school which taught him, in our intgr coarse with foreign nations, to ask for nothing bet what is right, and sableit to nothing that is wrong; lie had the moral courage to . stand up for the right, whatever might be the consequences. During this session of - Con,goNss, hosfilities com menced between the tnited States andthe republic of Mexico. Geo, Cass advocated the met tener getic measures for a Vigorous' prosecution df the war, and for carrying it into the heart of the enemy's country. In - the winter of 1847, the it Wilmot " was introduced into the Senate, as an amendment to the three million bill, by a federal senator from New England. The design of the mover was ail dently to defeat the passage of the bill to .which it was to he attacked, and to embarrass t`_-st adminis tration in the prcisecution of the war. Gen. Cass voted against the proviso, for reasons given, in his speech on the occasion.. It was during the sessions of this Congress that he tariff of 1846, and the independent treasury were established. It is not alone to the exclusive .champion of free trade, and the ultra advocate of a hard-money currency, that the opponents of pretec 7 tion, and the enemies of a paper cnrreney, are to look for the defeat of those measures. Such men are usually in the pursuit of some theoretical' ab straction' which gives them but little influence with practical men. But it is to men of enlarged and liberal views, whose strength of character and in fluence can carry conviction with their action, that the country is indebted for radical and beneficial , reforms. Gen. Cam gave to there great measures the weight of his influence, and his zealous, and unflinching support. At the close of that congress, Gee. Cass was invited; by the Democratic mem bers of the leg,Mature of New - York, to partake of a public dinner at Albany, as a mark of their appre elation of his brilliant public services and their mai- . minion of his character as a Mart. This honbr, however, he declined. On the meeting of the present Congress, General Case was elected chairman of the committee on Military Aflair...—a post for Xiiich he was most eminently qualified, and which, as he had been. unanimously selected, he consxlered it his dirty to accept. His C 011043 as chairman df that committee, as his views upon the war question, have been seen in the daily proceedings of the Senate. In December, /647, Gen. Cass gave his views at length upon the " Wilmot Proviso," in ntletterto Mr NichOlsonof Tennessee. In that letterheavow ed himself opposed to the measure, and to Aires. ercise of any legisbtion IT Congress, over'- and the territorial of the DM* . 1'13511041114 . 4 domfiMic relations of theirinhabitants. He believed all questions of that nature should be settled by the people themselves, we ought to be allowed "to re gulate their internal concerns in their own way)' and the Congress has no more power to 'abolish or establish slavery in such territories than it has to re gulate any other of the relative duties of social life —that of husband .Ind wife, of parent and child, or , master and servant. It is not necessary to refer to numerous pub. lic demonstrationis and leading journals which have given expressions in his favor in New England, the Middle States, the West, and the South. ' Pub lic opinion, looking to his brilliant services, ateding integrity, and unflinching fidelity ) has poirited.tri! him as - von MAN- rOR TnE TIMES; int! the Pre 3 PPrex' ponent of:the American Darrakmey. Plain atat tmarzuming in his manners4int 81 eneraiii to a fault, frank and social in taSoollc ae e with**th** fellowmon,he is, in-every gat 4 . 1itf.; 1 1 Demorat. . • -mitt= ao ~ 1 _.~~ °~ • . El