BUCHANAN, James. Autograph letter signed ("James Buchanan"), to Carroll Spence, Wheatland, Pennsylvania, 4 November 1852. 1 page, 4to, blue paper, remnants of mounting on verso, very slight remnants along left edge of recto, creases repaired from verso . BUCHANAN REVELS IN THE WHIG "WATERLOO" OF GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT'S LOSS TO FRANKLIN PIERCE AND SEES AN AFFIRMATION OF THE 1850 COMPROMISE AND A BLOW TO MILITARISM Buchanan is overjoyed by the news of Pierce's resounding defeat of Scott in the November Presidential election: "What a Waterloo defeat the Whigs have suffered! Laus Deo [Praise God]! The people have emphatically decided both that the Compromise measure shall be a 'finality' & that officers of the regular army in service shall not be candidates for the Presidency. These are glorious principles & will contribute powerfully to the preservation & perpetuity of the Constitution & the Union." Buchanan thanks Spence for his "able, indefatigable & efficient efforts in favor of the good cause. You have, doubtless, contributed very much to produce the glorious result," and hopes Spence and his fellow Maryland Democrats will "have a fair portion of influence with the new administration. I know not what influence I may myself possess; but whatsoever this may be, it shall be exerted for my friends. But take care. The old Custom House party will be indefatigable. You can, if you will, conquer them." While the popular vote was somewhat close--1.6 million for Pierce against nearly 1.4 million for Scott--the Electoral College tally was a landslide win for the Democrats: 254 to 42. Pierce took 27 states, Scott only 4. Buchanan did indeed have notable influence in the new administration. One of his supporters for the nomination, William Rufus King, had already been tapped as Pierce's running mate. And upon taking office, Pierce made Buchanan the U. S. ambassador to the Court of St. James--a job that was as prestigious as it was far away (exactly where most Presidents prefer to have their "influential" rivals). But Buchanan's hopes for the "finality" of the 1850 Compromise and the "perpetuity" of the Union proved unavailing. Sectional tensions rose dramatically during Pierce's term, thanks to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Fugitive Slave Law and other equally inflammatory matters. In fact, one of the main reasons the Whigs lost in 1852 stemmed from divisions within their ranks between pro-slavery "Cotton Whigs" and anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs." Slavery proved fatal to the Whig Party and it soon proved fatal to the peace of the Union.
BUCHANAN, James. Autograph letter signed ("James Buchanan"), to Carroll Spence, Wheatland, Pennsylvania, 4 November 1852. 1 page, 4to, blue paper, remnants of mounting on verso, very slight remnants along left edge of recto, creases repaired from verso . BUCHANAN REVELS IN THE WHIG "WATERLOO" OF GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT'S LOSS TO FRANKLIN PIERCE AND SEES AN AFFIRMATION OF THE 1850 COMPROMISE AND A BLOW TO MILITARISM Buchanan is overjoyed by the news of Pierce's resounding defeat of Scott in the November Presidential election: "What a Waterloo defeat the Whigs have suffered! Laus Deo [Praise God]! The people have emphatically decided both that the Compromise measure shall be a 'finality' & that officers of the regular army in service shall not be candidates for the Presidency. These are glorious principles & will contribute powerfully to the preservation & perpetuity of the Constitution & the Union." Buchanan thanks Spence for his "able, indefatigable & efficient efforts in favor of the good cause. You have, doubtless, contributed very much to produce the glorious result," and hopes Spence and his fellow Maryland Democrats will "have a fair portion of influence with the new administration. I know not what influence I may myself possess; but whatsoever this may be, it shall be exerted for my friends. But take care. The old Custom House party will be indefatigable. You can, if you will, conquer them." While the popular vote was somewhat close--1.6 million for Pierce against nearly 1.4 million for Scott--the Electoral College tally was a landslide win for the Democrats: 254 to 42. Pierce took 27 states, Scott only 4. Buchanan did indeed have notable influence in the new administration. One of his supporters for the nomination, William Rufus King, had already been tapped as Pierce's running mate. And upon taking office, Pierce made Buchanan the U. S. ambassador to the Court of St. James--a job that was as prestigious as it was far away (exactly where most Presidents prefer to have their "influential" rivals). But Buchanan's hopes for the "finality" of the 1850 Compromise and the "perpetuity" of the Union proved unavailing. Sectional tensions rose dramatically during Pierce's term, thanks to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Fugitive Slave Law and other equally inflammatory matters. In fact, one of the main reasons the Whigs lost in 1852 stemmed from divisions within their ranks between pro-slavery "Cotton Whigs" and anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs." Slavery proved fatal to the Whig Party and it soon proved fatal to the peace of the Union.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
