The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-22
AN INVASION OF MEXICO,

Treason Made Government
Lotteries Mexican Morals
Plenty Of Poliee-Flowers,
Floating Gardens, Etc.
Speaking of churches suggests a
word about the church party and the
present condition of church property,
The conquest of Mexico by Cortez was
accomplished at q period when the
Catholic church was at the summit Of
its power. For more than three hun.
dred years the country was practically
ruled by that church. Political pow
er was in its hands-and no organic.
alton ever knew better how to use il
to its own advantage-and the resour-
ces of the Nation were ut its.cOmmand.
The result was the erection of the
hundreds of costly churches of which
I have already spoken, and the &C.
QUESTION of large amounts of other
valuable and productive property.
From the date of the independence Of
the country the church had to begin
fight to maintain its position. 1t
was generally successful in the strug.
gle until 1861 when il met with defeat
by the election of Benito Juarez as
President of the Republic. The ill
fated Macmillan regime was the last
desperate expedient resorted to by the
church party to regain its position.
This failed. And by a liberal appli-
cation Of the maxim, ITO the victors
belong the spoils," Juarez issued a
decree declaring all the property of the
church-buildings, converts, every
to the Government
so that now, although No other relig.
iOus denomination has a fOothold
worth speaking of and although the
signs of it's dominion are everywhere
the Catholic church does not own q
dollars worth of property in Mexico.
1t still occupies and uses a great many
churches. but this is merely by sui
ferance of the Government. Any o
these churches or all of them might b,
condemned at any time and sold a
public auction. Farther than this
the victorious Liberals passed a Law
declaring 1t to be crime for any prizes
to appear anywhere in public wearin,
his robes or any insignia of his priestl!
office. So the singular spectacle
presented ola country which is Roman
Catholic from prince to pauper bu
whichfOrbids that church to own prop
erty or to make any outward show O
its authority. 1t seems pretty rough
but is is righteous. The church part.
was guiltyof treason when it conspire'
to import a foreign Prince to rule owe
the Republic. 1t failed; and its pres
ent abject condition is just judg
ment. Juarez knew how to "mak
treason cdiOus."
| ~
Coming out of any church door i
1.-THE City of Mexico, particularly O
Sunday, you are likely to be set upo
10y men, women and children importU
nirg you to buy lottery tickets. Tn
lottery is controlled by-"under tn
auspices Of" you might say-th
Government and the drawing take
place every day. The tickets are rude
| ly engraved OH common paper an
might be easily counterfeited, an
they seem to be for sale by every 9th
t err beggar you. meet, and yet it is sal
that one may be bought with absolut
assurance that the holder will get tn
prize if his ticket wins it. Gamblin
seems to be one of the few things this
a Mexican does honestly. The exter
: to which the Nation is given over
gambling may be judged by the fac
that the Government derives an annu,
, revenue of $500, 900 from the tax upo
lotteries.
} ~
1t is no libel, beca use it is the trutl
: to say that if a Mexican CANDLES hor
estly it is one of the few things
which he exercises that virtue. I
ordinary affairs they leave the wOr
out of their vocabulary. The sire,
venders, for example, never fail to as
you from 300 to 1000 per cent more ft
an article than they are willing to AZ
cept. The city is the paradise of tn
haggler for every body expects to /
= ''jewed." Tell one of these street mer
: chants that his priceis too high, an
I he naively asks, "How much will 20
e give?" I remember buying some lii
: tie trinket for 25 cents, for which til
!. unblushing vender first demande
three dollars. And as an iIlustratio
: of the universally of the pilferin
.. habit, the story is told of one sho,
maker who said to a competitor, "
don't see how in the world you ca
sell shoes so much cheaper than car
I steal my leather" "But:" reptile
the other calmly, 81 steal my shoes!
Nv
In spite, however, of the low grad
of morals evidenced by this tenGenc
to confuse nae,tns ct tuuna, the City
Mexico is remarkably quiet and FIRE
from violent crimes. The principa
reason for this is doubtless the pres