Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-31


II lis constitution and forms the Maxi-
can Republic is copied after the United
States. Tho Government is federal. The
Congress. State Legislatures, Governors of
State. and the President of the Republic
are all elected The President is chosen by
Electors. and ne holds office for four years.
But here the analogy ceases Mexico IS a
military desp0tisip tempered by pTonuu-
CiamentoS. The President is a General III
command Of the Government. There is
nothing Short Of revolution to limit his
authority Politically there are no people,
and in truth, if not in form, there are no
elections a new President is to be chosen
in June next, and the Electors who per
form the office of choosing him are APP
pointed by means of universal suffrage Sey-
erai weeks previous. But no stranger ViS-
iting Mexico would suspect that an event of
such importance was at hand. No public
meetings are held, there are no discussions
of doctrines or policies, no examination
into the merits OF Notwithstanding in
short, 70 indicate the presence of living
people Interested ii the conduct of their
Government. II fact, there are no parties
in Mexico. There i 10 politics there is
no public opinion there is no free press
there IS no sef-government. It is mili
tary despotisu, without anything of that
sentiment OF personal rights which forms
the essence Of Sclt-guvernment and with
out which republican institutions are de-
iuSioR.
The natural relations between the people
and the Government may be understood
from the story of a scene which We saw one
pleasant afternoon in the city of ZacatecaS.
A squadron of cavalry rode up the street
with carbines unSlung and ready for use,
surrounding body of 120 or 130 men, fol-
old people wailing and lamenting. These
men We're conducted to railroad train and
packed in a car, where they were watched
by an armed guard on their way to the cap
itai Inquiring, we We're told that they
were men of bad character, who had been
seized III various localities by the Jefe Po
iitico the chief magistrate or Mayor of the
fundamental district o. township of the
country They had not been convicted Of
any otfense; they had not mad any trial,
but We're simply arrested by the Jete com
mitted to prison, and finally turned over to
the federal authorities to he enrolled as
soldiers and sent TO the distant and I'M
healthy coast of Yucatan. They were men
OF bad character, it was said, and were sent
OFF as such but the Jefe PolitiCO is the
only Judge in their case. He can take
whomsoeyer he thinks proper, and 40 jul
| diciai tribunal is ever called upon TO revise
| his condemnation or interfere with his act.
| The men were good-i0clling fellows enough,
and many of them bore their fate with
! cheelfulness but the lamentations of the
wives and mothers were heartrending.
| What sort of u republic can it be where
| such things are practiced? And what sort
| of people can it be who patiently submit
| to such things?
| Of course a Government like this must
| be corrupt No proofs are necessary to es-
| tallish this principle. Despotisln and pub
| lie plunder go hand in hand and if we are
! to believe the assertions of men of every
| description in the ecapital-professiona men,
| merchants, bankers, foreigners and natives
| one must be convinced that the present
| administration of the national Government
is corrupt beyond example. The fortune
! of the outgoing President, all acquired
| since he came into office, is variously esti-
mated of from $3,000,000 to $10,000000,
while other officers OF less dignity are be-
lieved to have profited BY their opportuni-
! ties in the same manner. This sort of
scandal is universal. Each officer, civil or
| military, who is important enough to eX-
act it. has his share in the general plumber.
| Every contract and every concession pays
| its dividends; the military commanders on
the frontier are charged with conniving III
| smuggling, and of the Courts it IS believed
that they sell justice to those who pay OF
| course foreigner visiting the country cam
not know whether these things are true or
untrue but only that they are alleged by
| responsible and respectable citizens.
In such condition the press is naturally
subsidized by the Government. In the city
of Mexico we were told that there are only
two journals which do not receive such q
subsidy These are the Monitor Replbli-
caao, daily paper in the Spanish Ian
guage, conducted by Garcia Torres, and the
Nericon Financier, a weekly publication IL,
Spanish and English, conducted by Simeon
Levy and Sylvester Baxter.
The most powerful individual in Mexico
at present is General Porfirio Diaz. He
was President for four years previous to tht
advent of General Gonzales, who is now il
power, and he will undoubtedly be choseI
to the same office at the election of june
next. General Diaz is the most popular
citizen of Mexico and no other man j!
spoken of for the Office of President
Against him no charge of corruption il
alleged He appears to be statesman o
solid and progressive ideas, and If the Gov
ernment and the people of Mexico are Il
be led into the paths of genuine and sub
stantial progress he is the only living leade
who has the ability to conduct them. n,
public man in any country. of our day, ha
had such an opportunity as now lies befor
, General Diaz. He may regenerate his pee
$ pie and create a genuine republic where on
exists in name onlS. The task is gigantic
but that statesman who achieves such re
form will remain illustrious as long as th
. | history of his country is preserved.