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the immense wealth which had been accumulated by the Church, and which, being withdrawn from free circulation, and monopolized by a class indisposed or incapable of making it productive, had only been a source of evil, and a perpetual barrier to the prosperity of the nation. Thus, when it was generally believed abroad that we were at war without a plausible motive, only to promote petty personal ambitions, we were really working out one of the most thorough of revolutions, and one of the most necessary for the true prosperity of the people of Mexico.
It should be well understood that we have never raised any issue with the Church party of Mexico on spiritual questions. Our disagreement has been wholly with reference to temporal affairs, and has not, in any manner, involved the dogmas of the Catholic faith.
The Church party has wished, as an association, to rule the country for their own advantage. We have sought to establish a perfect independence between Church and State, to confine the Church to spiritual affairs, and to make it subordinate to the State in temporal matters.
Thus, when we had reason to believe that our long civil wars had ended—for we had removed, even to the roots, the sole cause of all our past misfortunes—and that we were now about to enjoy the blessings of peace—the only thing needed by Mexico to become a prosperous nation—new misfortunes of a different kind have suddenly fallen upon us.
The Church party of Mexico, seeing that with their own means it was impossible to make any further resist-
