, 1865-06-30

may oe completely deceived Dy OttlClal
misrepresentation, or may he induced to
order special inqulry-a risk too great
tor any Mexican accustomed to tyranny
easily 10 run. But then it is scarcely fair
10 try it by the European standard. Mex
leo is a tropical country, With a semi-ci-
VilIzed population and a civilized Gov
ernmcnt, and it is by comparison with
countries similarly situated that it ought
IN fairness 10 be judged. Tried by that
test the Constitution, if honestly worked,
does not appear Liberal, does not differ,
for example, very greatly from that
which exists in India. Theoretically the
Indian Vlceroy is just as udRettered. and
practically he has even more political
power. No council, or representative
body, or other organization of natives has
the smallest right of interference with his
action, or even of formal remonStrance,
the right of petition, except to HE Throne.
b ing unsecured by law. The native has
IN fact no priv eyes which cannot be
overturned Ivy the decree OF The Eiceroy,
no remedy against official oppression eX-
copt an appeal to the officials superior.
Yet he is IN practice the ireest of human
beings, far freer than the average English
man. He can say what he likes without
permission, and sell what he likes, spi-
rits excepted, without I%iccucc, travels
without a passport, may if he pleases
spout treason by the haif-hour in the
ToWnhaIl of the capital within sight of
Government House. Nobody can forbid
him TO do anything unless prohibited by
law, or force him to attempt anything un-
less e%njoined by statute, and he is for all
bat political purposes as free as an inha-
bItant of Massachusett. SO under this
Constitution may he the Mexican, if only
it is honestly worked, aud the Emperor
has every i~aterest in honestly working it.
His object evidently is to secure all The
personal power he can with rs little indi-
vidual oppression as he can, and his mode
of attaining his end seems to us singular
ly able, SO able that if he is not attacked
from the North, and if he can secure hon
est administrators and if the MexicanS
when oppressed will appeal to his promis-
es, he may conciliate the nation and esta-
bIiSh 10 Mexico a society accustomed to
justice, secure in its property, familiar
with municipal business, and ready for
the certain concession of the political
franchise. Not one of these conditions
will of course be fulfilled. The Empire,
even if it survives is as certain to be as
sailed by American partizans as the I'm
ptrial agents are to dif.r from Indian c-
vii servants. There does not exist in
Mexico a class which can he trusted TO
use the absolute powers of the commits
%sioners, or the adninistratlve powers of
the projects without depressing the peo-
pie, and the people have learnt too long
the lesson of dislrust TO appeal readily to
the Emperor. In the remoter provinces
disagreement will probably only be-
com worse through the irresistible
strength acquired by good government
at the centre, and the individual guaran-
tees only produce misery by tempting
their possessors to resist instead of brib-
ing oppresSors. The scheme is suited
only to a country in which the governing
class can be trusted, and Mexico is not
such a country. Still it mas in it as
many chances of success as any other
scheme possible under the circumstances,
and as an effort to secure 10 a debased
people individual freedom without poIiti-
cal mower it must have for all calm OBJ