1840. 1844. 1840. 1844. Connecticut . . . . 179 1,943 New York . . . . 2,798 15,812 Illinois . . . . . -- 149 Ohio . . . . . . 903 8,050 Indiana . . . . . . -- 2,106 Pennsylvania . . 343 3,138 Maine . . . . . . . 194 4,836 Rhode Island . . 42 107 Massachusetts . . . 1,621 10,860 Vermont . . . . 319 3,954 Michigan . . . . . 321 3,632 New Hampshire . . . 126 4,161 6,745 58,879 New Jersey . . . . 69 131 ] CHAPTER III. Review (_continued_).--Triumph of the Democratic Party.--Impending Troubles with Mexico.--Position of Parties.--Struggle for the Equality of Free and Slave States.--Character of the Southern Leaders.--Their Efforts to control the Government.--Conservative Course of Secretaries Buchanan and Marcy.--Reluctant to engage in War with Mexico.--The Oregon Question, 54 deg., 40', or 49 deg..--Critical Relations with the British Government.--Treaty of 1846.--Character of the Adjustment.--Our Probable Loss by Unwise Policy of the Democratic Party. The annexation of Texas being accomplished, the next step was looked for with absorbing interest. In the spring of 1845 the Democratic party stood victor. Its policy had been approved by the people, its administration was in power. But success had brought heavy responsibilities, and imposed upon the statesmanship of Mr. Polk the severest of tasks. Texas came to us with undefined boundaries, and with a state of war at that moment existing between herself and Mexico. We had annexed a province that had indeed maintained a revolt for years against the central government of a neighboring republic; but its independence had never been conceded, the hope of its subjugation had never been abandoned. When Congress passed the joint resolution of annexation, the Mexican minister entered a formal protest against the proceeding, demanded his passports, and left the United States. By this course, Mexico placed herself in an unfriendly, though not necessarily hostile, attitude. The general apprehension however was that we should drift into war, and the first message of Mr. Polk aroused the country to the impending danger. He devoted a large space to the Texas question, informing Congress that "Mexico had been marshaling and organizing armies, issuing proclamations, and avowing the intention to make war on the United States, either by open declaration, or by invading Texas." He had therefore "deemed it proper, as a precautionary measure, to order a strong squadron to the coast of Mexico, and to concentrate an efficient military force on the western frontier of Texas." Every one could see what this condition of affairs portended, and there was at once great excitement throughout the country. In the North, the belief of a large majority of the people was that the administration intended to precipitate war, not merely to coerce