New-York daily tribune., 1854-08-24

church pronerts To- the State and the rrductO OF tie
sTmv. measures of first necessity il Mexico we're to
rise out Of her weakness aud disunty, were bo'a
rendered impossible The President sought his oYn
tefb eud. at tbe cost Of the public and tue Nemesis
Wa, not long wanting In lSJ5 his position had be-
come such in consequences OF dssatissc;ion with his
administration that be fourd it advisable to resign
shortly after which he appeared ss the leader oil
lew and successful revolution, made openly in the
military and clerical interest This is the darkest
period of bis career he assembled new Congress,
proclaimed the extinction Of the federal system aud
transformed the country int, centralized republic.
His native tyrsrDica disposition had full play, aud
bloody retrbution awaited every stirring Of dso5ed-
epce. But here too bis ill-luck pursued him. and
though there was no Limit to his authority at home,
he fell a pris ner into the hands of the Texans,
and regaDed his liberty only by concessions ani
pledges be never meant to keep.
Having got back to Mexico he became Dictator
again ia S4I and for above three years directed Ats
policy TO the sole end Of confirming and perpet ating
his power But now az ever he overreached himself
In 1874 revolt broke on. under Paroles aud Herrera,
ard within three months Santa Anna had failed 10 an
ATTEMPT to take the city oPueba had been shau ioned
by his army on the march to Mexico. had fei, had
been captured in his flight and arraigned before Con
cress for peculation and tTetsOn at last, on APri
IG lSi5, be was condemned to perpetual banishmeS,
and the confscstiOn of all his property sentence he
had richly deserved.
Now followed the wa with the United States,
which once again restored this uniucky gambler in
politics to his still more unluc&y country. Ater the
triuuphs OF Taylor at Pao Alto and Resaca de la
H. bfn, huf
disaster awaiting the republic desperately rose against
the Government and proclaimed Sana Anna as their
Pretident The Generals, blood suckers all and
towards most of them, adhered to the move
ment; Vera Cruz sent delegates to bring back the
exile and on August 10, lc46 he landed in tina.
city His first care to issue proclamation, in
which, Disgusting his real principles and contradict
ing al bis former acts he declared himself in favor
of the federal system, aud month a(terward tri
umpbsntly made bis entry into the capital No hero
was ever received with greater enthusiasm; in him
the nation nag ned that it saluted its savior; all
Offices and distinctions were laid at his feet, and
Congress and the multitude We'd with each other in
demonstrations of servility Still he declined the SUI
preme political power, and copteHted himself with
the functions of General-in- Chief but at this
summit of popularity and of grandeur his old i'll for
tune pursued him. He defeated by Taylor at
Buena Vista by Scott at Cerro Gordo, Contreras aud
Churubusco and on the anniversary of his entry into
the capital he was sgan q fugitive, cursed by the
people he had disappointed and not long after again
On exile.
That tie war with tho United States caused the
greatest injury to Mexico should be the last to
question but that it alone produced the evils she hiss
since had to endure no one will affirm. 1t would
seem rather that these evils the natural inherit
ance she received along with the institutions OF the
mother country and that the calamities of the war
only hasteDed their development. spain herself is
tmtten with the same causes Of decline and weak
ness-tle corruption of the higher classes, the pre-
dominance Of tho military the universal employment
Of the Government as the means OF enrichng by pub
lie plunder thOse in whose hands its Offices held
Such is the case with Spain, aud with Mexico
in an even higher degree. The war, by ex-
hsusting' the resources of the country has rem
dered these vices more burdensOme, but it
has not made them essentially worse. Ii did not
launch the nation down the rapid descent to utter
anarchy and dissolution. but it expedited the fall
Accordingly, the symptoms of complete breaking up
were not slow in manifesting themselves. The yearly
deficit for 1850 was estimated three million dollars
with the further disadvantage that the expenditures
were certain while the revenues were liable to
fall greatly below the estimates. The interest on
neither the foreign nor the domestic debt was COW
cred and the salaries of the Judges fell in arrears as
well as the pay Of the soldiery. The old conflict be-
tween the Federal and Centralist parties now revyel
and revolt and partition OF the republic were threat
tned on every hand. Arista was chosen President,
but the task was beyond his resources He sought
TO modify the tariff and by more favorable system
OF duties to diminish smuggling and increase the
enue, but he failed Congress refusing to pass tho
measure. Finally, driven to desperation, the Cos
ernment laid tax of eight per cent on all articles
consumed and this only completed its own downfall
A new rising took place, and Santa Anna was again
recalled to Mexico.
Now it would have seemed that the exhausted au |
broken country which had so often invoked and 20
often repudisted this man, must at last yield itself
entirely to his control. He received with all
conceivable a6uatioDs he had been before; AMI as
he borne in triumph from the to the capital
his mind must have reverted with doubtful auguries
to the similar Of lsil and 1916 One quality
however, he does not lack-deeisOn. Welcomed by
the people, he yaulted at once upon their neeks and
commenced the sway of despOtsm such as since
her independence Mexico had not seen before. He
abolished the Congress set his foot on the press ex
tiDeusbed the last vestge of the federal adniuistr,
tiOp assumed the style and etiquette of sovereign
prince, and prepared to establish an imperial throne
and dynasty kindred adyenturer had so recently
done in France. There was now no obstacle apps
rent in bis path and his days OF bad luck seemed to
have reached their term. He established and en-.
! cod tba tariH Al. L.