The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-09-16
MEXICO CELEBRATES
INDEPENDENCE DAY
There Was Not So Much of the Usual
Pomp Back of the Observance
There is Fear of Anti-Ameri-
can Demonstration

Nueyo laredo, Mex, Sept. l6-With
the toll at midnight in Mexico City OF
the ancient bell that once swung in the
little chapel OF Padre Miguel Hidalgo at
/ Dolores, celebration OF Mexeo's INDIE
lpendence day September l6-begun
Throughout the country, although with
out the pomp and splendor Of the fes.
! tivities in years before the country
prolonged civil strife The sounding OF
the bell IS in commemoration of the night
of September 10, 1910, when Senior Don
Miguel Hidalgo priest of the parish OF
| Dolores, raised the banner Of revolt
the Spanish and accompanied by a few
! followers, commenced the march which
was to arouse the entire country against
Spain.
This exercise has been the signal in
the past for the chief executive OF the
country, standing from a balcony Of the
National palace, to give the Critic" or
war-ery Of Padre Hidalgo Viva Mexi-
co! Viva la Independence followed by
the roar OF the multitude.
This custom has been observed since
Mexico attained her independence from
Spain, with the exception OF the years Of
the Hapsburg usurpation. Since the in
ception OF the revolution in 1910, cen
fury after the revolt OF Hidalgo and his
followers, there have been fewer cele
brations OF the day. During the Huerta
regime. the celebration in Mexico City
approached those OF former periods in
dignity and pomp, although other cities
were lacking in enthusiasm. The banner
which Hidalgo bore embIazoned with
the portrait Of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
the patroness saint OF Mexico, was car
ried through the streets at the head of
the procession. This of itself was suffi-
Gent to stir the religious fervor OF the
Mexicans.
Padre Hidalgo's first success, one hun
bred and sixteen years ago, was the tax
ing of the important city of Guanaiuato
and for several months thereafter the
revolution triumphed. Taken at last
through the treachery of one of his sub
ordinates, Hidalgo was tried by both &c.
clesiastical and military courts, and aft
er receiving the penalty Sf degradation
from his priesty office, the sentence OF
the ecclesiastical court, he was executed
at Chihuahua.
The bell on the little chapel which
Hidalgo used on the night his revolution
was proclaimed was afterwards taken
to Mexico City and guarded as sacred
relic in the National palace. 1t is only
tolled on the anniversary of the uprising
to call the attention OF the people to
the ceremony about to be observed.
The day is the most important of the
national holidays of Mexico for it com
memorates the first revolution against
Spanish domination of the Americans,
and which although it lasted eleven
years, was the forerunner of those move
ments wk:ch later freed Central and
South America.
Since the delicate situation arose be-
tween Mexico and the United States,
some of the military commanders have
been careful not to permit any demon
stration which might result in display
of anti American feeling. The eelebra-
lions in many quarters, particularly
along the border, have consequently
leaked the presence OF the government
troops, which in former years made them
so brilliant.