El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-26
} MeXiCO'S First !
: Congress ;
And the Man Who Established {
it-HiS Proclamation Eman-
cipating the Slaves.
Written for the HERALD.
Written for the HERALD.

0SN<X~ S0SN/0
For three hundred years prior to the
revolution Mexico had been constantly
transferring her treasure to Spain, un-
til her resources were about exhausted.
In return for all this what was Spain
doing for the most profitable colony
that any nation ever had? No one was
allowed to occupy any high or import
ant position in Mexico who had not
been born in Spain. Mexico was ruled
from Spain by the Spanish government
to Spanish merchants which made it
impossible for the native born Mexican
to compete with them. and the people
had to foot the bills. 1t was only those
actually born in Spain who could hope
for nything in the colony. A child
born in Mexico from Spanish parents
was ostrscized till the day of it's death.
And yet not two per cent of all the
people of Mexico were of Spanish
birth. The ninety-eight per cent had
the proud distinction of being allowed
to labor for the honor, the glory, and
lions of people were living and tOiling
and showing for the benefit of one
hundred thousand.
The revolution broke out in the lit
tie town of Dolores, in the Province of
Guansjuato. far in the north.
1t was led by a priest. Miguel Hidal-
go, who is commonly known in Mex leo
as the Washington of their revolution.
He devoted his life to their service
His effort was crude, ill planned, or
ganized badly, and carried out worse.
He vainly thought that with q mob of
uudisciplined men, with women and
children following, he could meet train
ed soldiers upon the bat tlefeld. He
imagined that numbers only were ne
cessary.
Hidalgo. The seed of pillage and mas
sacre sown by Hidslgo and his follow
ers bore bitter fruit for long years.
Long and bitterly did Mexico suffer for
Hidalgo's folly.
Late his tOrians upon more careful
consideration of Mexican history are
inclined to give the honor of the lead
err ship of the Mexican revolution to q
man, the purity of whose life and the
patriotism of whose motives were I'M
excelled even by Hidalgo, and who
had in addition proved himself to be
one of the most heroic soldiers, the
greatest of commanders, and the best
of states men.
Jose Maria Morelos was born in
the year 1765, near the city of Valla-
doid, in the state of Michoscan, on the
Pacific coast of Mexico. Jose had on
| ly the barest rudiments OF education In
his boyhood, and in his early youth his
father died. He always, however,
yearned for an education and desired
to enter the service of the church. At
the age of thirty two he was ordained
q priest, and given charge of small
rural parishes. Meeting his old teach
err, he offered his services at once and
WAS given authority to raise an army
| I'M N h
! left upon this errand and the two men
never met again.
At Acapulco he learned of the cap
ture and death of Hidalgo and he then
knew that the hope of his race, and 1t
may be the hope of liberty for ali
mankind, rested with him.
Morelos was no less q statesman
must be something besides an army if
Mexicoswas TO be nation. He deter
acknowledgements a'government. On
the 18th of October, 1913. just eighty
six years ago the first Mexican con-
gress met at Chilpanzingo, a little
town not far from Acapulco.
The congress declared the indepen-
dence of Mexico, proclaimed the free
dom of the slave, and organized con-
stitution. A translation OF his
famous proclamation aboltshing slave
ry, which is in the archives at Juarez,
and which was: obtained through the
courtesy of Jose Garcia Cuadra, the
state tax collector of Juarez, reads
as follows:
"Don Jose Maria Morelos, servant of
the nation, and generalisimo OF the
army of this Septentrional America by
the univer sal vote of the people,
etc.
Whereas slavery. and all that per-
Iains to it, must be driven from Amer
lea, 1 command that the governors OF
provinces and other magistrates see
that there be freed all those remain
Jog il slavery, and that the natives
comprising the towns and republics
hold free elections presided over by
the psrson and territorial Judge, who
shall never cOact them upon determin
ed individual, even proving the inep-
titude of the person elect before the au
thority that has to approve the cleo
ton, cautioning hereby the republics
and judges, not to enslave the people
at large, with personal services due on.
ly to the nation and sovereignty, and
not to the Individual as such; where
fore it shall be enough to furnish one
Topil or Alhuacil to the subdelegate OF
Judge, and nothing more for the year
alternating in this service towns and
men having estates with II servants
withouts regards to casts, which are
hereby abolished. And in order tn a.