American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-11-06
TERMS-Three Dollars per annun.

the law, instead of preventing. sane.
tons by It's silence. The women are
subject to caprice of fortune; help
less and ignorant, with no vocation.
no avenue to honest support; edu-
Gated to despise chastity, to love
money more than all else. it is not
marvellous that thousands embrace.
as sort of necessity, a life of lewd.
ness and shame. The sin of licenti-
business permeates all classes, and
the open and sovereign contempt for
chastity has practical demonstra-
ton in the unblllshing record of men
i'll high position
The government of the capital is,
! IN great measure, vested in a gober-
nador, whose will is the supreme law.
From his DEGREES there is no aDpeaI.
He levels barricades, wide4ls streets.
demolishes buildings, and cuts canals
at his discretion. The genius of this
functiongry has lately been directed
towards that difficult problem, the
drainage of the city. The Lake
Tezcuco, when swollen by summer
rains, backs up to the main plaza
and floods the entire city. In 1929,
for a period of three months, the
whole capital was delnged in three
feet of water. Lesser foundations
have been frequent since then.
During these times water bursts
from the earth-in the streets-in
the houses-everywhere over the
city. The site of Mexico is lower
than the surrounding country, and
for the two lakes-one fresh, one
salt-no outlet exists. The centre
of the city is but a few feet above
the ordinary level of the lake. Tn :
place is therefore liable to inunda-
ton during the prevalence of each
rainy season. Native engineers
havh heretofore exhausted their in
ventive talent in ditching and throw.
ing up levees; this proving useless
i'll some seasons.
The press of the capital. though
dignitied in style, is not vigorous
License of speech is not a privilege
enjoyed within the boundaries of the
republic. Ten SheetS-One is in the
French, one in the Spanish and one
in the American interest-daily and
weekly, are scattered sparsely among
the populace, not one Of whicl
dareS speak above its breath. 4
81 ecial law to curb free utteranc,
was enacted, and so wherever .
newspaper is published a censor i
posted and whenever thought run
too freely for this democratic admin
istration the press stops and til,
editor goes to prison. 1t is crlmina
to speak of the wrong doings of
Government official it is crime t.
expose corruption, malfeasance O
, usurpation. Literature is in swat
ding clothes; the few efforts at til
poetic, dramatic, and historical al
, not startling conceptions. The ric
I are of foreign extraction; they ow
no allegiance to the Government
+ and have nothing in common wit
$ the masses. They toll to accumnlat
9 money; and in doing this. the
identify themselves with no part,
S ami feel interested in the reign
e anarchy or peace only so far as the
|, pockets are concerned. AS 70 a
tachment to the institution and 10y
s of country, they have none. So
$ all the cities Of the land; and as
s the cities, so in the whole of Mexic
IS Mexico is, indeed, a nation of fra
u ments, having no common symp
/ thies, no past to reverence, no f
r ture in prospective, no ancestral fre
IS no national virtues absolutely not
is ing to stir up enthusiaSm.-H Hours
y Home, for NocemJer.