Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-11
Probable Successors Of General DiaZ Of Mexico.

after an interim filed by one OF his
friends, In 1876 seated himself In the
coveted position. Gonzalez was secreta.
ry OF war during Diazs first admins
tration, but in his second he was made
governor OF Guanajuato. with less pow
er than he had IN his former position as
| Dlaz dlstrusted him somewhat. He
died In 1893, but his chief stil lives to
see Mexico In a position of which any
ruler ought TO be proud
Having held 10 the presidency during
20 years and being now In his sixth
term, 1t requires rather q stretch Of the
Imagination to present General Dlaz as
a constitutional president" and 1t
would seem that the term dictator, even
despot fits him better. He amended"
the constitution to 1T his case, and he
has amended" everything In Mexico
with view to the perpetual retention
of power. During his successive admin
istrations. to be sure Mexico has made
Immense strides, having more than dou-
bled her exports and her imports, hav-
ing paid off the heaviest Of her oblga-
lions and reinstated herself in the COM
munity of nations, All the great things
which have made for the regeneration
and rehabilitation Of Mexico are ac-
credited by Diaz and his friends to
himself But they forget, or seem to,
| that without the assistance of Ameri.
can capitalists who mainly built the
more than 1000 miles of railroads of
which Mexico now boasts, the country
would never have made the advance she
| did, But for them there would not be
| the direct communication between the
| interior and the coasts, between the
| northern border and Tehuantepec
Don Porfirio is now 10 years OF age,
but erect and free as ever in his bear
| ing can see little difference between
the Dlaz of 1881 and the Diaz OF 1901 ex-
| cepting that his hair has blanched and
he has grown appreciably milder In his
methods. Once was the time when he
| thought nothing OF having criminals
| stood UP against a wall and shot to
death, even political offenders running
such a risk. But Of recent years, he
says. there has not been any necessity,
as he has made the country what he In
tended II TO be--secure In every part.
He has been not little assisted by
| his lovely wife, who Is universally
known as Dona Carmelita, the daugh-
ter OF man who was once his bitterest
enemy. They reside In what Is general
ly knownas the Mexican White House"
that grand old castle Of Chapultepec
associated with American victories and
the reign Of Macmillan. Here the
great president Of Mexico lives for the
most part with occasional excursions to
Cuernavaca and other points.
The executive office Is in the great
palace on the plaza Of the capital, also
associated with the times Of the Monte
zumas and the Spanish conquest. Here
the president labors nearly all the time;
here he is the most accessible and ana
Bile of men, and hence he sends forth
orders to his secret agents in all parts
of the country.
In view Of his age and his manifest
desire to rid himself at last Of presiden-
tial cares there Is a great deal Of spec
ulation as to who will be his successor
Names are mentioned but they may
not be the right ones Most prominent
in this connection are those Of Don Ig-
naclo Mariscal, present minister OF for
eign affairs; General Bernardo Reyes
minister of war, and Senior ]. Y, Ii
mantour minister of finance. OF the
three Mariscal is the best known in the
United States, where he once resided as
minister plenipotentiary, and Is the old
est, being two years the presidents SEN
Tor. He Is also a native Of Oaxaca, Is
married to a Baltimore lady and has
acceptably filed many high positions.
Lmsntour Is a young man, but has
made q name for himself In connection
with national Mexican fnanciering
and during Diaz's illness he acted as
provisional president. The favorite,
however, and the one most strongly in
misunderstanding the army at his back
lis General Reyes, who is something of
the romantic character that Dlaz was
30 years ago. There is a strong predi-
lection down here for a military man as
ruler of the country, and there is no
other military man so well equipped
and with such prestige as General
Reyes. WILLIAM g. ALBERTSON.
City of Mexico