Page:The War with Mexico, Vol 2.djvu/250

232 reference to our troops that "Even from the account of the Mexicans themselves they seem to have behaved very well." Gutiérrez de Estrada, a Mexican of high standing, said to his people that the Americans occupying their country ensured them security of person and possessions and all proper satisfactions better than their own governments had ever done.

And when one considers also the relative fewness of serious outrages and the comparatively small number of individuals affected, the great sums of money paid for supplies and labor, the reduced prices of almost all manufactured articles, the prevention of brigandage, insurrections, and civil as well as military extortions, tyranny and excesses in the territory that we held, the promotion of commerce and trade, the good ideas of municipal administration frequently exhibited by the governors of towns, and the fine examples of subordination to authority, both military and civil, exhibited by all grades of our troops from the private up to General Scott himself — when these things are considered, one may well feel that our occupation was a blessing to the people. Yet — they would rather have had Mexican abuse than American benefits.