Evening star., 1903-12-19

pompacour style, showing his hign, nnely
formed forehead. He Is blue-eyed. and his
eyes are keen. The mouth and chin indi-
cate determined character. The most not
able feature of the face is its pallor. which
IS like that OF corpse"
The people of Mexico are said to be much
worried by this pallor, which IS quite q
new thing But the presidents doctors say
that It ta not due to failing health, but SIM
ply to confinement in his Office.
Too Busy to Recreate.
Until recently Diaz always took plenty of
exercise, but of late ne has only ridden or
walked in the park of the Castle of Chapul-
tepec for few minutes every morning. He
says he is too busy to waste any more
time on himself.
The result of this change in his mode Of
life Is remarkable. His complexion used TO
be brown and ruddy: now 1t is like parch-
ment. The doctors assert, however, that
be would still be a safer risk for q life in
surance company than most men under
sixty.
Most foreigners look upon Diaz as one OF
the worlds erainently successful men, but
he does not regard himself In that light.
He has done wonderful work In Mexico,
but he looks upon himself as failure be-
cause, after twenty eight years, he is still
obliged to be aUtocrat.
For many years ne has tried to find
man who could succeed him without expos
ing the country % the risks of civil war but
test. There is probably no other great
despot in the world today who likes his Job
less than DiaZ does
Again and again he has said that he
would not at 10 serve as president an
other term. He has told his cabinet and
the political leaders in Mexico to find an
other man. They have taken him at hls
word and tried to DO so, but i'll the end they
have always been obliged to come back to
Diaz and beg him 20 serve again.
n..,o.s 20 Do,,a,
Once Diaz persisted that he really must
retire. II am IN Did man and rich man,
he told his abinet. II am tired of power.
1 have always lived in Mexico, and l want
to travel and see foreign countries before
die II is time l took a rest and enjoyed
the evening OF my days as / choose"
His colleagues admitted the reasonable
ness Of his wishes. and said they really
would find q successor. Day after day,
evening after evening they conferred; name
after name was suggested-but all In vain
This man would steal, that man would rule
unwisely, that other man would provoke Il
revolution. and so with every name men
tiored
The day before The nomination the con-
ferees were no nearer a decision. They sat
up late at night still discussing, until, at
last, long after midnight, one of hem de-
clared:
TT must be Diaz again. While he rules
Mexico will bo safe and happy. Rut after
that-quien Sabe?'
SO they broke up the conference, trooped
over to the palace. woke DlaZ out Of MS
sleep, and sat up with him until the gray
dawn. persuading him that his country
would be ruined if he retired from the Dusi-
ness of benevolent despot.
Hero of Puebla.
Diaz is the hero of the Mexican army.
When he was a young soldier, the Hero
OF Puebla" was ghe most admired and
popular officer in the patriot army that
fought the French invaders. He was al
ways the first IN he charge, the last In
retreat the quickest to volunteer for the
post of danger. lie held his own life as
nothing in comparison with the cause let
no officer was more careful of the lives
and comfort of his men.
Throughout his career Diaz has paid great
attention to the s:elfare of the Mexican
army He often visits the soldiers unex-
pectedly in their camps and barracks,
tastes their food, finds out whether they
are reg larry paid and well treated, and
whether the Offices are dong their duty
and looking after their men properly
Thus it is that me Mexican army is the
best In Latin-Ametica, not even excepting
the Prussianizeo troops OF chile. 1t is
mainly composed Of fuli-blooded Indians,
who are readily disciplined and as brave
as any men could lie. Foreign officers say
they are second 10 no other troops as
marchers and fighters. and In frugailty and
contentment they are far ahead OF most
of the worlds soldiers. DiaZ is proud or
them, and they look upon him almost as
a god.
Napoleon could never do enough for the
veterans who fought with him in his first
campaigns. He was one Of my old gfum-
blers In Egypt" he would say affe ctiOnately,
when rewarding some grizzied, battle
SCARED warrior. SO 1t is with DIaz Ire
men who fought with him against Maxi
milan and the French are the men whom
he delights to horror. Ee will go to the
greatest personal trouble to seek them out
and TO see that they want for nothing
within his power to give them
Duties He Likes.
Sometimes his officials in Mexico City
REQUIRE his presence urgently to decide
knotty point or sign some important pa
pers. What has become Of the president
today?' they ask one another, excitedly.
The answer Is always much the same.
He has heard II ar old woman, hundre1
miles away whose husband was killed
fighting for tie independence of Mexico.
She IS living in poverty. Immediately tie
president has cropped everything and gone
off 10 see her and to arrange for her luture
He would never dc egate such task to
subordinate.
Or perhaps It may be the case Of vet
eran who fought by his side at Puebla and
who has fallen on vii days in his old age
II so, Diaz will see that he does not want
are boundless. ana they are always per-
formed with the greatest secrecy.
In many WAYS D,aZ IS a curious puzzle
He is an auto rat of the deepest dye. yet
his political views and acts are decidedly
liberal He is simply autocrat because
he has to be, unless he wishes to see his
country go to raci. and ruin. He has sup
pressed many instructions with an iron
hand, yet ne sy nptthizes with the perennial
revolutions which distract Latin america,
alternately ami sing and disgusting the peo-
pie of higher aud more orderly civilization
Believes In Progress.
Up north" lie remarked to an American
visitor recently you do not understand the
evil conditions which prevail In those coun-
tries. and the need which exists for armed
protest against them. l am still revolu-
ZIONIST ct heart because l believe in prog
ress. In Latin-America revolution is the
spirit of progress, the spirit of resistance
to evil.
II was through n bloody military revolu-
ton that Mexico found herself ON the road
to advancement. and ii is owing entirely
TO the industrial revolution now going on,
to the disgust Of many conservative people,
that progress 81 being made.
without frequent, persistent revolutions
the political question of Spanish-America
would be insolu0e, and the Spanish-Ameri-
can people would lapse into the conditions
which prevailed in Europe during the mid