Valdez daily prospector., 1914-06-11
ELECTION DAY
 IN OLD MEXICO
A Dsgoriptioh Of the Fareiai Election Lave In Force In That Trouble
 Hidden "Repdbtie"

even if he isn't, Mexico will perpe- trate that occasional farce known as a popular election. Huerta has tried one election, but 50 few people voted that he tiiln't dare to claim the cleo tioh valid. But the election for July 5 has been called by the congress of Mexico and Huerta, if he runs, will undoubtedly attempt to prove after it is 0vsI that the election was held honestly and that the president of Mexico was chosen by an expression of the popular will.
 It can be said that there isn't any way to have an honest election in Mexico. under the present election laws, which are the laws Mexico has always had since the republic was established. Let's take the imaginary case of Juan Martinez, a laboring man in the City of Mexico, and watch Juan go through the process of ex- pressing his will as a sovereign voter In the first place Juan doesn't belong to any party, as John Smith does in the United States. Only the folks with collars and cuffs belong to part ies and Juan always takes his hat off when he's in. their presence These collar-and-cuff persons have tempo rary headquarters in some building in the capital, and these headquar- ters look exactly like ward, city, coun- ty or state headquarters in any American city. It is filtered with handbills, posters and pamphlets and filled with collared- politic- ians.
 But you'll notice that there is only one headquarters. That's the one that belongs to the party of which the outgoing president is member. The outgoing" president in Diaz's time-and he will be in Huertas, too is always the leading candidate for icelection. He permits few other persons to make believe they are can didates against him. justsfor appear ance's sake, but he knows that our friend. Juan Martinez, won't vote for them. The "outgoing" president, un- der Mexico's ,.election laws, always owns the election machinery, and there is no way to get 1t away from him.
 About two weeks before election day. always, man comes around to Juan's house. Juan isn't home; he's away. at work. Of course. The man is an election official; he talks with Juan's wife. He wants to know what kind of man Juan is. Has she ever heard her husband talk against the president, or against the governor of the state? She never has. certainly. AS soon as the election official sees that Juan is just common, every day, workaday type of Mexican, who won't run amuck on things political, he leaves certificate for Juan. This certificate entities Juan to go to the polls to vote and when Juan getA home at night and asks the "missus'' what has happened during the day she hands him the certificate, which Juan tucks away against election day. Juan is now a duly registered voter.
 At last the Sunday rolls around election day is always on Sunday in Mexico. becausue Diaz, at the re- quest of his friends, the great ranch owners in Mexico, set the custom SC that the ovters would go to the polls in their own time instead of the bosses. Juan goes to the polls. The chances are he doesn't want to go but his boss, who is probably a biz factory owner, or big farmer, whe wants to stand in with the president and sovern6r, desires Juan's vote.
 So Juan turns up at the polls. The polls usually consist of a table placed In one of the biz double doorway, which lead from tho sidewalk into tn, patio or some business house or resi- dence in Jdans hefshborhood
 Around this table sit men in collar, ] md cu6s and hish silk hats. |
 there's anythins that throws Juan in- to . panic It's | hish silk hat. There are thousands of officials in Metics
 who hold office just on the strength
 of high silk hat (which they havs