The New York herald., 1868-02-09

Mexican Aaairs-Inside Revolniiouists and
Outside Advonturors.
We must not forget Mexico. Having wor-
ried Napoleon out of that unhappy country
and brought the model empire of his man
Ma ximilian to bloody end, having secured
the restoration of Juarez and the republic in
the national capital, we are in measure
bound to see to It that there is an end of
Mexican anarchy. How is Juarez getting on ?
II he were asked the question he would proba-
bly, answer, "Much better than your wise men
at Washington are getting on with their work
of Southern reconstruction" Still, the lookout
from the halls of the Montezumas is somewhat
dismal They have just put down a revolution
in Yucatan, with the usual shooting of a batch
Of prisoners, and great are the rejoicings of the
government over this achievement Had not
that United States vessel at Campeachy and
finally packed Off to Havana, it is probable
that Juarez would have been again by this
time distinguished exile in New Orleans or
New York. But as the failure of one revolu-
tionary pronunciamiento in Mexico only leads
to another poor Juarez, like Montezuma, will
not be permitted to sleep upon bed Of roses.
There were rumors the other day at Vera Cruz
that several Mexican generals had pronounced
against the powers that be, and from Havana
February y We have the report that an insur-
rection had broken out at Tampico, that the
rebels held possession of the city, and that
some government gunboats were bloekading
the port.
This Is not an encouraging exhibit in behalf
OF the republic; but the worst remains to be
told. From the disclosures made of the inside
machinery Of the late empire 1t would appear
that the Mexican chiefs adhering to Maxi
milan were, from his own showing, little
better than treacherous cutthroats and rob
bers. Nor does Mexican history furnish us
any satisfactory evidence that the adherents
OF Juarez are much better. The rule for many
years in Mexico has been the pron,,ncia,niento
and the musket Where = military leader has
been sufficiently enterprising to raise an armed
body of few thousand men he has pronounced
his authority over State as . starting point
for the central government when the gov
ernment has been strong enough to muster an
army to deter any such opposition the gen.
erals Of this army have quarrelled among
themselves, and the sharpest Of them has
come into power. When an ambitious man
of military turn of mind cannot muster vol
unteers enough to take possession of State
or city, he begins with some small town the.
collection Of his forced contributions and con-
scriptons in view of larger operations. But
II he can muster no force adequate to the
seizure Of even a small town, he takes to the
road and the mountain passes and becomes q
professional highway robber.
Another thing peculiarly Mexican is the
looseness of the bonds which bind his followers
to the military leader. Thus the soldiers, for
instance, Of Canales to-day, II beaten by Esco-
bedo, will be the followers Of Escobedo to-
morrow. They have no interest in this or that
party, or leader, or pronunciamie,ao, beyond
their chances Of pay and plumber. The mass
OF the Mexican people are Indians, and war is
their normal condition. 1t is only against the
foreign invader that they can be, TO any extent,
united and this sentiment Of patriotism they
have honestly inherited from the invasion Of
Cortes With the removal Of the invader,
however, they relapse into their normal con-
dition Of Indian warfare, as modified by forty
years Of Mexican revolutions under the man
sgement Of the dominant revolutionary Span
sh race.
There Is yet another thing which contributes
immensely to shorten the term Of any Mexican
President or Dictator. 1t is the spoils and
plunder Of the national treasury. These sup
plies, raised by heavy taxes and forced con-
tributions, are generally appropriated to the
last dollar by the leaders in possession. We
have never heard OF a Mexican ex-President
who was poor man. Santa Anna, after
squanderiug millions, is said to be worth mil