In the matter of the war with Mexico—the war of a slave-holding against a free republic—Matthew Perry acted as a servant of the government. He was a naval officer whose business it was to carry out the orders of his superiors. With the moral question of invading Mexico, he had nothing to do. The responsibility lay upon the government of the United States, and especially upon the President, his cabinet and supporters.[17] Perry did not like the idea of invasion, and believed that redress could be obtained with little bloodshed, and hostilities be made the means of education to a sister republic. He therefore submitted to the government, a detailed plan for prosecuting the war: 1st. To occupy and colonize California, and annex it to the territory of the United States. 2nd. To withdraw all United States troops from the interior of Mexico proper. 3rd. To establish a military cordon along its northern frontiers. 4th. To occupy by naval detachments and military garrisons, all its principal ports in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 5th. To establish these ports temporarily, and during the continuance of the war, as American ports of entry with a tariff of specific duties. 6th. To throw these ports open for the admission under any friendly flag of all articles, foreign or domestic not contraband of war. 7th. To encourage the admission and sale of American manufactured goods and the staples of the country, “particularly that of tobacco, which is a present monopoly of Mexico, and yields to the government a large revenue.” We should thus get a revenue to pay for the expenses of the war. The advantages of Perry’s plan, stated in his own words, were that, “Instead of our waging a war of invasion, it would become one of occupation and necessary expediency, and consequently a contest more congenial to the institutions and professions of the American people.” “The cost of the war would be reduced three-fourths, the results would be positive, and there would be an immense saving of human life. Commerce and kindness would remove false ideas of Mexicans concerning North American people, ideas so actively fomented by the Mexican clergy. As an argument in favor of humanity, the Mexican people would be led to pursue agriculture and mining, so that it would be hard to rouse sufficient military spirit in them to dislodge forces holding their ports.” The “baleful influence of the clergy would be lessened,” and the despotic power of the military be almost annihilated, so that the people would sue for peace. In short, this plan, if carried out, would be a great educational measure.