erence between himself and his opponent on the absorbing
question of Texas annexation, but it still gave to Mr. Polk all
the advantage of boldness. The latter was outspoken for the
annexation of Texas, and the former, with a few timid qualifications,
declared that he would be glad to see Texas annexed. Besides this,
Mr. Polk's position on the Oregon question afforded some compensation
by proposing to add a large area of free territory to offset the
increase of slave territory in Texas. Under such arguments the
Abolition party grew rapidly and steadily until, at the election,
they polled for Mr. Birney 58,879 votes. This vast increase over
the vote of 1840 was very largely at the expense of the Whig party,
and its specific injury to Mr. Clay is almost a matter of mathematical
demonstration. In New York the vote stood for Polk 237,588, for
Clay 232,482, for Birney, 15,812. The plurality for Mr. Polk was
only 5,106. In 1840 the vote for Mr. Birney in New York was
2,798.* But for the Alabama letter it has always been believed
that Mr. Clay would have received a sufficient number of the Birney
votes to give him a plurality. The election hinged on the result
in New York. One hundred and thirty-eight electoral votes were
necessary to a choice. With New York, Mr. Clay would have had a
total of one hundred and forty-one. Mr. Polk, with New York added
to his vote, received a total of one hundred and seventy, and was
elected President of the United States.

No contest for the Presidency, either before or since, has been
conducted with such intense energy and such deep feeling. Mr.
Clay's followers were not ordinary political supporters. They had
the profound personal attachment which is looked for only in
hereditary governments, where loyalty becomes a passion, and is
blind and unreasoning in its adherence and its devotion. The
logical complement of such ardent fidelity is an opposition marked
by unscrupulous rancor. This case proved no exception. The love
of Mr. Clay's friends was equaled by the hatred of his foes. The
zeal of his supporters did not surpass the zeal of his opponents.
All the enmities and exasperations which began in the memorable
contest for the Presidency when John Quincy Adams was chosen, and
had grown into great proportions during the long intervening period,
were fought out on the angry field of 1844. Mr. Polk, a moderate
and amiable man, did not represent the acrimonious character of
the