Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-29
Diaz and Mexico
Progress Of Republic under
Leadership Won by Revolution
and Closed by Revolution,


New York Sun.
II was the irony of the situation in
which President Diaz found himself when
his resignation was demanded as a con
dition Of peace in Mexico that he had
twice been a rebel against the federal gov
eminent and that in each case he took
the field because constitutional guarantees
had been violated. He like Madero, had
made FL Paso a base of operations; and,
like Madero, he had known what it was
to have his headquarters in the saddle
and make a campaign in the wastes Of
Chihuahua
Neither the administration of his former
idol, Benito JuareE, nor that Of President
Lerdo proved satisfactory to the hero of
Puebla. Juarez had performed a great
service in striking down ecclesiastical
tyranny and setting up ideals of demo-
cracy to inspire his countrymen, but as
president Of the republic he was imprac-
ucable, vaeillating and feeble. Mexico
made no material progress under his adj
ministration The government of Presi-
dent Lerdo was corrupt, lawless and OPP
pressive and soon became intolerable to
patriotic men like Porfirio Diaz With
the death of JuRrez on July is. s72, Diaz
sheathed his sword and retired 10 his
farm in oaxaca, hoping for better things;
but the rebellion against the rule OF Presi-
dent Lerdo ended only when General Diaz
entered the city Of Mexico at the head of
10000 soldiers on November 28, 1876. In
the following spring he became president
with the sanction of congress. Is.
The Mexico of Juarez and Lerdo was
bankrupt and cursed with brigandage It's
bonds sold for ten cents on the dollar. Elk
cept in the large cities there was no
security of life. no protection OF prop
erty. The central government was with
out real authority, and in distant states
and territories it was openly defied.
When Porfirio Dlaz entered upon the
presidency the national income was only
Sl9'776,6SS; by 1907 1t had reached the
sum of S114,2s6,122. Mexican 1 per cents
rose to 81 on foreign exchanges. In 1884
SO the imports were S23,7S6,6s4 and ex-
ports $46,670, S45, while in 19O9-1O imports
had increased to S194S54,547 and exports
to $26O,0562SS. In 1876 there was only
407 miles of railway in Mexico, and after
thirty years of the presidency Of Porfirio
Diaz there were $4,000 miles, valued at
$1,S24,272,621 In 1909 these railroads
carried s5,652,756 passengers and 1885,
S69,153 tons of freight and their receipts
were $6l,lS 794, as compared with 1884,
$50 earned by the railroads in 1876. There
were APO miles of telegraph in Mexico
when Diaz became president; the tele-
graph and telephone lines of the repub-
lie in 1909 extended over 2O,0OO,O00 miles,
bringing the most remote parts of the
country into touch with the capital, In
1875 the poct office department. carried
4,7O9,750 pieces Of mail and in 1909 the
number carried was 191,744,906, and
revenue of S4,Sls,s4s was derived from
the service, In public improvements great
sums Of money have been spent, no less
than Sl2O'O0O,OOO on the ports, harbor chan
nels and the lighthouse service Twenty
nine years ago Mexico had only one bank
and II was maintained by foreign capital.
In 1907 II had thirty-two national banks
with assets Of S64,OOi,OSs In 1877 there
were 4,716 PUBLIC schools in the country
and 1s6a9 pupils; m 1903 there were 77s,oOO
pupils in 1850 schools.