The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-03-31
SPANISH RULE IN MEXICO.

say that SO long as ManchegO mule
or Castilian cobbler remained in the
peninsula he cad right to govern
the Americas! He meant, says the
writer, who was a temporary resident
Of the capital of Mexico, that SO long
as anything Spanish WAS to be found
in Spain, the right of the Spaniard tc
dominate in the colonies would ell
dure.
1t was to emphasize this right
that the Audiencia of Mexico, in 1908
conspired again stand caused to be ar
rested and deposed, the liberal mind
ed Viceroy, Iturrigaray, who had ad
vocated allowing the native born Mex
leans share in the colonial admins
stration, from which all white men
born on Mexican soil had been de-
barred simply because of their Creole,
or American birth. The city govern
ment here, that body still known as
the Ayuntamiento, had been told that
it possessed no authority, except over
the dregs of the capital"
| The arrest Of the Viceroy was but
a logical sequence of the policy of ex
elusive Spanish domination in Mexi
can affairs. 1t WAS the beginning of
the great revolution, preceding by
two years the revolt of the priest pa
triot Hidalgo, and it is significant
that the band of conspirators who
broke into the Viceroy's apartments
at night and seized his person were
resident Spanish merchants!
All this by the way of indicating the
haughtily intolerant spirit of the Span
iards, who ruled in Mexico at that pc
1iod exactly as they have done down
to the present day In Cuba, ignoring
the Creole, or native population, sub
ecting it to indignitles and holding in
more honor stupid Manchegan or
Viscayan than the most intelligent
and cultivated creole.
The advocates of the retention of
Spanish domination in Cuba should
read the history of that rule in Mexico
a system so despotic and unjust, that,
to this day, the Mexican hates the
name of Spain, and the tradition of
the harshness and unrighteousness of
that colonial rule are repeated, and
shape the opinions of the Mexicans
as regards the mother country.
That the sympathy of the Mexicans
should be with the Cubans Is inevit
able; every Mexican knows that the
islanders are fighting to throw off a
system of government as oppressive
as any that has ever existed on this
planet
In theory, under the colonial re-
gime, every great Office in the vice.
regal government WAS open to the
Creoles as we'll as to men bora on the
soil of Spain, and, reading the laws of
the Indies, one finds this strongly in
sisted upon; in practice, however, it is
ali the other way, for every post was
held by a Spanlard. The pettiest
offices were reserved invariably for
Spaniards. In the church, the army,
and the law, all places were for the
Spaniards, and the policy determin-
| ing this discrimination was avOwedly
adopted to keep in Office men consid-
cred tc be mere likely to be loyal to
the Crown than the Creoles. Every
Spaniard in Office aimed at enriching
himself Even in mercantile life the
Spaniard was dominant, and, by a
system Of fixing the prices on mer-
chandise landed at Vera Cruz or Aca-
pulco, all possibility of competition
was stopped.
The Spanish merchant marrying
here and having children, regarded
his sons with contempt, even when of
purest blood, because they were Gre
oles. Thou art Creole, and that's
enough" was a common remark ad-
dressed insolently to the unfortunate
lads born Mexicans, for the Spaniard
considered his clerks and shop assist
ants, brought over from Spain, as su-
perior to his own children, If of Mex
lean birth! To this day the Spaniards
in trade here look down on the ma
tives, even the little round headed,
hardy shop boys, coming over from
the north OF Spain, being taught to
despise the Mexicans. The hatred is
returned by the middle and lower
classes with interest.
The Ticeroys, to 60 back to the old
times, in both this country and Peru
were saaried at $4,000 year, and
were expected to keep up regal
state and to be always surrounded
with pomp and magniticence. and SO
they inevitably came to plunder the
revenues, returning to Spain after a
few years administration with for
tunes of a million or more of dollars
1t was notorious that the Viceroys en-
| rInhnI fhnnp OF fhN ,>,,I>1,a
pense, and in Spain they would have
been regarded as great fools had they
come out of office poor men, They
sold titles and decorations, which the
king of Spain always conferred al
their instance; they had the monop.
oily of quicksilver. a prime necessity
to the miners, and they granted prl
vileges for the introduction of foreign
that is, of Spanish-merchandise
which We're hotly competed for by the
rich business houses of the period
Oftentimes the hangers on of the
Niceroy were the secret partners Of
the commercial concerns, aud divided
the profits with their master.
Monopoly was the rule. Every ar.
| bitiC Oi SduuSilSo luS
country was matter Of bargain with
the Viceroy. Commercial business
was without risk, except losses at sea,
for prices were fixed by the CONNER
cial monopolies. No other national
ity was allowed any participation in
trade, and even the native Mexicans
were shut ont from all share in bust
ness
| Whenever the Creole protested
which they often did, they found the
entire Spanish influence against them
from the Archbishop of Mexico down
to the smallest lisping shop boy in
the tiendas, or grocery stores. 1t was
a gigantic Spanish ring which had
Mexico by the throat, an unwilling
tribute payer to the combination
Spanish mel chants having Mexican
| t~1 IL