PARTIES AGAINST SANTA ANNA. 



405 



of such a character that the Mexicans would not yield to them at the 

 present moment. The popular feeling, stimulated by the rivals of 

 Santa Anna, his enemies, and the demagogues, was entirely opposed 

 to the surrender of territory. Sensible as the President was, that 

 the true national interests demanded instantaneous peace, he was 

 dissuaded by his confidential advisers from presenting a counter 

 projet, which would have resulted in a treaty. Congress, moreover, 

 had virtually dissolved by the precipitate departure of most of its 

 members after the battles of the 20th. 



All the party leaders labored diligently at this crisis, but none of 

 them with cordiality for Santa Anna, in whose negotiations of a 

 successful peace with the United States, they either foresaw or 

 feared the permanent consolidation of his power. The puros, or 

 democrats, still clung to their admiration of the constitution of our 

 Union ; to their opposition to the standing army ; to their desire 

 for modifying the power and position of the church and its ministers, 

 and to their united hostility against the President. They were loud 

 in their exhortations to continue the war, while Olaguibel, one of 

 their ablest men and most devoted lovers of American institutions, 

 issued a strong manifesto against the projected treaty. This was 

 the party which, it is asserted, in fact desired the prolongation of 

 the war until the destroyed nationality of Mexico took refuge from 

 domestic intrigues, misgovernment and anarchy, in annexation to 

 the United States. 



The monarquistas, who still adhered to the church and the army, 

 proclaimed their belief in the total failure of the republican system. 

 Revolutions and incessant turmoils, according to their opinions, 

 could only be suppressed by the strong arm of power, and in their 

 ranks had again appeared General Mariano Paredes y Arrellaga, 

 who, returning from exile, landed in disguise at Vera Cruz, and 

 passing secretly through the American lines, proceeded to Mexico 

 to continue his machinations against Santa Anna, whom he cordially 

 hated. 



The moderados formed a middle party equally opposed to the ul- 

 traisms of monarchy and democracy. They counted among their 

 number, many of the purest and wisest men in the republic, and al- 

 though they were not as inimical to the United States as the monar- 

 quistas, or as many of the puros pretended to be, yet they cordially 

 desired or hoped to preserve the nationality and progressive repub- 

 licanism of Mexico. In this junto Santa Anna found a few parti- 

 zans who adhered to him more from policy than principle, for all 

 classes had learned to distrust a person who played so many parts in 



52 



