litics. After defeating the
Democratic ticket in 1847 and the state and national tickets in 1848,
they returned to the party practically upon their own terms. Instead
of asking admittance they walked in without knocking. They did not
even apologise for their Free-soil principles. These they left behind
because they had put them off; but the sorrow that follows repentance
was absent. In the convention of 1849, John Van Buren was received
like a prodigal son and his followers invited to an equal division of
the spoils. Had the Hunkers declared they didn't know them as
Democrats in their unrepentant attitude, the Barnburner host must have
melted like frost work; but, in their desire to return to power, the
Hunkers asked no questions and fixed no conditions. In the process of
this reunion Horatio Seymour, the cleverest of the Hunkers, coalesced
with the shrewdest of the Barnburners, who set about to capture
William L. Marcy. Seymour knew of Marcy's ambition to become a
candidate for the Presidency and of the rivalry of Cass and Dickinson;
and so when he agreed to make him the Barnburners' candidate, Marcy
covenanted to defeat Cass at Baltimore and Dickinson in New York.
Though the Barnburners failed to make Marcy a nominee for President,
he did not fail to defeat Cass and slaughter Dickinson.[423]

[Footnote 423: "Seymour resisted the Barnburner revolt of 1847, and
supported Cass for President in 1848. But he warmly espoused the
movement to reunite the party the next year. He was in advance of
Marcy in that direction. Seymour pushed forward, while Marcy hung
back. Seymour rather liked the Barnburners, except John Van Buren, of
whom he was quite jealous and somewhat afraid. But Marcy, after the
experiences of 1847 and 1848, denounced them in hard terms, until
Seymour and the Free-soil Democrats began talking of him for President
in 1852, when the wily old Regency tactician mellowed toward them.
Nothing was wanted to carry Marcy clear over except the hostility of
Dickinson, who stood in his way to the White House. This he soon
encountered, which reconciled him to the Barnburners."--H.B. Stanton,
_Random Recollections_, p. 177.]

To add to the Hunkers' humiliation, President Pierce now sided with
the Barnburners. He invited John A. Dix to visit him at Concord, and
in the most cordial manner offered him the position of secretary of
state.[424] This was too much for the pro-slavery Hunkers, for Dix had
been a Free-soil candida