The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-11-10

AHAiss - 'Msxsco-The spasHsh -sscvenens
Against that Republic and .eAe Co~nter
Movemcnt on Cuba.
Wepublish to-day complete, Ineligible and
highly interesting condensation of the great po-
litical and social events that have taken place in
our sister republic of Mexico since the overthrow
Of President Arista's government in the beginning
OF 1853; and the consequent re-eccession to power
Of Santa Anna This ysss~s OF history not only
applies to the past three or four years, but it
is perfect type and sample of the course OF
Mexican events for the last thirty years-since it
severed its connection with the mother country
and became an independent nation. Changes,
few or none for the better, have succeeded each
other as rapidly as the different scenes of pau
om,1ae, and ony serve to impress the attentive
bserver with a sense of the puerilty aud incapa-
city, of people who cannot maintain q settled
government for more than few months at a
time
Casting glance backward as far as January,
1853, we confess to being unable, without some
consideration, to say how many rulers Mexico
| has had between that and the present time
| President Arista, against whose government a
| successful revolution was carried on. lie abdi
| Gated depositing the reins CT government in the
| hands of Ceballos. In few months Santa Anna
comes along and is hailed as the President Of the
peoples choice BY and bye he developes impe-
rial aspirations, and assumes the powersOf die
tator. But he soon-that is, in two and half
years reached the end of his dictatorial tenure
Of office, and, once more an exile, left power in
the.hands Of a triumvirate They believed, how
ever, in the principle of the " one man power"
and elevated Carrcra to the Presidency. Carrera
remained in his high position just one month, and
then, sickened, Disguised and disheartered, he
| too signed the act of abdicaton, and left the
| management of affairs to De la Vega. De Is Vega
governing the district and city of Mexico until
the wishes of Alvarez and the leaders of the re-
violation should be manifested, got into a
CONFLICT with subordinate officer and
| resigned his post. The garrison supported
De u Vege, and induced him to resume his high
| command. Alvarez appointed a successor to
him. but he declined to recognise that appoint
maat and chose rather to surrender his Office into
| the hnds OF another officer, Gen. Condo. This
was an inierregnum-for De la Vega and the
others did not affect the Presidency, but merely
| the government of the department. Then the
revolutionary chiefs met at Cuernavaca and
elected Alvarez to the Presidency. Alvarez held
the post for a couple Of months, and surrendered
it to Comonfort as President substitute In
Comonfort's hands power still remains, if he
has not been overthrow by a new revolution
since the date of our last intelligence from
Mexico. So much for the shiftings on the Presi-
Dental stage Of Mexico within the last four
years.
The principal feature of Comonfort's adj
ministratiOn has been the passage and partial
execution Of law known as the
church pScperty, or Decentralization law.
This law was formulated by the Minister of FL
nance Senior Lerdo de Tejada--an able statistical
writer Of Mes.co-and was passed BY very large
majority in Congress. The effect Of it is to d.
vest the churah and other civil corporations of
he fee simple in real estate covering something
Ike one-third OF the republic-and invest itin the
enants, occupants or other purchasers. The the
Dry Of it We have explained in the srticle referred
o. 1t is identical, we believe, With q similar
movement made in Spain, but which has been
here put stop t.. since the accession 10 power
Of the Narvaez Ministry and the Christina
clique.
This law does not, az too many suppose, prcju-
dice the moral and religious interest Of tie
church. II was not conceived in that light. On
the contrary, it has received the tacit If
not express, sanction Of the real aetive
working clergy-becsgse it is a law which
in its operation must have highly
beneficial influence on the whole community
The necessity for it arose frcm the fact that SO
long zeal estate, particularly in the cities, re-
maincd in the hands Of church corporations, no
Improvement was or could be made on IL. They
rented il az a low rate, but would not improve IT,
as II would b. improved If In the hands OF pri.
vate parties We have an Illustration of this in
the city Of Nev York, where we find that the
property Of the Trinity church corporation is
the most backward of any in point OF improve.
ment. They give long leases AZ cheap rents bu,
will not sell or dispose Of the title. II was pre-
csely TO meet this difficulty in Merico-a serious
one there, for the church owned mere than half
the buildings in the captal-that The law W.,
passed to force the sale Of property. The g
vcrnment only derives from the movement fv,
per cent on the sales the remainder Of the pur-
chase goes, as we understand it. to the treasures
Of the proprietary communities, who are
prohibited from investing il in real estate
The law has proved TO be very popular We
think. however, that the measure was by far too
moderate, and that the government should have
confscated the whole or half of the church pro
pcrty TO the good Of the nation, and with the
proceeds discharged the national debt and es,ab-
lishcd the government on a solid, enduring basis
While this social movement has been exciting
the attention Of Mexicans, they have also been
kept in hot water by reyolutonists in varioas
M - ~ Tho nrnntrv II apnaaro IN ,,a ,ha, ~