He was without personal or political influence, and his term of office was now so nearly expired, that he had but httle patronage with which to secure Senatorial votes. It was clearly ascertained that the treaty could not be rati- fied even were all the friends of annexation to vote for it ;
and hence many of those friends consulted their own political views and prejudices in swelling the majority against it, and thus thwarting the aspirations of Mr. Cal- hoim. A presidential election was approaching, and the southern opponents of Mr. Calhoun were well content to diminish by their votes the influence his zeal in the cause of Texas was calculated to give him. Although eager for Texas, they could not vote for a treaty so very objec- tionable as that made by Mr. Calhoun ; whereas, had its ratification depended on them, there is little doubt their votes would have been different.