The St. Johns herald., 1886-08-26
The Method of Mexico.

cOIi1l Ni' " StANOl , who has travelled quite extensively, and who is a close observer of events, gives his views of the sit uation of affairs ill Mexico, in a letter to the Washington Post. The General spent three years in Mexi- co, and knows whereof he speaks l: ] The prevalent belief a week or two ago that the Mexican Govern ment would hasten to comply with the demand of our State Depart ment for the release of Cutting was based on a missapprehension in this country in regard to the relations of the States of Mexico to the Fed eral Government. It twas taken for granted that Cuttings release would be a simple exercise of constitu- tional Federal authority. But this was far from being the case The prisoner was in the hands of the State authorities for an alleged of fense against a law of the State, and any interference on the part of the Diaz Government would have been resented as an unWarrantable infringement of "State rights" of which the people of Chihuahua are as sensitive as were the Seuth Car olinians in the days of nullifca- ton.
 Diaz was therefore powerless to comply with our demand except by the use of force, and this would in evitably have brought about a col lision between the State and Fede- ral governments. Diaz doubtless feared, and not without cause. that once the standard of revolt were raised in Chihuahua the example in all probability would be followed by all the Northern States of the Mexican union.
 The reasoning of the Mexican Government, from these premises, seems to have been that compli- ance with Mir. Bayard's demand for the release of Cutting will certainly precipitate revolution. while 1t will be quite safe to deny the de- mand of tke American Government. Of course there will be some diplo- matic sharnshooting, but in the end the Yankees will yield the point and things will be as before.
 It must be admitted that the con- duct of MT. Bayard's predecessors for the last quarter of 0 century affords the Mexicans good grounds for such q course of reasoning. During that period many cases of outrage against American citizens, scarcely less fragrant than that of Cutting, have been shirked by our State Department in the most shameful manner and no redress ever enforced against Mexico. What more natural than for her to conclude that the same apathy still reigns at Washington and that it would be perfectly safe to allow the courts of Chihuahua to deal with Mir. Cutting as they see fit. That this treatment will be extremely harsh, not to say inhuman, can be predicted with certainty by any one who knows anything of the vindic- tiveness of the Mexican character when aroused by race or national prejudices.
 Several years residence in Mex leo enables me to state with con- viction that there Is not a country in the whole of Christendom where the administration of criminal jus tice is so corrupt, inhuman and in efficient as in the States of Mexico. In rather extensive travels I have seen nothing to compare with 1t, except perhaps the Cadi system of Asiastic Turkey, and that is but little worse.
 It is not the fault of their writ ten laws, for the code, now adopted by most of the States, is based on the old civil law, and embodies the experience and wisdom of more than 1000 years. The trouble is in the moral corruption that pre- vails among all classes, from the hiCbest to the lowest. Among the