Mr. Calhoun succeeded Mr. Upshur as Secretary of State, and he was known as a friend of annexation.  Mr. Van Buren, replying to a letter from Mr. William T. Hammett, a representative in Congress from Mississippi, announced his opposition to the immediate annexation of Texas, because it would produce a war with Mexico.  He expressed himself in favor of the measure when it could be done peaceably and honorably.  Mr. Clay announced his opposition to the measure.  In December, 1843, the British Premier, Lord Aberdeen, in a dispatch to Sir Richard Packenham, British Minister at Washington, denied that Great Britain had any design on Texas, but announced (which was superfluous, and not germane to the charge which he felt called upon to deny) that “Great Britain desires and is constantly exerting herself to procure the general abolition of slavery throughout the world.”  This provoked a correspondence between Mr. Calhoun and the British Minister.  In his annual message to Congress at the commencement of the session of 1843-’44 the President expressed himself very strongly in regard to war being waged by Mexico against Texas.  The proposed treaty for annexation was rejected by the Senate June 8, 1844, by a vote of thirty-five to sixteen.  Mr. Benton presented a plan for the peaceful acquisition of Texas, but the Senate refused to adopt it.

President Tyler in his last message again referred to the war between Mexico and Texas, and said:  “I repeat now what I then said, that after eight years of feeble and ineffectual efforts to recover Texas, it was time that the war should have ceased.”

When the convention of the Whig party met at Harrisburg, Pa., December 4, 1839, to nominate a candidate for the presidency, General Scott’s name was presented.  He had addressed a number of letters to members of the convention urging that, if there appeared any prospect of success, Mr. Clay should be selected, and if not, that the choice should fall on General William Henry Harrison.  The total number of votes in the convention was two hundred and fifty-four.  Of these, General Scott received the votes of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Michigan—­in all, sixty-two.  The States which had voted for General Scott gave their votes eventually to General Harrison, who received the nomination.  General Scott said of General Harrison, “But the nomination and success of General Harrison,” if his life had been spared some four years longer, would have been no detriment to the country.  With excellent intentions and objects, and the good sense to appoint able counselors, the country would not have been retarded in its prosperity nor disgraced by corruption in high places.  No one can, of course, be held responsible for sudden deaths among men.  A single month in office ended President Harrison’s life, when the plaint of Burke occurred to all, “What shadows we are, what shadows we pursue!” In June, 1841, Major-General Macomb having died, General Scott was called to take up his residence in Washington as general in chief of the army.  Among his first orders was one which put a stop to arbitrary and illegal punishments in the army.