The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-11-28
THE CROWN OF MEXICO.

The Romance of Young Iturbide-Adopt-
ed by Maximilian-A Mothers Cruel
Treatment and Its Reward.
Hon. John Bigelow, former Minister
to France, recently delivered lecture
in Brooklyn, n. Y, on "The Heirs to
the Imperial Crown of Mexico" in
which he said:
A telegram appeared a few months
since in the daily papers, announcing
the arrival in England of the young
Prince Iturbide, grandson of the En-
peror Iturbide, of Mexico, to enter the
military school at Woolwich. This tel
egram suggested a painful incident con-
nected with the recent history of Mexi-
co, which will not be uninteresting, but
in order to grasp the details fairly it
will be well to take backward glance
at the history of Mexico. 1t is about
$50 years since COrtez and his handful
of adventures landed in Mexico at what
is now Vera Cruz and marched without
opposition of any moment to the capital
of the country. He succeeded in max
ing a country five times the size of
France a dependency of the Spanish
crown, audit was held peacefully by
that Government until Napoleon placed
his brother on the spanish throne. The
colonies refused to accept the usurpa-
ton and remained faithful, and in 1903
the Mexicans seized the Spanish
Viceroy and sent him to Spain.
The freedom from home interference
stimulated the love of liberty, and in
1921 one Don Augustine Iturbide, who
had been dismissed from the Spanish
army because of Cruelty to some of his
captives, managed by address and
courage to stimulate the national 81 irit
to throwing off the yoke of Spain, or
rather completing the work which had
been going on. He was declared En-
peror. In 1922, however, Santa Anna,
Colonel in the Army, head
ed the revolution which ended by
expelling Iturbide from Mexico, and, in
consideration of his services, be was al
lowed a pension of $4,000. He went
to Europe, and, trusting to his popular
ity, he returned to Mexico-but was
promptly arrested, tried and shot on the
evening of July 9, 1929. From that
time until 1864 Mexico enjoyed what
was called a republican form of gov
!
There was one influence, however,
which bore very important part in the
country, and which was all powerful.
/ This was the influence of the Latin
! Church, which owned one third of the
real and personal property of the
country, and which of course was sub
servient to the government of the Pope
of Rome in all things. 1t Sesn well be
imagined what a powerful influence
the Church welded in Mexico, and
when it took part in politics it could
! bring very powerful agency to bear
upon the side which it espoused. In
1854 an Intellectual attempt was made to
overthrow this power. There had been
indeed almost constant struggling be-
tween the Church party and its oppo-
nents for years. In 1861, while this
struggle still went on, the civil war
| broke out in the United States, while
/ Mexico at the same time was in state
/ of anarchy. The Mexican Government
owed claims abroad to foreign Govern
ments which had never been paid, aad
/ on the 3lst of October France, England
and Spain entered into an agreement to
send troops to Mexico to take posses
sion of certain ports and hold them and
collect the revenue thereof until their
claims were settled, but they were not
to interfere with the internal arrange
ment of the Government. The United
States were invited to join the combina-
ton, but Mr.. Seward, who was then
Secretary of State, declined. He offer
ed, however, to guarantee the payment
of the interest upon the Mexican claims
held by those Governments upon GER
tain security which Mexico could well
afford to give. For some reason the al
lied powers declined this offer, and land
ed in Mexico few months after with
10000 men, who took possession of Vera
Cruz.
The French Emperor had other views
than the collection of loan. He. de-
sired TO conciliate Rome and the pow
erful house of Austria, and to gain pres