The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-07-06
JUSTICE TO MEXICO.

JUSTICE III MEAlCU.
sketch Of the Efforts Of the Liberal Party
Their success mt the Moment or the Frcncl,
InterventiOn-The Election Of Mn xin,ilian
How Ii was Ehected-His Famous Decree
and IT'S Results-Elis Shooting Justified and
Mexican Nationality Consolidated.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
New York, July s. 1867.
Impartial justice induces me to take up the pen Ia
defence of the tate shooting of Macmillan To under-
stand the case is necessary take rapid glance Of
the condition Of affairs they existed in Mexico at the
date of the French Intervention. At that time the Mex
lean people had virtually closed their OF ind pend
ence In 1851 they had driven to the wall the
last bold remnant Of the party which from 1910
to the present day has cursed liberal adj
vancement. Tho resrogmde party, born Of the
worst curses that Europe produced had the
Of Mexican independence settled their grpc upon every
element of progress that the country possessed Soul
and body were held in a bondage that could not be
shaken Off in . short revolutionary contest Every
shadow liberty which they drank in from the repub
lican ideas of the New and tho Ola World quickly
crushed by the dominant church party. which chung
the ideas that gave Germany her long religious
wars The first effort Of that dominant element Was to
establish monarchy under Ferdinand VII. OF SPAN,
which would link church and state and leave the
retrograde power intact. The refusal Of the Indians
and creolss to bow TO tho yoke gave birth to the
frat ip,ernal revo,ut,on. and from that momen,
Me~ico haoon 10 s.rnggIe unvards each war 90 mo-
ground in liberal views and each year shaking Off
from the body polite The ruling anu retrograde
~ nrainain its nriviIeyss. Int shev were m
hold the obsolete ideas of the fourteenth Ia contact
with the advancing wave OF tho nineteenth century
cvii,zatiop and thew cond onIv mainian thar,
while their treasure lasted but this
enormous, and summed up one half Of all the per-
Rsides thew held the reins of government. and edca
ton. carefully confined TO the party in power made
their elements for the coniest enormous In comnar,
son to the parfy that determined to raise
the flag of liberty and republican rule The contest
on tue other was necessarily to be long cne but once
undertaken 1t gained groundslowly but yet IL gained
1t mighty contest to plunge into; there rested
upon the country evils eradicate we're ever
weeded out OF Germany England in their civil wars
OF still greater duration this Of Mexico has BEEN
II not until 1888 that The liberal movement had
30 gained ground with tue that they
its full import, and thenceforth supported princi-
pies instead Of men. The retrograde faction did not
fail throw every element oil power they
tho scales against the progress age So the con-
test went until the final great blow That ruined and
drove to desperation the church partywas struck by
President Juarez at Vera Cruz in 1S50-tns Laws Of
Reform" and the cenfscation Of the estates of the
clergy. These, followed by sturdy campaign OF two
years. drove the reactionary faction thor last ditch
and the contest which had lasted half century was
virtually cossdliberai principles were triumphant and
the great Mexican constitution, sworn in 1857, was
about become the organic Law OF the ano In all this
there been but great parties in the
country who in the shifting vicssitudss Of war to
the DEATH eb0ed from and flowed into power creating
the numerous governments we have seen.
The retrogrades seeing the power slipping from thsm
to Europe ior monarch; and now, driven TO he last
extreme, they introduced Maximian 10 prop them into
another five years existence. We all know how Maxi.
milan elected Marshal Forey appointed thirty five
reaclonary notabes; lhese eected regency of three
Generals Almonte and saias and the Archbishop OF Mex
ico who had all been leaders in inviting the monarchy.
ists~an nd among them were found many Of ,ns men
who bad made Mexican horrors 2 proysrb The iarce
General Bazaine made the elsctoneerlng tour, with
forty Thousand bayoness at his heels eighths Of
its territory were beyond the lines Of French
protection, according to reliable French calcu-
iaton. Yet Maximiiian accepted tins unanimous
elected insult TO bis intelligence; for II nothing
else existed At that prove the utter adherence
the siege of PueDla one Of the most heroic defences IN
history sufficient. Those who argue that Maxi
milan was deceived into the idea that Mexico wanted his
pacy. The reading Of the debates In the French Legis-
lature haze dlsabused bis mind that he well
had determined TO pick the church party out Of last
dch and set s legs again, 10 combat republican
ism on this continent and II was very natural In
selecting tool 10 carry out the design tnet
they should turn TO the most retrograde throne
10 Europe for . prince. Austria readily listened
OF the IDEAS which we have long since buriod in tie
march OF civilization, entered Mexico But mark this,
very party that clustered about Macmillan had fur
nsbed the leaders, whose dark deeds gave Europe the
SsS IN The s'a sssss
the empire.
With the crushing and unprncipled hand Of Bazaine,
ling forty thousand French troops and the retro
grade contingent that French gold supported the empire
commenced the desolaiion Of Mexico In this IL was
aided by william H. Seward United States Secretary Of
state Who apparently impeded every effort Of repub.
lie " obtain in the United States while all ports
appeared to b. open 10 the empire from New
YORK TO the Rio Gnnde. At length the
empire managed to hold possession Of just
those lines along which its bayonets cleaned. Az
no period OF is existence before after could courier
carry letter safely between any two great cities with
out an escort AT this stage the imperial game Maxi
milan erasperatsd 1t the desperate defence OF the
country issued decree October 1S65-do not forget
pray ~ si Ne gent tA1. teach ts xe1ican. ocli:a