PORFIRIO DIAZ.*

THE critical reader of this volume will feel tempted when he has finished perusal to describe it as an eloge rather than a memoir. Mrs. Tweedie writes frankly from the standpoint of a warm admirer of the extraordinary—and extraordinarily successful—man whom she regards as the moat " magnetic', • Porfirio Dias, Seven Times President of Mexico. By Mrs. Alec Twetdie, London Hurst and Blackett. [21s.

the Mexican Republic was one of constant struggle. The wealthy. Instead of money pouring out to repay old debts, son of an innkeeper in Oaxaca—the Oaxaca of that equally foreign capital is pouring into the country, so secure has Mexican remarkable man, Benito Juarez—he was intended by his credit become in the world's markets. Manufacturers are godfather, the Bishop of the district, for a clerical career, ture, particularly the growth of tropical products, is so But he inevitably drifted into the military life, although at admirably encouraged by the State, that agriculture alone one time the profession of law seemed likely to claim him. must ensure the nation's prosperity, even should mining be Nine years before he was born Mexico had declared itself in- destined at some future day to fail. These are the material dependent of Spain. But it was not ripe for self-government taught the Mexicans the benefit of lasting peace, and has set on a sound moral basis, and as a consequence became the prey before them an ideal of honest public life consistently main- and the prize of adventurers, of whom the ablest, the worst, tained, which has made a return to the corrupt traditions and the most tyrannical was Santa Anna, who constituted almost impossible."

himself perpetual Dictator. Diaz's first fighting was against As regards the future, Mrs. Tweedie says :-

Santa Anna and for the Juarists, for Juarez was not then the "Trade indications in Mexico are all good; railway traffic shows acknowledged chief, though he was the leading force, of his improvement; and there is a generally hopeful feeling. There is party. He was severely wounded and made prisoner more bread and work for all industrious people. Idlers and the shift..

than once, but he fought on. Mexico seemed to plunge less, the constitutionally incapable, must suffer as they always do deeper and deeper into the mire of disorder, as Liberals and and the increasing body of trained teachers are doing their work Reactionaries, with Juarez and Miramon as rival Presidents, in preparing the rising generation to take its place among the fought more desperately, as it appeared, than Mexicans and hosts of industry. There are more young Mexicans acquiring Spaniards had done in the War of Independence; and there technical knowledge than ever before ; there is a growing pride

flourished such monsters as Leonardo Marquez, "the the Tiger of the mind of the nation is bent upon the things that are vital to Taeubaya," who shot dead the medical men who were sent from the general prosperity."

the city of Mexico by the Juarists to attend to their wounded in Mexico City seems to represent the best that is left in the field. This struggle was followed in 1862 by the intervention " Latinism " at the present time :- of France, or, to be strictly accurate, of the Third Napoleon. "It may seem a bold thing to say that Mexico City to-day is Diaz, of course, opposed that intervention, which led to the one of the finest combinations of ancient and modern architecture tragic Monarchy of Maximilian, and took the leading part in in the world; for its size it certainly is. It has the most beautiful the first check which the invaders received. He was again location of any town I know, and now it has been cleaned and

taken prisoner, but escaped, resisted the overtures of Maxi- disappeared, and an ugly uninteresting city in the midst of a milian, and kept the lamp of Republicanism alight. Mrs. rocky plain, containing gems of armour and art, has taken its Tweedie tells over again, and admirably, the episode of place; but Old Mexico in the hollow of vast chains of mountains

Maximilian and poor Carlota, who when she arrived in and volcanoes remains. It is a town of clean streets, well-paved

Mexico "amazed the quiet-going Spanish ranges dames— service which, like so many things in Mexico, is worked by English whose ideas did not soar above chocolate parties and gossip, capital and American managers Mexico City is a revela- adoring babies and husbands, and getting fat and middle- tion. There is nothing so picturesque on the vast continent of aged in the process before they were five-and-twenty—by her America."

brilliant conversation and daring feats of horsemanship." The chief features in the character of this extraordinary man Mrs. Tweedie bears witness to the calmness with which are calmness and simplicity. Diaz has not been without his Maximilian, deprived of the help of his consort, who had gone passions. He at one time had a violent temper, which he to Europe, and, indeed, become mad, submitted to the violent learned to control. Mrs. Tweedie assures us that his marriage death which was the inevitable result of his failure. Diaz, as to a beautiful Mexican girl a great deal younger than himself the greatest of the Republican generals, was largely instru- was most emphatically a love affair which completely " carried mental in bringing about that failure, although he never met him off his feet." As a result he lives an absolutely domesti- Maximilian, and was investing Mexico when the latter was cated life :- cooped up in Queretaro. "As President of the Republic General Diaz never dines out more reigned as President. But he became more of an Although royal in bearing at times, he is not surrounded by absolute ruler and less of a liberal than he had been, and any court etiquette; friends do not have to wait for him to speak personality in the world at the present moment, and under Diaz retired from the Army into private life. At the next whose spell she has come. There is no evidence whatever, election of a President Diaz was forced into a position of indeed, that President Diaz has in his friendly inter- rivalry to his old chief, and that opposition became almost views with, and communications to, his English visitor, revolution when Juarez was again elected. Before it went sought to advertise himself as the typical self-made man too far the older man died somewhat suddenly. His of the popular books, " whose life in low estate began and immediate successor, Lerdo, failed to sustain himself in on a simple village green." But his one-man power is as power, and after what may be considered a minor revolution much part of his nature as his love of ordered freedom and Diaz became President in 1876. Since then the history of his hatred of tyranny, foreign interference, and clericalism ; Mexico has been to all intents and purposes his life, although and Mrs. Tweedie is not the only writer on Mexico who has he himself attributes the development of the country largely been impressed by it, and, it should be added, by the to a colleague and friend, Limantour :—

