the United States, and is to begin a war of defence, although not a Mexican shot has been fired, and is to capture the city of Metamoras, and to carry the war into the interior of Mexico.* So confident was Mr. Polk of the success of his plan, that, as we have seen, the Governors of no less than five States were ordei'ed to supply Taylor with an unlimited number of troops to commence the intended campaign with eclat.
The pretended apology for this most unwarrantable as- sumption of power in thus plunging the country into an imexpected, unprovoked, and unnecessary war, was that Texas was in danger. None were more sensible than the adriiinistration of the utter inability of Mexico to wage an offensive war against the United States. Since the commencement of the Texan rebellion, the Mexican Government had been uttering inflated threats against its revolted province, yet no hostile force had entered it since the di- * The following from the Union of the llth Sept., 1845, the official paper of the Administration, shows how well the editor understood the designs of his emploj^ers, " If Arista (the Mexican General at Metamoras), dares to carry out his braggart threats, if he ventures to cross the Rio Grande with reinforcevients to any little armed posts, which the Mexicans may occupy on the east side of the river, General Taylor will attempt to prevent him blood must flow—war wii.l ejvsite."
sastrous conflict at San Jacinto. A vast desert extended between the Nueces and the Rio Grande ; and in the dis- trict along the east of that river not one Texan dwelhng -was to be found. The population of the country invaded by Taylor, was exclusively Mexican. There was no human probability that Mexico, feeble, disorganized, and distracted as she was, would dare to invade Texas, now protected by the whole power of the American con- federacy, when nine years before a handful of adventurers had destroyed her army, and taken captive her President. The pretence was no less absurd than false ; and, had danger been indeed apprehended, there was no necessity to send an army 200 miles in