J. K. Polk（1845-1849），a native of North Carolina， the first darkhorse ever nominated for the presidency，aggressively pressed forsettle-ment of the Oregon boundary dispute under the slogan"Fifty-Four For-ty or Fight"and secured recognition of a boundary in 1846. This aggres-siveness was designed to increase the number of states in the north，toparallel the increase in the south with the addition of Texas and the ac-quisition of New Mexico and California. Americans in California took ahint from Polk and declared an independent state. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to occupy the left bank of the Rio Grande; at length theexasperating Mexicans committed an overt act，which was followed by abrief successful war. In 1847，in" the spot" resolutions， Lincoln took anactive part in attacking Polk，and to a resolution of Congress thankingGeneral Taylor，secured the addition of a rider that the war had beenstarted by Polk"unnecessarily and unconstitutionally. "19 Polk　20 was ac-cused by the Whigs of forcing a war to extend the institution of slavery.Opposition to the aggressiveness of the south in the interests of newterritory became more vocal through the activities of Lincoln and organssuch as the Chicago Tribune.
　　Again to capture the electorate，Thurlow Weed，a skilful journalistand politican，played an active role in securing the selection of GeneralTaylor，a native of Virginia， and the hero of Buena Vista （February1847）. He was selected at the Iowa convention within a month of hisvictory and later triumphantly elected. Vice President Fillmore，a nativeof New York，became President on his death in 1850 and like most vicepresidents not in harmony with the policy of the administration， re-versed it. He was sympathetic to the South，and made the first effort ofa president to purge his party by opposing the nomination of Whig con-gressmert who had voted against the Clay compromise.
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