Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/328

308 beaten by the bully on her northern border, whose greatest pride is christian liberty with puritan antecedents, whose greatest principle at this time finds exercise in hunting about for plausible pretexts to steal from a weaker neighbor a fine slice of lands suitable for slave labor. Let us inquire a little into the quality of these pretexts, and determine what were the real causes of the war.

In a previous chapter, treating of the Texan revolt and secession, I explained the cause, which was the desire of its acquisition on the part of the southern states of the American union, whose government yielded to the pressure of slave-holding interests. After exhausting all legitimate means, it resorted to somewhat sinister devices, clearly indicating, by its policy in 1836 and subsequently, an intent to coerce Mexico into a cession of the coveted territory. It is true that the United States had declined a protectorate over Texas, which measure would have violated a treaty. Mexico must be made to appear as the culpable party and aggressor. So a long list of claims was presented, for which the republic was held responsible, though a number of them hardly affected American interests at all. An unseemly diplomatic pressure was then employed.

The American envoy, Powhatan Ellis, was instructed to demand such reparation "as these accumulated wrongs may be found to require." If no satisfactory answer should be returned in three weeks, he must inform the Mexican government that unless redress was afforded without delay, his further residence in Mexico would terminate. If this threat proved unavailing, he was to notify the Mexican cabinet that unless a satisfactory answer came to him in two weeks, he should ask for his passports and