Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-12-31

fOr -FOUR years. On that day General Comonfort
| appeared before the assembled Congress in the
city Of Mexico, took the oath TO support the new
constitution, and was duly inaugurated as presi.
dent Within a month afterwards he had been
driven from the capital, and military rebellion
bad assigned the supreme power of the republic to
| Gen Zuloaga. The constitution provided that In
the absence of the president his office should de-
volve upon the chief justice Of the supreme court
aud, Gen Comonfort having left the country, this
tnncnonary Zen Juarez, proceeded to form, at
| Guansjuato, u constitutional government. Before
this was officially known, however at the CAPITAL
| the government of Zuloaga had been recognized
by the entire diplomatic corps, including the min.
lister OF the United States as the de fdcto govern
ment of Mexico. The constitutional president
nevertheless, maintained his position with firm.
ness, and was soon established with his cabinet at
Vera Cruz Meanwhile the government of Zuoaga
was earnestly resisted in many parts of the repub-
lie, and even in the capital portion of the army
having pronounced against it, its functions were
declared terminated, and an assembly of citizens
was invited for the choice of new president This
assembly elected Gen Miramon, but that officer
repudated the plan under which he was chosen
aud Zuloaga was thus restored to his previous DO
sltion. lie assumed It, however, only to withdraw
from It, and Miramon, having become by his
appointment president SUBSTITUTE" continues
with that title at the head of the insurgeut party
la my last annual message communicated TO
Congress the circumstances under which the late
minister OF the United States suspended his Oil.
cial relations with the central government and
withdrew from the country. IL was impossible TO
maintain friendly intercourse with government
like that at the capital under whose usurped au.
thority wrongs were constantly committed, but
| never redressed. Had this been an establts ed
government, with its power extending, by tue ,on.
sent of the people, over the whole of Mexc) u
resort to hoStillties against IL would have been
| quite justihable aud, indeed necessary But toe
country was prey 10 civil war; aud 1t was hoped
that the success Of the constitutional president
might lead to a condition of things less luxurious
to the United States. This success became SO
probable that, in January last, ployei relia-
BILE agent 10 visit Mexico, ADD report to me the
actual condition and prospects of tue coltending
parties. la consequence of his report and from
| information which reached me from other sources
favorable to tue prospects of the constitutional
cause, felt justified ia appointing 4 new minister
to Mexico, VINO might embrace tue earliest suta
opportunity of restoring our diplomatic relations
| with that republic. For this purpose distiu-
guished citizen Of Maryland was seeced, who pro.
ceeded on MS mission on the Sih of March last,
with discreet onary authority TO recognize the gov.
eminent of President JuareZ, # on bis arrival in
Mexico he should fiud 1t Guided to such recogni
lion, acenrdlngt 10 toe established practlcs of the
United States. On tue 1th of Apnl following, Mr.
McLane presented his credenti4i AIS to president Ju
| arez having NO hesitation "il pronouncing the
government OF Juarez 10 be tue oaly existing gov
| ernmeuI Of the republic" He was cordially re-
celved by tue authorities at Vera Cruz aud they
have ever since manifested the most friendly dis.
| position towards tue United States. Unnappily,
| however, the constitutional government has
| not been able 10 establish its power over the
whole republic. Ii Is supported by a large major.
ity of the people and the states but there are i'm.
portant parts Of the country where 1t can enforce
| no obedience. Gen Miramon aiutaius himself ~
the capital; and IN some OF the distant provinces
there military governors who pay little pec
TO the DEGREES of either govern ment In tue mean.
| time the excuses which always attend upon civil
| war, especially in Mexico, are constantly recur.
ring. Ou'rages OF the worst description CON-
| United upon both persons and property. There is
4 scarcely any form of Injury which mas not been
| suffered by our citizens In Mexico during
| the last few years. We have been nominalIy
at peace with that republic, but $50 far as the
interests Of our commerce or of our citizens
| who have visited the country as merchants
| saipmasters, or in other capacities, are con.
| cerned, we might as well have been at war"
Li'e mas oeen insecure, property uuprotec led. and
| trade impossible except at risk OF loss watch
| prudent men cannot be expected to incur. I'm.
| portant contracts. involving large expenditures
entered into by the central government, have
Deen set a. denance Dy tue local governments.
| Peaceful American residents, occupying their
| right nj possessions, have been suddenly expelled
| the country, in defiance Of treaties, and by the
mere force OF arbitrary power. Even the course
OF justice mas not been safe from control, aud q
recent decree Of Miramon permits tue intervention
of government In all suits where either party is q
foreigner. Vessels of the United States have
been seized without law, and a consular officer
who protested against such seizure has been tinei
and imprisoned for dtsrespect 10 the authorities.
| Military contributions have been levied IN viola.
ton OF every principle Of right, and the Ameri-
can who resisted the lawless demand has had
his property ioreioly taken away, and has been
himself banished. From q conflict OF authority
in different parts of the country, tariff duties
which have been paid in one place have been ex-
acted over again in another place Large num-
bers of our citizens have been arrested and i'm.
ptisoned without any form of ex amin alton or any
opportunity TOR hearing, and even when reeas
ed have only obtained their liberty after much
suffering and injury, and without any hope OF
redress. The wholesale massacre of Crabbe and
his associates without ;rial in Sonora, as well as
the seizure and murder Of four sick Americans
who had taken shelter in the house of au Ameri
can, upon the soil of the United States, was com.
municated to Congress at its last session. Muir.
ders of a sill more atrocous character have been
| committed in the very heart of Mexico under
abe authority Of Miramon's government, during
| the present year. Some of these only wor
thy of barbarous age, and, If they had moi
been clearly proven, would have seemed impossi
| BILE in a country which claims TO be civilized. Oh
this description was the brutal massacre In April
last, by order of General Marquee, of three Am
| ericau physicians, who were seized in the hospita
at Tacubaya while attending upon the sick and
| dying of both parties, and without trial, as with
out crime, were hurried away to speedy execution
Little less shocking was the recent fate of Ormond
| Chase, who was shot in Topic on the 7th of .Au
| gust, by order of the same Mexican general, moi
only without trial, but without any conjecture BY
his friends of the cause Of his arrest He is rep
resented as young man of good character ant
l
Topic by the courage and humanity which he hac
displayed on several trying occasions, and hi
death was as unexpected as IL was shocking Il
the whole community Other outrages might be
enumerated, but these are sufficient to illustrate
the wretched state Of the country and the unpro
tected condition of the persons and property o.
our citizens In Mexico.
10 all these cases our ministers have been con
slant and faithful in their demands for redress
but both they and this government, which the
have successfully represented, have been who'll
powerless 10 make their demands effective. Thei
testimony in this respect, and IN reference to TIN
only remedy which, In their judgments, wou,
meet the exigency, has been both uniform an,
emphatic. Nothing but manifestation of tn
power of the government OF the United State
Wrote our late minister in 1885, and of its pur
pose to punish these wrongs, will avail. assur
you that the universal belief here is that there
nothing to be apprehended from the government
of the United States, and that local Mexican off
cials can commit these outrages upon America
citizens with absolute impunity" II hope tn
president" (wrote our minister in August last
twill feel authorized to ask from Congress the
power to enter Mexico with the military forces @
the United States at the call of the constitutions
authorities, In order TO protect the citizens an
the treaty rights of the United States. Unles
such power Is conferred upon him, neither tn