New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-22
TIE MEXICAN EXAMPLE.

Mr. Charles Francis Adams cannot DE re.
garded as altogether happy In his seiec'ioh y.
Mexico as q model for the Philippines Vi VI
the conduct Of this country toward MeA'.o ~
1s05-'6s rs a precedent which 1t shouo haHe
followed In the case of the Philippines. ne
saws that Mexico was in n state OF chaos uh.ii
France and Spain interviewed for the estaonsn'
ment of a stable government just as VIZ nav
interviewed In the Philippines, that we presently
overthrew that Government. and tDat theh
We left Mexico to work out its own salvauoh.
Wherefore he concludes. we should nave iei'
the PHILIPPINES to their own devices
Tho average reader Of history Will disagree
with Mr.. Adams concerning the facts III Tue
case Mexico was. indeed, In TouDied sta'e
nrlor IN the advent Of Macmillan. But an ex-
cellent constitution had been adopted only
fe,v wears before and under the lead OF
sinoularly capable and dsinterested statesman
the Reform party had finally triumphed ana
was In the way Of giving the country good
government Then Great Britain, France and
Snain interviewed, not to establish stable gov
eminent as Mr.. Adams says, but to secure the
rights Of foreign creditors. That at least, was
the aim Of the British and Spanish. The aim
Of France. or Of the Emperor OF the French
five government and set up an empire under
French protection and for the personal glory
Of Louis Napoleon. That was the leading mo-
tive NAPOLEON Mt first concealed IT, ana SO got
tho other two Powers to Join him. But the
moment they found out what he was aiming
nj they withdrew from the enterprise In dis
gust and left him TO manage his intrigues alone.
II was because Of Napoeon's assault upon u
Of
Nor is it quite true to say that we overthrew
the empire of Macmillan. All we did was 10
compel the withdrawal Of the French troops
The Mexicans did the rest. NOR was tneie
then any particular danger Of MeXicos falilng
into anarchy. 1t had been redeemed from
anarchy before Macmillan came by the genius
of its own people. That same genius IN oroer
" manner. overthrow Macmillan and estap-
lished, or re-established. native government.
No comparison of Mexico with Lllzon is Tor
moment tenable; nor one OF either Juarez OF
Diaz with Aguinaldo. The insurgent Iagals
have never adopted such constitution as the
Mexican one of 1857. nor, indeed. any at all
save by the dictatorial decree or Aguinaldo
They have never made one 1.-THE or the mead
way toward stable government that the Mex
leans made between 1857 and 1861. They have
never shown anything like the capacity FOR
self.government that the Mexicans have. They
have never governed themselves after any fash
ion as the Mexicans have done since the time
Of Iturbide At the fall Of Macmillan the
United States simply let Mexico 60 on ruling
herself as she had done for forty years or more
with steadily increasing ability. 1t would be
a vastly different thing to leave to their fate
a people who have never governed themselves
for a single day. but were continually under
the strict despotsm Of Spain until we struck
down Spanish authority and substituted our
own. There is in fact, perceptible scarcely
single point Of resemblance between the two
cases.