The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-05-01
Mexico, Past and Present.
BY FRANK w. GOWEN,


nation in the world has suffered greater
Injustice or more cruel wrongs than this
unhappy country, SO near to US, and
none has fought more bravely for eman-
cipation from foreign foes, From the
earliest days of the Aztec empire down
to the time of the Spanish conquest
there is little else to relate but of the
dusky savages, dreadful wars carried on
nv cruel, savage and supersUitious mon
archs, whose frightful sacrifice of human
life must fill the heart of every student
of Mexican history with sorrow and pain.
No authentic written history of the en-
tpire OF the Montezumas, save it be the
writing.of Iztiizocktt has come down to
us. but like the early history of Greece and
Rome her ancient records are surround
ed by myth and fable. In Lew Wallace's
1.-THE Fair Cod, however, we have
very fascinating story of those early
races and allied monarchs who waged
such terrible wars of slaughter on the
soil of this southern Republic. Those
who committed murder suffered death,
whether noble or slave, and traitors and
conspirators against their rulers were
broken to pieces at the joints and their
children and nearest relatives sent into
slavery to the fourth generations. While
thief might be punished with slavery
the evil of drunkenness was punishable
NV death: thus it was better to have
been born a thief in the early days than
to have been born a drunkard or slave
to drink. But brighter page in their
lives is shown in this period of their his
tory from the fact that in the election
of their kings by the people women ap-
reared and had voice in the elections,
as we'll as the men. But when Cortes
set foot upon the soil of the Mexican
empire. the rights of the people under
the reign of Montezuma II, the greatest
of the Natua monarchs, had been reduced
to domestic servitude and the palace
doors of their king closed against them.
do not propose, however, to give IN
this paper full account of the traditions
of the Aztec empires, their kings and
palaces, their mobiles and slaves, nor to
write of the mythology or religious be-
lief of the early races Of Mexico. The
most cruel religious sacrifice in the early
monarchy consisted of tearing out the
hearts Of living people on the 'Sacrific-
sal Stone"
We find the same conflict that is
being waged in Mexico today by the
people in the different states in open re-
bellion against their government that
was carried on by the early races against
their kings to throw off the Aztecs yoke,
in fact this is what brought about the
downfall of the early empire and placed
upon the necks OF the Mexicans the
Spanish yoke; far worse and more cruel
than that of the Aztecs, for without the
aid of the Tlascallees warriors, bitter
enemies of the Aztecs, Cortez could new
er have conquered Mexico with his hand
ful of soldiers.
Unhappy country, it has bled at every pore
With centuries of strife and war.
Land of the Mon1ezumas, Hldalgo and Medro
Shall it fall to rise no more?
1t is not pleasant to write of the con-
quests of Mexico by the Spaniards, be-
cause it forms one of the blacklist pages
in all history. Cortes overran the empire
with his handful Of soldiers and allies
with slaughter and destruction paving
the soil with human skulls, a country
superior in the art of civilization to his
own.
Draper in his intellectual Develop
enent of Europe" says: 'In Mexico a
civilization that might have instructed
Europe, was crushed out by the Spani-
ards, where they destroyed races more
civilized than themselves. Nor can we
write in CONNIE ndation of their
colonial rule of three centuries in
Mexico. 1t was reign of degra-
dalton, bloodshed, unjust taxation
and slavery. Ia fact no blacker crimes
in the colonial history of the world were
ever perpetrated than were enforced
upon the people of Mexico under the
Spanish yoke. Such for instance as the
enforcement of superstitious observance,
intellectual slavery, differentiation of
che soul and degradation of the mental
and spiritual faculties Of man." Our
troubles with our mother country at the
opening of the Revolution were mild
compared with Mexico's wrongs under
the Spanish yoke, and some thirty years
after we gained our independence Mexi-
. co began her first war for emancipation
and freedom under the leadership of that
great and noble patriot Miguel Hidalgo.
Like Patrick Henry this great priest
ucried out with al his eloquence for liberty
and melted the people of Mexico to rise
and defend their country against tyran-
nv and wrong. His execution by the
Spanish soldiers ended a career full of
glory. He was one of the worlds great
lest champions for liberty. Like the late
and lamented Madero he stood forth to
right the wrongs of the masses of Mexi-
co and his death did not end the cause
he had espoused, and for which he fell,
4L,x, will bo or,,o1 occaocipo.