CHAPTER
VIII.
GIVING NOTICE.
Annual Message of 1845 with its accompanying from the diplomatic correspondence of Buchanan and Calhoun was the spark which set off the powder-magazine in Congress. Although there were some Folk's
carefully edited excerpts
genuine munitions of war there a great deal of the noise resulted from the detonation of political fireworks, both spectacular and deafening but not intended to be harmful. If
Oregon had hitherto been overshadowed by other neglect was now fully atoned for by the attention
issues that it
received
from the Twenty-ninth Congress, where, until the resurgence of the Texas-Mexico question and the opening of hostilities on the southern border, it succeeding in ousting from serious consideration
The
all
other matters.
alignment on the topic cannot be separated from the question itself: although there was much talk about political
taking up the issue on
its
framed their speeches or their
merits few
members of Congress
laid their plans without
in
the
coming
an eye to
congresparty had been bitterly disappointed by the results of the election of 1844; its high expectations, held in check by the recalcitrant Tyler, were sional
political
and
prospects
presidential.
elections,
The Whig
again put to one side, for there was to be no protective tariff, no revision of the government's fiscal methods, despite Folk's ambiguous stand after his nomination. Hence it was the purpose of this party to discredit the Administration and its course on Oregon seemed to offer a point of attack. The Democrats were seriously split. For the most part the southern wing followed Calhoun and were for a course of moderation; there was fear of the consequences of a rupture with Great Britain and its possible effect upon the Texas It was well known that Mexico had not acquiesced situation. in the loss of that province, and should hostilities willingly