The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-07-05
UNHAPPY MEXICO.

The sister Republic croaninu Uuder Corrupt
Rule and Ripe for Revolution.
The people Of Mexico groan under the
stamp law, fear forced loan, and count
the weeks until President Gonzales
official term shall expire, says letter
TO The Denver Tribune. They have
learned the effects Of revolution and
dread It., as the burned child does the
fire, but they have been severely
tempted in that direction during the
pasi. -four months. First came the nickels,
then the stamp law, then the raid on the
Monte de Pledad. Then they asked,
with blanohed face: "What next ~
With the party In power the constant
cry Is: money TO pay the armyw This
is their one protection, and when pay
day comes and finds an empty treasury
they are lost. Anything to raise the
wind. "President Gonzales has tried TO
dispose Of the Almeda and threatened
to sell the cathedral" so the people say,
and one Is prepared TO believe him cnpa-
BILE OF any outrage. lie entered his
office little less than four years ago
a poor man, soldier of fortune who had
risen from obscurlty TO the rank OF Cen
eral of Division. lie will 20 out n very
rich man, leaving Mexico without credit
and treasury containing nothing, ex-
cept n quantity of nickel, which even
the beggars politely refuse to accept. l
learn from the best of authority that lie
owns to-day in the State OF Tamaulipas
alone seven large haciendas, ranging in
value from $4,000 to 100000 each.
Public opinion names his gains high up
in the millions, and he substantiates
gossip by n recent offer to loan his i'm
poverished Government n few millions
In this hour of her great need The
stamp act compelled the merchant TO 20
among the dust and cobwebs of his old
stock and stick n stamp on every article,
and the enforcement OF this law involves
about n million of spies. In some large
establishments the first outlay for neces-
sary stamps ranged from $4,000 TO $780,
900, resulting In complete business par
alysis. At first all but twovor three
shops (subsidized) in the city were
closed. The poor were unable TO buy
corn for toriillas, or the frijoles, dear to
their Mexican stomachs; they gathered
in the streets, glowered and threatened
to revolt. The women said "If they
were only men they'd burst the doors
in" but the military patrol was quadru-
pied, the police doubled, and "might
was right" One by one the shops
opened, the merchants resembling orders
for new goods, and their minds made
up to evade at every possible point.
al L. l..
government SO entirely lacking In dig
nifty MS to be unable to command respect.
The % cent ink bottle from which write
is decorated by stamp. was amused
the other day TO see great dark-eyed
Mexican baby playing with a dime doll
unable to solve the problem of its wood
en- legs being tightly stamped together I:
her perplexed little face at last settled
into fixed belief that il was freak of
doll nature. This state of affairs must
be discussed. "Tell 1t not in Gath r'
Whisper 1t not to the swallows! If this
letter finds its way back to Mexico, as /
hope II will, my best friends will advise
me to hide my pen, throw away my
paper, and steal forth out of this "Land
of God and Liberty" by the first north
ward bound train on the Mexican Cen
trail road, over which / fortunately have
pass. The press of Mexico is muzzled
and gagged by fear of subsidies, and
dares not say "boo" to a goose. There
are but two papers here in the capital
unsubsidized by the general government,
and one of those nestles under the pro-
lection Of the golden wings of the Fed
eral "powers that be-" If an American
is brave enough to write home the truth
It is the part of wisdom for him or her to
become the bearer of their own dis
ltN nm fhs tfa 81.
penalty OF that clause OF the Mexican
law relating to the "banishment of per-
nioious foreigners"
Even the great Charles Dana himself
might have been whisked across the
frontier between two dusky-faced SOL
diers, II we are to judge by the terrific
howl some of his statements have
caused In the papers of this morning.
There is but one man In Mexico who
dares to stand up, face the situation and
tell the truth-James Sullivan, of the
renowned Palmer-Sullivan railway sys-
TEN. He seems to delight in unwilling
some OF the national crookedness, and
is looked upon as the Mephistopheles of
Mexico. Porfrio Diaz, II he isn't assas-
sinated land they have attempted it
twice during the past month";, is the
only salvation of the country. He is
the Moses who Is to lead his people up
out Of the darkness to deliver them
from this one-armed Pharoah, who Is
compelling them to make bricks with
out straw. A few weeks longer and
Diaz will be elected President. Just
fancy! l asked prominent man when
election day was. He replied, ''No one
knows" just before the farce takes
place there are some posters hung In
obscure courts and corridors ANNOUNCE
ing general election. No one reads
them, no one knows anything about it.
There is no caucus, no primary, no con-
vention, nor anything only 'declara-
tion of election" and then the present
incumbent will step out, execrated by
all.