Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-18
The PRESIDENT OF MEXICO.
OF PORFIRIO DIAz UPON
OUR SOUTHERN NelGHBoR.
strength Of tho Executive EIortod For
Peace-His Successive EIectious-Man-
nsr In which Balioting Is
Conducted.

An American at home reading OF "Our
Sister Republic, Mexico" feels family ties
drawing close but in this wonderful Old
city, the throbbing heart Of a wonderful
country, the relationship Is forgotten md
curiosity, havored with admiration, takes
It's place. lie forgets that Mexico Is orr
sister. older in years, though far younger
in her present form of successful govern
ment, says a correspondent of the New
York Times, writing from Mexico
Mentally and physically, Porfirio Diaz Is
a fine. strong man. Would that he were
~ or 10 years younger, FOR there VIII he
no revolutions while he is President Of
Mexico. Like many of tho truest sons
of Mexico, Diaz is am Indian, of Oaxaca.
That he loves his birthplace Is known TO
all who know him well 1t is said that
when in the city of Oaxaca he never fails
to look at the humble home of his boy
hood. AS with many of our own strong
men, his early opportunities were few. ds
the world rates them. unless we count
that early storing of health and nerve
force which has stood him in the front
rank when the hour called for a man 50
endowed. in addition to mental powers
equal to the emergency
A man of quiet tastes his habits show
the effects of early training. He is fond
OF simple food. Tho dishes of the country:
is temperate in all things save work. and
fond of his homo. which, by the way. is
neither the old national palace on
| Plaza de la Constitution, where lived Car
| lotta and Macmillan. nor the house near
by on Vale de Ia Monedea, where Juarcz
| lived as president, and died, and where
| President Daz passed his first term. In
the winter Diaz lives in an unpretentious,
! typical Mexican house of two stories No.
Is Gale Cadena In summer his home IL
the worid-ronowned old castle on Cha
pultepec, or Hin of the Grasshopper. with
the National Military School behind It,
| The grand, Moss-laden old cypress, or
| ahuehuete, trees circling around the hill
give the castle an appearance of Nesting
, among their waving tops. They were old
and grand when Cortez cast his bold,
greedy eyes over this beautiful valley.
DIAz OF LOW" FAMILY.
The President is an early riser and at
fairs of the nation meet with his prompt
attention. Some of his early friends are
President Diaz's faithful co-workers now
NOTABLY el Ministro de Relaciones Igracio
Mariscal. a man of great culture and re-
finement whose father aided DiaZ when
he was a young man. This is the place TO
explain what many, OF course. know,
while others do not the meaning in Span
ish of the word low" as applied to fami-
lies In Mexico. When an American speaks
of low family" one in every way I'M
desirable Is meant In this country a
"baja familia" frequently means a family
financially poor and occupying a lowly
position in life. yet honest, industrious and
far from low. A miscomprehension of this
word baja has caused some foreigners "a
believe that Porfirio Diaz Is of isnoble
birth, while. in truth, it was to this tyne
he belonged-with many of the best and
strongest men of Mexico, and more are
, coming from the same source.
To President DiaZ and his fellow work.
ers is due great credit for carrying on the
work of progress and reform along the
. path blazed for them by noble, patriotic
men. who led lives Of hardship and anx.
iety when ease and wealth were open IL
them, by accepting the enslavement oi
their country. Hidalgo. Morelos, AlieTda
: ALBANIA Abasolo. Zarasosa, Juares Lerdc
! de Tejada are only few of the noble
, names Of Mexico. To many there seem:
to have been only one revolution after an
: other. from the revolt led by H,dalgo an,
Morelos against the Spaniards in 1870
- and so 1t was up to 1876, but each reVolu
? ton was a stage in the evolution of tn,
government of Mexico. Mexicans had beef
: as slaves to Spain Nothing less than
despotic form of government could holC
the lower classes-all had to feel the pow
. er Of those above them. Tho man VIII
a could control the army, or the larger pa r
of II, was the one to hold the reins unit
i overthrown. During all those trouble
n years there were patriots whose hope an
a sole aim was the independence of Mexic
: from any foreign power and the esta blish
ment of a pure form of government.
That people so trained in unsettle
II ways needed a firm hand Is In nowls
= doubtful; that the hand of Daz was, an
= is, OF that character, all are sure who hav
, felt II or known of Its touch. On May
= 1877, he became the twenty-fourth presi
h dent. On the same day the constitutio
, was amended, prohibiting the election @
.
, to second terms. Dec. 1,1SS4. the day o
n which expired the term of Manuel Goa
r. zales. the twenty-hfth president, Dia:
l. who had In the meanwhile been govern
OF his native State, Oaxaca. was agai
a elected president of Mexico for five year,
n During his continuance of Office incipier
a revolutions have been crushed restlc4
j. natures quieted in various ways; would
J. be assass!ns of the president have bee
" laid low. There may be some who re
member a certain telegram, not SO yer
many years ago, received in the State {
Vera Cruz, after the government had bee
n Informed of what might have develope
q into a disturbance Of the general peace
Mexico Mate los pronto," C'Kill thal
a quick,'D it Is said to have read. Natul
g ally, there are some families who do ut
n cry "Niva ell Presdente" with niue
: enthusiasm as others. Still a firm han
T, was needed. At the expiration of eao
lie reelected. Rival candidates are som,
y times mentioned, but they receive fe
10 votes. There have been no dark horse
J. and none need be trotted out--such thing
IS are unpopular in Msxico-and there ar
n no revolutions.
II THE MEXICAN BALLOT SYSTEM.
Is The ballot system of Mexico is dfferer
from that OF her sister. but it is quite sin
y pie. Nearly all men are satisfied with III
" existing state of affairs. Consequent
; very few vote in the upper classes. Peon
. as they are called, though the peon sy'
u TEN is said to be extinct, on large hacier
10 das are well represented. and are ais
" satisfied. As It would be burden some &c
them to attend to such matters in perso,
w the haodendado is said to remark at Stat
VI election time: II have 5000 men on IN
&c hacienda. | give that many votes &c
10 Senor Don Fuano de Tai Governor.
1t Is easy to see the peosl vote is a valuc
10 BILE one. 1t cannot be demoraliZed. as wit
% the same class in our own country, and
10