344 WAR WITH MEXICO. [CHAP. XXXIX. 



press sympathy with the President and the war- 

 party at Washington. This meeting was held in the 

 Park, and although it may have served the purpose 

 of the democratic party, it was certainly a signal 

 failure, if any strong expression of popular feeling in 

 favour of such a war was looked for. Tn the crowd 

 I heard nothing but Irish, Scotch, and German 

 accents, and the only hearty cheer which any one 

 orator could draw, even from this mob of foreigners, 

 was obtained by representing the Mexicans as acting 

 under the influence of British gold. 



I met with no one person in society who defended 

 the aggression on the Mexican territory ; but as they 

 cannot prevent it, they endeavour, each in his way, to 

 comfort themselves that the mischief is no worse, 

 some saying, it will be a less evil than fighting with 

 Great Britain, others that it will furnish employ 

 ment for a host of turbulent spirits ; while some mer 

 chants hint that the democratic party, had they been 

 economical, might have lowered the tariff) and carried 

 out their dangerous theory of free-trade, whereas 

 now they will plunge the nation into debt, and be 

 compelled to resort to high duties, which will &quot; pro 

 tect native industry.&quot; The dissatisfaction of others 

 is unbounded ; they dread the annexation of a re 

 gion containing five millions of Indians, which, say 

 they, will deteriorate the general standard of the 

 white population ; they deplore the development of 

 a love for military glory, a passion inconsistent with all 

 true republican principles ; and one friend observed 

 to me, &quot; You will soon see a successful soldier, wholly 

 unknown to all of us at this moment, a man unversed 



