Page:The War with Mexico, Vol 1.djvu/162

Rh Mexico; and no serious measures were adopted to increase our nominal army or our insufficient fleet. In September, he requested the members of the Cabinet to make their estimates for the coming year on "the most economical scale," and in fact only twenty-six hundred additional men were asked for the army — none for the navy. A note from the secretary of the navy to Captain Perry. "We are jogging on quietly this winter, not anticipating war" — well represents our military and naval programme; and a letter to Conner explains it: "We all hope Mexico will agree to a peace". Knowing, as Folk must have known, the deep and widespread fear of Mexican privateers, he would have been prevented by a merely selfish regard for the good opinion of the public from planning war without making some dispositions to protect, or at least warn, our millions of floating property. And apparently even the ardor of our young men for combat did not seriously move him.

In the second place, Polk's action pointed the same way as his non — action. No one could think of any rational method to conciliate Mexico, that he did not put into operation. The chief object of Parrott's mission, which was private and therefore could not have been intended for effect upon the world, was understood by Parrott himself to be, "preventing a declaration of war, by Mexico, against the United States." In appointing Slidell, as even the American Review admitted, the President was evidently sincere. At the end-of March, 1846, Polk received advices from Slidell which made it seem quite possible that he would finally be given a hearing, and immediately he set on foot 3 plan to furnish Paredes with funds, enable him to keep the army faithful, and thus encourage him to settle matters amicably. Indeed, all that is known of this mission from beginning to end, including Slidell's private letters to Buchanan and numerous details that it would be Wearisome to hear specified, show that Polk strongly desired as the Mexicans accused him of desiring — restoration of friendly intercourse; and when the purpose had evidently failed, Slidell gave final evidence of that disposition by writing: "I am greatly mortified at the total failure of a mission commenced under auspices apparently the most flattering, but that mortification is much mitigated by the consciousness,