The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-23
president D1Az AND
HIS NAT|vE:COUNTRY

prosecutors, as they sat upon his rest
ing place and played cards with his
loyal friend.
OF General Diaz's part in keeping
alive the flame of patriotism during the
brief but turbulent days of MaXimilian's
imperial regime there are many lively
anecdotes. General Diaz declares that
the most interesting fight in which
he ever participated was the battle
of Biahuatlan. when he overcame a
greatly superior force of French and
Austrians by holding OFF their advance
by a demonstration of the thirty unat-
tached officers whom he had temporar-
lily assigned to his personal staff. They
rode conspicuously up and down upon
the crest of a ridge. shouting orders to
imaginary troops behind them, and
kept the enemy wondering" while the
actual forces were out flanking them
and preparing to win the fight. When
Marshal Bazaine was forced by the
protest of the United States to evacuate
Mexico with the French troops under
his command, he secretly offered to
sell to General Diaz all the military
equipments, the extra arms and am
! munition of his army. at fabulously
low price. General Diaz characteristic
ally declared to the author: Il de-
clined to buy them. As he had to leave
them. it was cheaper for me to seize
them as the property Of the enemy than
to buy them even at a low price"
Promptly acting on his determination,
General Diaz was enabled to present
to President Juarez on his arrival In
the capital in 1867 twenty-one thou
sand men perfectly clothed, armed and
provided with ammunition. Bazaine,
it appears. was willing to offer even
more than arms and equipments to
the man who at that time was the most
vigorous and dangerous assailant of
the empire. In fact, he proposed to
deliver Macmillan into the hands of
his adversaries.
After the execution of Macmillan,
in which Diaz had no part, Juarez was
elected formally to the presidency,
which he had nominally held during
the occupation. 1t is odd to realize
that one of the leading causes which
led Diaz to oppose his former friend
and chief was the presidents deter
mlnatlon to stand for a second term.
1t was similar determination which
caused Diaz to revolt against Presi-
dent Lerdo. And vet President Diaz
himself is now serving his sixth con-
secutive term. The author brings out,
however. that in all these events Diaz
was upholding the law of his country,
and that he himself refused a second
term after his first four years as presi-
dent. because he deemed it as much
against the policy as it was against
the constitution of Mexico. When he
mad. toward the end of his second
I 'but not consecutive) term, established
peace and order in his country, and
it was apparent that his reelection
was not only desired but would he
beneficial. he took the precaution to
have the constitution duly amended.
OF course, Diaz may be criticised by
the captious for the somewhat violent
method by which he elevated himself
to the presidency for the first time.
The author excuses it as a military
necessity, and certainly, if history
proves anything, it may we'll be iusti-
fled on the plea of administrative en-
pediency
The subsequent career of President
Dlaz is not so picturesque. certainly
~ 81 SASiIlu6, dS Was ludt OF General
Diaz: but it is full of suggestion to the
statesman and the student of political
history. His, thirty years of admins
tration have been years of peace. I'm
der him the country's credit has been
restored. its industries promoted and
extended, its educational standard has
been greatly raised; and these re-
suits have been accomplished with no
ostentatious display of power, If with
firm and determined hand. No
soldier or policeman guards the presi-
dents private residence. Three times
week he receives alone in his Office
all citizens who desire to present to
him a personal appeal. He takes the
greatest interest in all the beneficent
enterprises of the country, and Mrs.
Alec-Tweedie's description of day in
his life. on which she ACCOMPANIED
him through series of official and
unomcial functions and visits, reveals
man of seventy-odd, with the vitality
OF boy and the wisdom and char
acter of sage" First and last.
Porfirio Diaz is seen to be patriot.
10 an engineering friend, who asked
him, when leaving Mexico, If there
was anything he could do for him in
the foreign lands which he was about
to visit, the president replied:
Yes; speak well of my country"