The war has also had a most unhappy influence in familiarizmg the public ear to falsehood, and under cir- cumstances tending to divest the sin of much of its vileness. Falsehood was dignified, both by the magnitude and importance of the objects it was intended to promote, and by the elevated position of those who condescended to use it as an instrument.
It was one of the lamentations of the Prophet, that ** truth has fallen in the streets ;" and in our days, the Mexican war has caused her to be trampled in the dust, not only in the streets of Washington, but in every high- way throughout the repubhc. The Message of Mr. Polk (Dec. 1846), in vmdication of the war, has been termed *'a pyramid of mendacity". It would occupy too much space to examine in detail the various materials of this vast structure, we will merely give a few specimens which the attentive reader of the preceding pages will be quah- fied to analyze for himself.
'' The existing war with Mexico was neither desired nor provoked by the United States ; on the contrary, all hon- orable means were resorted to to avert it. After years of endurance of aggi-avated wrongs on our part, Mexico, in violation of solemn treaty stipulations commenced hostili- ties, and thus by her own act forced the war upon us. Long before the advance of our army to the left bank of the Rio Grande, we had ample cause of war against Mexico ;
and, had the United States resorted to this extremity, we might have appealed to the whole civilized world for the justice of our camse." " The wrongs which we have suf- fered from Mexico almost ever since she became an indepen- dent power, and the patient endurance with which we have borne them, are without a 2)arallel in the histor?j of modern civilized nations." " The annexation of Texas to the United States constituted no just cause of offence to Mexico." "Whilst occupying his (General Taylor's)