Under Henry Clay's concession, the power of the southern slave owners increased greatly, and some of them even withdrew from Congress in disappointment.
Chen Mo was very interested in one of these people. Therefore, shortly after Zachary Taylor was elected president, Chen Mo finally joined the Whig Party as a banker under Henry Clay's repeated invitations. With his strong financial resources and forthright attitude, he sponsored many members of the Whig Party who were excluded because of their opposition to slavery, and his reputation in the party quickly increased.
Henry Clay did not care too much about the debate on slavery in the party. He compromised with the southern slave owners just to get their support and win their votes, so that he could achieve his goal of establishing a private central bank. Therefore, it was not surprising that Chen Mo, a big capitalist, opposed the slavery system.
As for Chen Mo sponsoring the Whigs, this was exactly what Henry Clay wanted.
Only when the Whigs were strong could he control more power, and Chen Mo's rising reputation did not make Henry Clay feel threatened.
This was because the anti-slavery Whigs supported by Chen Mo actually only made up a small part of the party, and most of them were young members with no background and weak strength. The real core of the Whig Party, the elite members who had great prestige and influence in Congress and the states, still closely surrounded him and followed his lead.
Although a considerable number of them also opposed slavery, because of their own strength and influence, they were not as excluded as those young Whigs who had no background. In addition, Henry Clay deliberately tried to appease them, so they did not alienate him because of his compromise on the slavery issue.
Therefore, the entire Whig Party was still firmly in the hands of Henry Clay. Chen Mo's behavior, in his view, was only to support and help his compatriots who held the same political views as him. He did not have too many interests with those core members of the party, so it would not threaten his position in the Whig Party and his control of the entire party.
Therefore, Henry Clay was happy to see Chen Mo sponsoring the low-level young members of the party.
Those young members who were excluded and discouraged by the Whig Party and left Congress were strongly supported by Chen Mo. Chen Mo paid to help them return to their respective states. They either continued to engage in political activities in their states, resisting the expansion of slavery, or temporarily lay low, waiting for the right time.
Among them, one temporarily withdrew from Congress and returned to his old job. With the financial support of Chen Mo, he returned to his hometown and opened a law firm, becoming a lawyer again.
However, like most of the other people who left, although he temporarily lay low, he did not give up on promoting his political ideas. He still enthusiastically devoted himself to public affairs, and his personal reputation was constantly consolidated and improved.
These young political elites who left Congress and were far away from the power center of the United States had little contact with other members of the Whig Party, especially the party leader, Henry Clay. However, they always maintained contact with Chen Mo. They had the same beliefs and ideas, and they were funded, supported, and encouraged by Chen Mo.
Under the influence of Chen Mo, they firmly believed that the abolition of slavery was imperative. There would be a war between the North and the South. Now, they temporarily lay low, just to break out at the critical moment in the future. Their goal would eventually be achieved!
This group of young people was not valued by Henry Clay. In order to win the support of the southern slave owners, Henry Clay even sat and watched them being excluded. However, Henry Clay did not care about them. They had formed a new small group with Chenmo, and the center of this group was the great capitalist who provided them with economic and ideological support and pointed out the future path for them, Chenmo!
Not only the young political elites who left Congress, but more and more members of the Whig Party who were against slavery, because of the growing power of the southern slave owners, joined this small group. Under the support and comfort of Chen Mo, they quietly lay low.
All of them, including Chen Mo who supported them behind the scenes, were waiting for the right time to come.
In 1852, in the 14th presidential election, the division between the Whigs who were in favor of slavery and those who were against it was completely revealed.
The former vice president, Millard Fillmore, who had taken over the presidency after the "death" of Zachary Taylor, had always compromised on the issue of the North and South, which caused the dissatisfaction of many of the Whigs who were against slavery. These people's strength was enough to directly make him lose the opportunity to be nominated by the party.
In the end, in view of the victory of the previous two elections, Henry Clay tried to repeat the previous victory and nominated a war hero, General Winfield Scott, as a candidate for the presidency again.
However, there was an old saying in the mysterious ancient country of Huaxia. This time, the Whigs ushered in a complete and utter failure. At that time, in the thirty-one states of the United States, they only won the votes of four states, which was an absolute defeat. Everyone in the party lamented that the Whigs were finished.
During the election, another major event happened. The founder and leader of the Whig Party, Henry Clay, died. Those who were still tightly around him instantly lost their backbone.
Without Henry Clay to coordinate the operation in the middle, all kinds of problems and contradictions were revealed.
The problems of the central bank and the issue of slavery deepened the contradictions in the Whigs. Soon, they became a mass of scattered sand, each doing their own thing. The Whigs only existed in name.
At this time, the group of young political elites who united around Chen Mo became a united and powerful force. However, compared to the original Whigs and Democrats, they were still very weak.
However, while the Whigs were gradually declining, the small group centered around Chen Mo was gradually becoming stronger. More and more Whigs who were against slavery joined, even including the core members of the original Whigs who had a certain amount of influence in Congress.
After all, politics was still a collective game. Without the support of the powerful Whig Party, they would not have a good time in the Congress. The joint attacks and suppression from both the party and those outside the party who supported the slave owners made them anxious to find a new group to fight against the enemy together.
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