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168 and exciting that have ever taken place, and the result was that Harrison and Tyler each received 234 electoral votes, and Van Buren 60 (those of New Hampshire, Virginia, South Carolina, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, and Arkansas), while the same number were divided between R. M. Johnson, L. W. Tazewell, and James K. Polk as democratic candidates for the vice presidency. The popular vote was 1,275,011 for Harrison and 1,128,702 for Van Buren. Gen. Harrison was inaugurated March 4, 1841, and selected as his cabinet Daniel Webster, secretary of state; Thomas Ewing, of the treasury; John Bell, of war; George E. Badger, of the navy; Francis Granger, postmaster general; and J. J. Crittenden, attorney general. Before any distinctive line of policy could be adopted by the new administration, the president died, April 4. The presidential office devolved on John Tyler, who retained the cabinet of his predecessor until the following September, when all but the secretary of state resigned in consequence of the unexpected development of a policy on the part of the president in relation to a national bank much more in accordance with the views of the democratic party, to which he had formerly been attached, than to those of the whigs, by whom he had been elevated to power. A treaty was concluded in 1842 with Great Britain by Mr. Webster for the settlement of the northeastern boundary. On April 12, 1844, a treaty to annex Texas to the United States was concluded by Mr. Calhoun and the agents of the new republic, but was rejected by the senate, on the ground that it would involve the country in a war with Mexico. The Texas question immediately became the prominent issue in the presidential contest of that year, the democratic party supporting and the whigs opposing annexation. At the south it was advocated as a means of strengthening the slavery interest, and at the north it was in great part opposed for the same reason, the anti-slavery element in both the parties being at this period of considerable strength. The friends of Texas soon obtained control of the democratic party, and, Mr. Van Buren having expressed unconditional opposition to annexation, at the national convention of that party at Baltimore, May 27, 1844, James K. Polk was nominated for president, and George M. Dallas for vice president. The whig national convention, which met at Baltimore May 1, had already nominated for president Henry Clay, and for vice president Theodore Frelinghuysen. The result of the election was 170 electoral votes for Polk and Dallas, and 105 for the whig candidates. The popular vote was 1,337,243 for Polk and 1,299,062 for Clay. The management of the Texas question was now assumed by congress, and joint resolutions for annexing that country to the United States as one of the states of the Union were signed by President Tyler March 1, 1845; and his last important official act was to sign two days later the bill

for the admission of Florida and Iowa into the Union.—President Polk appointed as his cabinet James Buchanan, secretary of state; Robert J. Walker, of the treasury; William L. Marcy, of war; George Bancroft, of the navy; Cave Johnson, postmaster general; and John Y. Mason, attorney general. At the beginning of his administration the country was involved in disputes with Mexico, growing out of the annexation of Texas to the United States. Gen. Zachary Taylor was sent with a small army to occupy the region between the Nueces and the Rio Grande, which the United States claimed as belonging to Texas, while the Mexicans maintained that Texas had never extended beyond the Nueces. In April, 1846, a slight collision occurred on the Rio Grande between Gen. Taylor's army and that of the Mexican commander, Gen. Arista. On May 11 the president sent a special message to congress declaring that “war existed by the act of Mexico,” and asking for men and money to carry it on. Congress, by a vote of 142 to 14 in the house, and of 40 to 2 in the senate, appropriated $10,000,000, and gave authority to call out 50,000 volunteers. Taylor meanwhile had defeated the Mexicans at Palo Alto, May 8, and at Resaca de la Palma, May 9, and on being reënforced continued the war by brilliant victories at Monterey in September, and at Buena Vista, Feb. 23, 1847. (See .) The conduct of the war was now assumed by Gen. Scott, commanding in chief. On March 9, 1847, he landed near Vera Cruz with about 12,000 men; that city was immediately besieged, and surrendered before the end of the month. Gen. Scott entered the city of Mexico on Sept. 14, after a series of hard-fought and uniformly successful battles. (See .) Meanwhile Gen. Stephen W. Kearny, at the head of a small force, had marched from Fort Leavenworth over the great plains to Santa Fé, and conquered New Mexico in August, 1846. He instituted an American government over the province, and then resumed his march toward California, which had already been conquered by Col. Fremont and Commodore Stockton. On his arrival at Monterey, Gen. Kearny assumed the office of governor, and on Feb. 8, 1847, proclaimed the annexation of California to the United States. While Kearny was on his way to California, Col. Doniphan, at the head of 1,000 Missouri volunteers, had made a prodigious march across the plains, and taken the city of Chihuahua, after routing, Feb. 28, 4,000 Mexicans, who met him about 18 m. from the city. Gen. Scott's army occupied the Mexican capital until after the ratification of a treaty of peace which was negotiated at Guadalupe Hidalgo, Feb. 2, 1848, by Nicholas P. Trist on the part of the United States. By this treaty Mexico granted to the United States the line of the Rio Grande as a boundary, and also ceded New Mexico and California. On their part the United States agreed to pay Mexico $15,000,000, and to