espect, as if he had been elected by the people to that office, and in
this insistence he was unquestionably right.

Tyler quickly involved himself in trouble with the Whigs. They passed an
act to re-establish the United States Bank, whose charter expired in
1836, though it had continued in operation under the authority of the
State of Pennsylvania. President Tyler vetoed the bill. He suggested
some modifications, and it was passed again, but to the indignant
amazement of his party he vetoed it a second time. He was declared a
traitor and widely denounced. All his cabinet resigned, with the
exception of Daniel Webster, who, as stated elsewhere, remained until
1843, in order to complete an important treaty with England then under
negotiation.

THE WEBSTER-ASHBURTON TREATY.

This was known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. Our northeastern
boundary was loosely defined by the treaty of 1783, and it was finally
agreed by Great Britain and the United States to refer the questions in
dispute to three commissions to be jointly constituted by the two
countries. The first of these awarded the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay
to the United States; the third established the boundary line from the
intersection of the forty-fifth parallel with the St. Lawrence to the
western point of Lake Huron. It remained for the second commission to
determine the boundary from the Atlantic to the St. Lawrence. The
question was a bone of contention for many years, and at last was
referred to Daniel Webster and Lord Ashburton. These two gentlemen met
in a spirit of fairness, calmly discussed the matter, and without the
slightest friction reached an agreement, which was signed August 9,
1842, and confirmed by the Senate.

CIVIL WAR IN RHODE ISLAND.

Rhode Island had been governed down to 1842 by the charter received from
Charles II., in 1663. This charter permitted only the owners of a
certain amount of property to vote. Dissatisfaction gradually grew until
1842, when two political parties were formed in the little State, one
favoring a new constitution and the other clinging to the old. The
former carried the Legislature, after adopting a State constitution, and
elected Thomas W. Dorr governor. Their opponents elected Samuel W. King,
and both placed armed forces in the field. When civil war was imminent,
the national government interfered and Dorr's forces were dispersed
without bloodshed. Dorr was arrested, and on his trial found guilty of
tr