Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/128

 States and France. The United States content themselves with explaining to France the exigencies of a situation so embarrassing to Mexico, and with expressing the hope that some means will be discovered compatible both with the interests and dignity of France, and also with the principles and interests of the United States, of putting an end to this state of things without injurious delay.

We adhere to our assertion that the war in question has become a political war between France and the Mexican republic, injurious and dangerous both to the United States and to the republican cause, and looking at it under this aspect and in this character only, we demand that it should come an end.

We look upon the emperor as having announced to us his immediate intention of putting an end to the service of his army in Mexico, and of keeping faithfully, without any stipulation or condition on our part, to the principle of non-intervention, as to which he is henceforth agreed with the United States.

. . . To these explanations, I will only add that, in the opinion of the president, France has no reason whatever for delaying for an instant the promised withdrawal of her military forces from Mexico.

. . . Looking simply at the point on which our attention has always been fixed, namely, our release from the Mexican embarrassment without disturbing our friendly relations with France, we shall be gratified when the emperor gives us, by means either of your esteemed correspondence or in any other way, definitive information as to the date at which we may reckon that the French military operations in Mexico will cease.

The rudeness of this message was at least strange; but it was the inevitable consequence of our policy of intervention. Our respective characters were for the future inverted: the Union now gave orders. Before, France had spoken boldly, in April 1864, saying through M. Drouyn de Lhuys to Mr. Dayton, the American representative at Paris—'Do you bring us