charm of Madame Diaz, who is almost as interesting a "His position is absolutely unique in the world's history, for woman as her husband is a man, and who, on his own although President of a Republic he has reigned for a quarter of showing, has contributed very greatly to his success. Mrs. a century. His will is all-powerful, as great, in fact, as that of

the Tsar and Pope combined. He is a monarchical, yet a demo-

Tweedie's book can best be described as a romantic biography, cratic, ruler. He is not a rich man; his yearly income from the —the story of a man whose life has undoubtedly been a State is only about £5,000, or half that of the Lord Mayor of romance, in spite (or because) of the fact that there is nothing London Of course there were other great men in the of the histrionic about him, and that this " maker of a nation" nineteenth century—men such as Bismarck, or of humbler origin, is " just a fine, strong, handsome man, short of stature, broad Garibaldi or Abraham Lincoln. Wonderful as were theirachievements, none of them retained the head of affairs of State of build, with warm, clear, healthy skin, short-cut white hair, for well-nigh thirty years. They did not drag their land from and deep, dark, penetrating eyes ; just a simple, honest, oblivion, its resources from bankruptcy, teach outlaws peace—in kindly, homely man in a black cut-away coat, a pair of grey fact, make a nation and a prosperous country out of chaos trousers, and white silk tie," yet, all the same, "a man of iron unaided and alone as Diaz has done."

will, determined grit, and complete master of himself." On These may seem extravagant words, but the testimony the whole, it must be allowed that the spirit of romantic which Mrs. Tweedie brings forward to show the extraordinary biography was the best in which to reproduce the career of the material progress Mexico has made of late is incontrovertible :

statesman-soldier whose life, which began on September 15th, " What have been the results of President Diaz' long adminis.

1830, practically covers the prolonged war of Mexico against tration? That terrible poverty which sapped the life's blood from the country during three-fourths of last century has turned the results of Spanish misrule, exotic Monarchy, and its to affluence. Peace is the outcome of Revolution. The land, own natural or inherited incapacity for constitutional, or jibed and jeered at abroad, now holds a position among tie lead- even civilised, government. ing nations. Lawlessness has given place to wise jurisdiction. The life of Porfirio Diaz up till his first Presidency of The Mexicans are better governed ; they can afford to pay the taxes imposed for the benefits they receive, and yet are more the Mexican Republic was one of constant struggle. The wealthy. Instead of money pouring out to repay old debts, son of an innkeeper in Oaxaca—the Oaxaca of that equally foreign capital is pouring into the country, so secure has Mexican remarkable man, Benito Juarez—he was intended by his credit become in the world's markets. Manufacturers are building up new sources of internal revenue, and agricul- godfather, the Bishop of the district, for a clerical career, ture, particularly the growth of tropical products, is so But he inevitably drifted into the military life, although at admirably encouraged by the State, that agriculture alone one time the profession of law seemed likely to claim him. must ensure the nation's prosperity, even should mining be Nine years before he was born Mexico had declared itself in- destined at some future day to fail. These are the material results. More important still in the life of a nation, Diaz has even in times of prosperity ; but everywhere the public schools in honest work. There being a condition of perfect tranquillity, tidied up, must surely stand in the forefront. Old Madrid has and well-lighted roads, good police force, with an excellent tram

When the Republicans triumphed, Juarez, of course, once except at purely official functions, but as Porfirio Diaz he often

takes a meal with friends and enjoys himself thoroughly.

first or stand in his presence. I have seen him extraordinarily dignified and majestic, Diaz the unapproachable, and I have seen him in a blue serge snit playing with baby children,—Diaz the grandpapa. He is two men in one, a great ruler andautocrat, and a kindly, gentle, homely man. He excels in both, and it is hard to believe the other possible when in the presence of either. The greatest personality in the history of our modern world and the most romantic."

The shrewdness of Diaz is, however, quite as notable as his simplicity in habits. He has seen the wisdom, in a country that used to be rent by party, of trying to rule as much as possible in a spirit "above party"

- "Diaz has never shown favouritism. His warmest friends hold no office, while men he personally dislikes are sometimes put in positions of power if he thinks their services of value to the nation. Many an able ruler has met his doom through his favourites; not so Diaz. His personal impartiality is one of his strongest holds on the people. When first he was President, the country was still divided into two bands, the Liberals and the Conservatives, and he enrolled many Conservatives on his side, including men who had served under Maximilian and under the Empire."