When in Congress, he was a conscience Whig, as opposed to the cotton
ones--that is, for the anti-slavery doctrine and not "cottoning" for
the South. He wrote home:
"As you (at Springfield) are all so anxious for me to distinguish
myself, I have concluded to do so before long." He nearly ex-tinguished
himself, for suddenly he went right about face--according to the
popular song--quite a political if not a politic course:
You wheel about and jump about, and do just so!
And ebery time you jump about, you jump Jim Crow!
He had gone against the general tide in hindering the Mexican War as
sure to bring Texas into the Union as a slave State, yet now he
espoused its hero, "Rough and Ready" Taylor. He had to excuse himself
as recognizing that the general was the Whigs' best candidate, and as
the Whig National Convention agreed with him, the apparent truckling
was condoned.
* * * * *