Evening star., 1902-02-22

resignation Of his chief. would be a COM
paratively peaceful event. Should he Sc
cure the office through the sudden death
Of the present incumbent he will do so
under circumstances which will give rise
to some alarms in foreign countries whose
citizens are interested financially in Mexico
maintaining her present political stability.
The story that President Diaz is about
to resign has again gone the rounds Of the
press of the United States. 1t is a familiar
story, and as it Is based upon a perfectly
logical outcome Of the present situation in
Mexico 1t is readily accepted. 1t is not
believed by those who know the president
Of Mexico that he is anxious to lay down
the tremendous and autocratic power which
he has exercised SO wisely and SO long.
He realizes, however. that he is getting to
be an old man. He also realizes that owing
to the peculiar character Of his people and
the autocratic form Of government which
prevails in Mexico under the name Of a
republic that the will Of the people is not
expressed at the ballot box, and that a
new reign cannot be inaugurated as in the
greater and truer republic to the north.
IT President Diaz resigns it will be be-
cause the love of his country, which Is
strong within him. is greater than his de-
sire to continue to WELD the scepter. 1t
will be because he wishes to install young
and vigorous successor who will carry out
the Diaz policy and to prevent aspiring
change in the administration the occasion
for noisy demonstrations which would de-
Stroy much of the prestige Mexico now
holds as the best governed Spanish Ameri-
can country.
A Native Of Monterey.
Gen. Bernardo Reyes first came into po-
litical prominence as the governor of the
Mexican state Of Nueva Leon, Of which
Monterey, the most thoroughly American
iZed Mexican city, is the prosperous capital.
There are over 1000 Americans living in
Monterey, or more than are to be found as
permanent residents in the City Of Mexico.
although the latter is ten times as large
as Monterey. Being near the northern
boundary of Mexico, and in the zone of
operations where American capital has
found it's freest outlet, the natives of Mon
terey are thoroughly familiar with the
character and customs of the people of the
United States. The latter have come to
Monterey, paved the streets, put in electric
light plants, built factories, planted orange
groves in the suburbs, drained the city upon
scientific principles, built handsome resi-
dences, extended the railroad facilities and
made a speciality Of entertaining tourists.
The stores, the cafes, the banks, and, in
fact, all of the Industries of Monterey, have
found their greatest profit in handling
American money.
Diaz Strong Policy.
Quite naturally, Gen. Reyes, when gov
ernor of Nueva Leon and resident Of
Monterey, was thrown in close contact with
the Americans who performed these mod
ern miracles. 1t has been stated that he is
an Americanized Mexican. This is hardly
true, for, while he knows more about Amer
leans and their methods than almost any
prominent Mexican, he Is not SO much in
sympathy with them as Is the President Of
Mexico today. President Diaz has a calm
and judicial appreciation of American char
acter. He has overlooked it's eccentricities
and discerning the real good and energetic
purpose behind everything he has not ex-
pected the impossible, but has given every
encouragement to the natural bent of his
northern neighbors for enterprise and
profit. All this he has done to the advan-
tage Of his own country. and has willingly
allowed liberal percentage of the surplus
profits to go to- those who furnished the
initiative, the brains and the money to de-
velop the native opportunities. In Presi-
dent Diaz there Is little of that highly de-
veloped sentimentality SO characteristic Of
the Spanish man at arms He is a soldier
and a good one, dictator and just one,
but he is also good business man, and is
not swayed by prejudice or sentiment in
carrying out to successful end the plans