Written as a follow-up to the Polkos' initial pronunciamento, this broadside issued by Peña y Barragán sought to reassure the citizens of Mexico City that the Polkos were motivated strictly by a desire to restore the property and respect the privileges of the Catholic Church. Sensitive to allegations that the rebellion was aiding the United States, Peña y Barragán rejected the government's efforts to link it with the coup which had brought José Joaquin Herrera to power in December 1844. Herrera had been deposed the following year amid rumors that he was prepared to reopen diplomatic relations with Washington following the annexation of Texas.
The General-in-Chief of the Troops of the Capital
All fellow citizens, comrades in arms: the few individuals that still support the dangerous administration of Don Valentín Gomez Farías have resorted to the ridiculous tactic of making you believe that I, as the head of the patriots that desire true constitutional order, am thinking about reinstituting the movement of December 1844, despite the fact that my plan published today, and today's first news bulletin, attests to my political faith, and in no way validates their assertions; but since their unfounded allegations could carry weight among some gullible people, I believe it my duty to assure you as I do before the whole world, that my program does not contain anything that is not explicit, and that my only desire is a government as fair as it is legitimate to restore the property that has been taken from us and which is so important for saving the invaluable independence of our beloved homeland and the sacred faith of our forefathers.
Mexico, February 27 of 1847
Matías de la Peña y Barragán
