The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-16
NFExVCANS CEIFBRATE THEIR
 INDEPENDENCE DAY TODAY

witb revolutionary bands roaming 1 through many sections of the repub- | lie with tht entire country in a state 1 Of unrest and uncertainty, Mexieos lceIebration of it's Independence Lay | today will not be an entirely happy
 one. Madero, scholar and philosopher 1 has not been able to rule with the
 iron hand of his predecessor. He has 1 corrected many abuses. but others have sprung up in their stead, and the last state of the republic is little bet ter. than the first.
 l Perfrio Diaz, who so long ruled over the destinies of the Me11cans, will celebrate in his European retreat the natal day of his native land In a recent interview, the former Presi.
 dent declared that the followers of 1 Madero believed that if they made
 him President the haciendas would be partitioned among them and they would soon enjoy an era of great pros l perity. When they found that Madero ! would not carry out their wishes they l turned against him and Joined the
 banners of other leaders l the country the people of Mexico will 1 doubtless observe the anniversary or | their freedom in the usual enthusiastlc | manner. Few Mixicans overiook an 1 opportunity to enjoy a holiday with | it's accompanying fiestas and merrl- 1nent Holidays occur frequently on l
 days anniversary is the most lm-
 portant and generally observed
 Today is the semi-centennial of the l battle of Antietam, sometimes called ! the battle of Sharpsburg, which was
 fought Sept: 16. and r. 1882, between and the Confederates under Gen. Lee 1 Antieta1n, from which the bloody con l f1ict gains it's name, is stream e tnae 1 tbe Maryland side It is some dis l tance above Harper's Ferry, which half a century ago was heid Dy Mcclellan decided to withdraw" 1o strengthen his own army, which from
 successive defeats had fallen into a l sad state In this decision McClel- ] Ian was overruled- The result was the | capture of the Harperis Ferry by the | Confederates, the defending force be- fafirre of Gen. McClellan's scheme for 1 crushing Lees army before it could recross the Potomac. The pest ne could do wae to hold the invaders m check As the net result of Antietam, the Confederates retreated sourhW ara 1 and postponed the invasion Of the 1 North until the following year, when l a. second northern invasion was check 1 ed on the bloody field of Gettysburg l Tt was 117 years ago today that Eng land gained d foothold in South Afri- | ca Tv taking possession of the Cape 1 of Good Hope, which had been a Dutch colony since AooU AAO NcPo remained in the hands of the. English until 1902, when 1t was restored 70
 Go1Iand nv the peace of Aniens. Four
 years y19prAi Iater the British flag was again. hoisted over the. Cape of Good Hope, ap never to come down. and the coIony was finally ceded to England in lS14; | From the Cape the power of England
 spread, northward. until after tsa a xvba1g long resistance by the Boers, the Whoie so,tbern part of the dark continent
 neese6 neese to England. Cape coloney, Ma tai. orange Free State and the Trans sf vaal were joined into the Onion ol l Sol1th Africa under constltut1on
 Which received the royal assent three
 years ago come next Friday Bota = ,3e1rer. hefore under the government "f the new Union. and perhaps a ma iaritv of the Boers are now glad they lbs