Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-12

| dent OF the republic
MANUEL vAsouEz TO hold Office until b.
TAGLE' constitutional proce
dure a successor to Madero can be elected
As IL is utterly wasteful Of time and energ!
to prognosticate concerning Mexican affairs
the part which Tagle may play in COMING
events may as we'll be left to mere guess
work or else to coming events themselves.
He still remains a dark horse"-all the
darker because his name has been adver-
tised by a well-known gentleman named
Pancho villa However, man who has
braved all dctators since Porfirio Diaz and
is still alive and has waXed in influence in
that turbulent period is hardly likely to be
at all subservient to villa or anybody else.
At least he meets one requirement and that
is that he manfesty does not represent the
! Cientifco party, which the American Gov
ernment declines to recognize.
Heir to the Headship
Tagle was Minister of Justice in the Cab
met OF Francisco Madero and did not resign
his position on the assumption Of power by
Huerta. He is therefore proposed as the
legitimate successor to the vacancy at the
head of the constitutional government Gre
ated by the death OF Madero
The claim is made by the Carranzistas
that TaEle has no legal title to the office
of President because. they argue, when Ma
Zero resigned just before his death all the
members Of his Cabinet ipso facto became
private citizens Article 81 of the Mexican
Constitution provides that in the event of
default of the President or Vice President
the order Of succession shall run through
the Cabinet, beginning with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
1t is urged by Tagle's friends that his Gre
dentials, aside from his ability and personal
prestige, consist of the following facts; The
uprising against the usurpation of Huerto
was founded on the purposes of restoring
constitutional order in Mexico The Gov
ernment of which Huerta pretended to be
the Chief Executive was denounced as ilIe
Ultimate and without lawful sanction.
Madero resigned at the urgent suggestion
OF his friends and relatives and handed his
resignation to Pedro Lascurain, Minister of
POfelsn Relations who, in turn, caused the
same to be presented to the Congress, which
accepted IL. Thereupon Lascurain himself.
by operation of law, succeeded automaticaI- !
ly to the Presidency and Rafael Hernandez
Minister of Interior. and Ernesto Madero |
Minister of Finance, having resigned. he |
thereupon, under duress, appointed Huerta |
as Minister OF the Interior and followed II |
with his own resignation as President Ma |
nero' Lascurain, Hernandez and Ernesto Ma
dero having retired from office the Cabinet
othcer next In succession under the law was
Nasquez Tagle, Minister of Justice who
nad not resigned and had not Lascurain an
pointed Huerta as Minister of the Interior
under duress, then Vasquez Tagle as Minis
-er Of Justice became entitled to occupv the
presidential chair under the terms of Article
II Of the Constitution.
On the Outs With Diaz
Manuel Vasquez TagIe. who is married and
Ias one daughter was born in Mexico City
september H. 1854. His family had long been
prominent in Mexican affairs. and Tap,e
hmself held office in the Diaz Government
Following disagreement with the Presi-
lent, however, he retired from public life
md devoted his time to the practice ~
aw' which he has found very lucrative. If
vas said of him that he was one of the few
uccessful men of intellect in Mexico Citv
n the prolonged reign of Diaz who was NOT
Contaminated by the atmosphere of corrrpt
olitics. Daz and Tagle, indeed, were sworn
nemies.
That Huerta feared Tagle for his ouiet
orce or character is evident Huerta never
loiested him Tagle never feared Huerta.
Ut stayed In Mexico City after the usurpa-
lon and continued to practice law.
Huerta had many good reasons for hating
his man to whom his threats meant NOTHING
me day In the National Palace, when Madero
'as nominally President but virtually the
rsoner OF Huerta, Huerta announced his
lfamous plan ito serve the country" In the
pom We're Madero and several members Of
Is Cabinet. Huerta rendered his hand ~
ascurain, who took it. Hernandez. II Is said
kewise went through the ceremony. but
men the turn came for Madero, the man
'ho was soon to die exclaimed: "I win NOT
hake hands with a dirty traltor!"
With a shrug Of his shoulders TIuarta
irned to Tagle who simply folded his arms
nd answered: "No."
Huerta's Unfulflled Threat
Well God help youl" exclaimed Huer,o
hite with the insult Tagle made no com
tent, went out and returned to the nractioa
his profession. He added to it then a pro-
sssorship In the law school, the chair Of
vii law.
Since that time neither Huertistas nor
arranzistas. nor Villlstas nor zapatistas
or any OF the faetlonal leaders or follower
no have come and gone in Mexico rit,
ave disturbed the lawyer professor. ne
as attended strictly to business ana ho,,,e5
either 70 right nor left, The mobs have
aver looted his home nor stopped his auto
obile on the streets. Most certainly ~ a.
man out Of the ordinary