Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas in 1841 for his second term. He aimed to balance the budget by cutting government jobs and spending, but was unable to do so as debt rose to $12 million by 1845. Houston pursued peaceful relations with Indian tribes, establishing frontier trading posts and signing treaties, including with the Comanche in 1844. However, tensions with the Comanche later resurfaced. Houston also had to send troops in 1844 to end the Regulator-Moderator War, a violent feud between two settler groups in East Texas over land certificates that local officials could not stop.