On the record
In the pithy phrase of John Van Buren, they had exposed him to the country as the candidate "powerful for mischief, powerless for good.
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Blaine references a critical assessment of Cass's political effectiveness during a contentious election.
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More from James Blaine
Crises often arise in the conduct of National affairs when cherished opinions must be sacrificed and new departures taken.
I refer myself not to the men of my time, but to the judgment of history.
The Northern people shrank from the responsibility of transferring the government of States to the control of men who had already shown themselves capable of desperate deeds.
Of course the Rebellion will never be suppressed in Louisiana if the professed Union men there will neither help to do it nor permit the Government to do it without their help. . . .
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