Arizona republican., 1902-02-15

popular SelI-SONSrnlnent as we hnON II is an impossibility. Everything is sum med up in the personality. force Of character and statesmanship of the president President DiaZ' disregard of the constitution and his policy of "conciliacion'' toward the reactionary or clerical party have long been an offence to the radical or extreme ele-
 ment of the liberal party. A liberal of liberals. and positively opposed to the rule of the priesthood, Diaz has felt himself strong enough to treat the clericals with kindly consideration. His ambition has been to weld all the war ring political factions of his country into homogeneous party in support of the republic. That he has been some what visionary in this, and that his kindness has been imposed upon, is evidenced by the many accounts fur nished by the liberal press concerning the outrages and conspiracies of the clericals against popular government. The extreme and impracticable lib- erals will not, therefore, accept with out protest the programme for the transfer of power to Reyes. With them the observance of the constitution ap- pears to be everything, even though all intelligent citizens concede the in- capacity of the Mexican masses for participation in the government. The hair r-brained liberals are the most active opponents of the presidents methods, and the editors of that faith have become familiar with the interior of Mexican jails as . reward for their boldness. The Mexican illustrated pa per. ''El Hijo de Fl Ahuizote," of Feb ruary g. which arrived in Phoenix yes
 terday, is violently opposed to the Diaz scheme for the transfer of authority to Reyes without calling the populace into consultation. The editor has spent most of the last twelve months
 in prison for attacking the gov ernment. and so his language much as his impetuous spirit will permit. But he says:
 At last the militarism e the abomi- nable times of Santa Ana, reborn as the phoenix from it's own ashes, Is resus l citated in our country with all the ap paratus. with all the show that is lent by gaudy uniforms, brilliant sabres and bayonets and the noise of their sea bbards and spurs.
 The constitution is dead! Over the
 cover of its tomb We find Roman cen ! turions employed to guard its burial i slumber.
 Nobody. absolutely nobody, cares to
 call forth from the grave our Magma | Charta of 1851, the making of which cost so many tears, so much blood, and | so many heroic sacrificesi
 ] O! the tirnesi O. the manners, How changed are the men of conviction and | ideals.-not because they are persuaded
 for the good of the country but be- | cause thus profits their selfish interest," 1 Yesterday it was honorable to agi- | tate the popular sentiment in favor of ! patriotism, in favor of civic virtues
 But today Today all is to the con- | trary. Nobody raises a protest against | the fragrant violation of the law. No ! body protests against the crimes and
 abuses of the mandarins, because they would be persecuted and prosecuted | tenaciously until assassinated in the
 name of that hydra of a hundred
 heads which they call Peace.
 Today the most peaceful meetings
 are dispersed by the armed hand in
 the name of public tranquility but
 in reality in obedience to the ambitious l In those countries in which the citi- zen is a sovereign, all is free. In o,1r country. to proclaim a liberal belief
 IS sedition and turbulence. according ! to the clericals and their publications which either openly declare their pur-
 poses, or else with hidden hypocrisy
 pretend to be defenders of the people
 But at any rate the object is to extol 1 the acts of the dictator
 1 What will be the morrow? Nobody
 knows, but perhaps the time is not
 remote when we shall see the disturb
 ances which in Madrid and France pro-
 yoke the military The ! constitution rules no more. Therefor | the government did we'll not to cele- | brate the glorious date of it's procla-
 nation (February 3, because such act | would have been sarcasm.
 | Those of us that call ourselves lib l erals, those of us that wish for the
 progress of Mexico. cover ourselves in
 shame for the recent happenings which
 have killed our last hope for the pre- dominance of the civil power over the powers of the priesthood and mili- tarism.
 The altar and the throne have
 triumphed.
 Shades of Zarco. Arriaga, Ocampo,
 Juarez. Lerdo and other champions of
 iiiaiIioou- w Here are thy enthusiastic fighters for an idea?
 May our constitution rest in peace,
 Notwithstanding these hysterical
 lamentations for the constitution" the
 Diaz policy is the practical policy. and | the best interests of Mexico will be
 guarded by Reyes. regardless of any
 technical defects which there may be
 in his title when he becomes president
 Experiments which have just been
 completed under the auspices of the