Studies in American History 
435 
governor, legislature, and consequently Thomas Corwin to 
the United States Senate. In the November election the Demo- 
crats carried all of the Northwest except Ohio, where the 
Liberty vote held the balance.®® The Democrats claimed that 
the Birney letter lie gave 3,000 Democratic votes to Clay in 
November. Some Abolitionists who voted for King, as well 
as many Democrats who voted for Tod, in October, voted for 
Clay in November. The Democratic increase in Ohio since 
1840 was 24,279, while the Whig increase was 6,956.'^® In 
Indiana Polk had a majority of 208 over Clay and Birney 
and carried 50 of the 89 counties.'^^ Clay carried only 27 
of the 99 counties of Illinois, and only 3 of these were south 
of the mouth of the Illinois River and none was within 60 
miles of Chicago."^^ The Abolitionist vote was important but 
not decisive. In Michigan the Liberty vote held the balance 
and Polk carried 23 of the 31 counties.'^® Democrats elected 
all the state senators and all but 8 representatives. 
The total vote of the four states of the Northwest stood: 
Polk, 305,941; Clay, 293,186; Birney, 17,589. The defeat of 
Clay hit many of the Whigs as a keen personal disappointment, 
for to his followers “Harry of the West’’ was the most able 
statesman as well as the most attractive personality in public 
life. It was felt that his aspirations for the presidency were 
now permanently crushed. Many grew bitter in their de- 
nunciations and predictions. The “Great Statesman of the 
Age” had been deserted for the “Automaton of a coalition of 
factionists”. They declared Polk’s success due to the foreign 
vote, and that Clay had received a majority at the hands of 
those to whom the Constitution had intended giving the right 
to elect presidents. Free trade, nullification, extension of 
slavery, and disunion were predicted as the logical result. 
Others merely accepted the inevitable “with fervent prayers 
that the new administration may be pure and useful”. 
The campaign of 1844 was a forerunner of the impending 
storm. The slavery issue had for the first time played an im- 
Ohio gave Clay 155,113, Polk 149,061, and Birney 8,050. Polk received 2,728 
more votes than Bartley, Whig candidate for governor. 
Ohio Statistics, 255. Ohio Statesman, November 20, 1844. 
Indiana State Journal, November 30, 1844. 
The vote was : Polk, 58,982 ; Clay, 45,931 ; Birney, 3,433. Illinois Election Re- 
turns, 149. j 
The vote was: Polk, 27,737; Clay, 24,275; Birney, 3,b39. Michigan Manual 
(Lp,nsing, Mich.), 1913, p, 693, 
