Zachariah Chandler: An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services
History
Zachariah Chandler: An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services
Chandler, Zachariah, 1813-1879; United States -- Politics and government
FAC-SIMILE OF ONE OF THE STATE TICKETS OF MICHIGAN IN 1852.]
The result was hailed with hearty cheering, and Mr. Chandler soon
formally accepted this nomination and commenced a most energetic
personal canvass of the State. The Temperance party made up a ticket in
that year from the Democratic and Whig candidates, and Mr. Chandler was
also retained as its nominee for Governor, but this action was without
practical importance in the campaign or at the polls. During the fall
of 1852 the Whig nominee for Governor labored unremittingly. He visited
all the leading towns in the State, and spoke constantly from the
middle of September until the week before election. The list of his
appointments included Jonesville, Coldwater, Constantine, Cassopolis,
Howell, Lansing, Eaton Rapids, Hastings, Allegan, Grand Rapids, Ionia,
DeWitt, Corunna, Flint, Saginaw, Lapeer, Almont, Romeo, Mt. Clemens,
Ann Arbor, Jackson, Marshall, Battle Creek, St. Clair, and Detroit. His
addresses were vigorous, entertaining and telling, and while he neither
then nor afterward sought for the polished sentence or rounded period,
he showed that capacity for plainness and force of reasoning and for
hard-hitting which ultimately made his oratory so characteristic
and effective. In this series of speeches he dealt largely with the
national questions of Protection and Internal Improvements, and also
with the business aspects of the State administration. His friends
laid especial stress upon his strength as "a business man of energy,
integrity and success," and urged his election because he bore "the
reputation, well earned by a long course of business experience, of
being a keen and shrewd business man of the highest moral tone," and
because he was "endowed with remarkable business talent," and had
been "identified with the growth and interests of the State." Mr.
Chandler was also helped in this contest by his mercantile friendships
throughout Michigan, and by the natural pleasure with which his fellow
merchants saw one of their own guild fighting his way to political
distinction along the paths so largely occupied by men of professional
callings. As part of the organization of this canvass he mailed large
quantities of gummed "slips" bearing his name to acquaintances in all
parts of the State, and this is believed to be the first instance
in which this now common weapon of political warfare was used in
the Northwest. The Democrats found themselves compelled by this
unprecedentedly vigorous attack to put forth most strenuous efforts,
and General Cass labored assiduously to prevent the loss of his own
State. So pronounced did the opposition of the veteran Democratic
leader to the head of the Whig ticket become, that Mr. Chandler
laughingly said to friends by way of comment upon it, "I am afraid that
it will take General Cass's Senatorial seat to balance the account
between us."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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