Cabinet of Mr. Buchanan, and he had regained
something of his standing in the North, but he had been so long the
advocate of compromises and the servant of the slave power, that he was
unable to place himself in line with the movement that was destined to
destroy slavery. The slave power had more vitality than slavery
itself; and after a third of a century its poison still disturbs the
politics of the country. The call was made in the forenoon. General
Cass sat at a small, plain table, engaged in writing. He was in a
large room, from which the furniture, including the carpets, had been
removed. He said that he had been kept in Washington by the illness of
his daughter, and that upon her improvement he should leave for
Michigan. He was dressed in a much worn suit of black--his shirt had
seen more than one day's service--he had not been shaved recently, and
his russet-colored wig was on awry. The room had an aspect of
desolation, and General Cass appeared like a man to whom life had
nothing of interest. As soon as the ceremony of introduction was over,
he commenced walking and talking, while the tears ran down his wan and
worn cheeks. He gave us an account of his early life, of his residence
in Virginia, and then he said:

"I crossed the Ohio with only a dollar in my pocket. I went to
Michigan. I was four times Governor of the Territory, and on more than
one occasion I was confirmed by the Senate without a single dissenting
vote. I have been a Senator, and Minister to France; and I am going
home to Michigan to die. If I wanted the office of constable, there
isn't a town in the State that would elect me."

He reminded me of Cardinal Wolsey, rather than of the Senator, Minister
to France, and Secretary of the Department of State that he had been.
He spoke of his course in politics, the substance of which was that he
had always opposed secession and nullification, although he had
maintained the right of the States to hold slaves if they chose to
tolerate the institution.

General Cass was the last of the statesmen of the middle period of our
history whom it was my fortune to meet. As a whole, and as individuals
their fortunes were unenviable. They struggled against the order of
things. They accomplished nothing, unless it may be said of them, that
they kept the ship afloat. Their memories deserve commiseration,
possibly gratitude. No effort of theirs could have secured the
abolition of slavery. Any vigo