Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/676

656, on paper — pure humbug and trickery — executions, imprisonments, and expulsions continuing as usual. The country was now desolated by war and the cholera; robberies on the high-roads were common; the frontiers were raided by savage Indians. The government was hard pressed for money, the millions received from the United States having disappeared in a few months. Comonfort now returned from abroad to Acapulco with a large supply of war material, which not only saved the revolution from a possible collapse, but enabled its chiefs to push operations to a successful issue.

Santa Anna's stringent measures had no effect. He then issued an address to the people renewing his promises made at Vera Cruz of being a ruler and not a party man; and went so far as to decree a general pardon; but apparent leniency was now looked on as an evidence of fear. He went south as far as Iguala; but as Michoacan had been made by Comonfort the centre of military operations, he changed his headquarters to Morelia, where he was received with the honors of triumph. He took Zamora, the insurgents continuing their tactics of not confronting the government forces. He returned to Morelia, and after a while to Mexico, without having obtained any advantage. The revolution was fast gaining ground. Santa Anna now stationed troops between Mexico and Vera Cruz. When his general, Güitian, was routed in San Luis Potosí, and other expeditions met with disaster, the dictator saw the necessity of a complete change of policy if he would not again leave the country. He summoned the council, and proposed the framing of a