Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 81 of 1,110

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the advocates of the war, and coldly by its
opponents. He resumed the practice of his
profession, frequently taking an active part
in political questions, and giving his support
to the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic
party.
June I2, 1852, the Democratic convention
met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate
for the Presidency. For four days they
continued in session, and in thirty-five ballotings
no one had received the requisite
two-thirds vote. Not a vote had been
thrown thus far for General Pierce. Then
the Virginia delegation brought forward
his name. There were fourteen more ballotings,
during which General Pierce
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth
ballot, he received 282 votes, and all other
candidates eleven. General Winfield Scott
was the Whig candidate. General Pierce
was elected with great unanimity. Only
four States-Vermont, Massachusetts, Kentucky
and Tennessee-cast their electoral
votes against him. March 4, I853, he was
inaugurated President of the United States,
and William R. King, Vice-President.
President Pierce's cabinet consisted of
William S. Marcy, James Guthrie, Jefferson
Davis, James C. Dobbin, Robert McClelland,
James Campbell and Caleb Cushing.
At the demand of slavery the Missouri
Compromise was repealed, and all the Territories
of the Union were thrown open to
slavery. The Territory of Kansas, west of
Missouri, was settled by emigrants mainly
from the North. According to law, they
werc about to meet and decide whether
slavery or freedom should be the law of
that realm. Slavery in Missouri and
other Southern States rallied her armed
legions, marched them into Kansas, took
possession of the polls, drove away the
citizens, deposited their own votes by
handfuls, went through the farce of counting
them, and then declared that, by an
overwhelming majority, slavery was established
in Kansas. These facts nobody
denied, and yet President Pierce's adminis.
tration felt bound to respect the decision
obtained by such votes. The citizens of
Kansas, the majority of whom were freeState
men, met in convention and adopted
the following resolve:
"Resolved, That the body of men who,
for the past two months, have been passing
laws for the people of our Territory,
moved, counseled and dictated to by the
demagogues of other States, are to us a
foreign body, representing only the lawless
invaders who elected them, and not the
people of this Territory; that we repudiate
their action as the monstrous consummation
of an act of violence, usurpation and fraud
unparalleled in the history of the Union."
The free-State people of Kansas also sent
a petition to the General Government, imploring
its protection. In reply the President
issued a proclamation, declaring that
Legislature thus created must be recognized
as the legitimate Legislature of Kansas,
and that its laws were binding upon
the people, and that, if necessary, the whole
force of the Governmental arm would be
put forth to inforce those laws.
James Buchanan succeeded him in the
Presidency, and, March 4, I857, President
Pierce retired to his home in Concord,
New Hampshire. When the Rebellion
burst forth Mr. Pierce remained steadfast
to the principles he had always cherished,
and gave his sympathies to the pro-slavery
party, with which he had ever been allied.
He declined to do anything, either by
voice or pen, to strengthen the hands of
the National Government. He resided in
Concord until his death, which occurred in
October, 1869. He was one of the most
genial and social of men, generous to
a fault, and contributed liberally of his
moderate means for the alleviation of suffering
and want. He was an honored
communicant of the Episcopal church.