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Tars ell-informed and ably written Life of the etrong man of Illeeicow deserve,. reading. 'len years ago, when Porfirio than had been President for a generation, there was a widespread tendency to assure that he wire a great miatesmen who had transformed Mexico once for all into a civilized State. Every one can now see thee he was nothing of the kind. His eystem perished with his fall in 1911, and Rlexico reverted to the anarchy from which he had begun to machete her in the "oeventim " of last century. A truestetestnan's life-work would have had permanent results, men in Mexico. Don Porfirio made no durable impression on his country, and, though he attracted foreign capital to Mexico, be did not cure any Of the deep-seated evils of Mexican rule. but rather inerenaerl them hs adding alavery- to the long list. Still, he was a bold and clever man, anal, especially in his youth. he had as adventuretei a career as any buccaneer on the Spaniel,. Main.
Diaz was born at Oaxaca. in Southern Mexico, in 1830. He came of poor parents wino, like most Mexicans, were half Spaniel,. half Italian. His father died when he was three. leaving the 'nether to bring up a large family as beat she (mold. Porfirio, with the help of a friendly Canon. was sent to the local seminary, but when the time came for Ides to take Orders he refused. Ho turned to the Law, and at tended the lectures of his future leader, Benito Jeerer., who was a full-blooded Zapotera Indian and the " cacique or " boss of the province of Oaxaca. In 1854 he went into polities ; that is to nay. he joined the insurgents who were in arms against the Dictator Santa Ana, for in Mexico, then as none netts° politics and civil war were indistinguishable. Mr. Hammy gives an instractive description of the typical Mexican army a-
" Every Mexican maned forme consists of two elements—the directing body of fighting politicians, or mere brigands, and than rank and file of Indians. The latter are shanty pressed. Every political party lute at one time or another promised to give up the 11,47 (i.e., levee of Indiums and replace it by a fair consteription. Au party has ever kept the promise. The Indians are too broken, too cowed, too torpid, and too divided to resist. Thee, suletnit, and their women come with them to forage, cook, carry burdens, caul provide the only army serviee corps which Mexican armies have possessed. A Mexicali aetny is in fact a temporary artificial !rile. which eampa or marches with its swarm of women and children. tie long as they are paid and fed, these Indians obey and show a geed deal of passive courage. When not paid or fed they desert. They pass over in messes from the losing to the winning chief. A Mexican victory usually meant the' inomporetion of the mass of the beaten aide in the ranks of the victorious army. The direct- ing element of the beaten set°, the oSicera, were shot wholesale after the battle. With such soldiers actions tended to be fought at very long ranges, and the result was reached through desertion, and not by blows. The Mexican of all shades ran fight fiercely in certain circumstances, or when his passions are aroused. But he fights best behind stone walls, or in trenches, where his Indian passivity enables. hint to endure much haminerieg without a sense of excessive atraiti on the nerves. As for passion what passion can a pressed Luther. feel for contending political generale and politieal terms which are to him meaningless 1 " Diaz soon showed himself a daring and tactful leader of Indian levies. With the batmen of Oaxaca at his back, he became the most prominent Juarist in Southern Mexico. In the North Juarez himself, after becoming President, had set t he Church and the Resider Army officers against him by abolishing their privileges: and had, in consequence. been driven out of his capital. Diaz in his waive hills contrived to hold his own. Thus matters stood when Napoleon ILL embarked on his mad Mexican adventure in 1562 and sent a few thousand troops under General de Lorencez tr. Vera Cruz. The Clericals were well disposed towards the French; the mass of the people would have accepted French or any other rule that gave them pence and order. Dial Juarez. of coerce, was able to appeal to the patriotism or anti-foreign feeling of the upper eissaee, and especially those who had profited by grants of Church property. Dine, as one of his lieutenants, was net is e in the struggle age hest the invader. It-hen Lorencez, having scattered the Mexican forces in the open country, proceeded to attack the Puebla forts by escalade without troubling to bring up mum and effect a breach, he was beaten off, and Diaz had a slier, in his discomfiture. A year later. in 1803, the French agent be- sieged Puebla and again Diaz was the soul of the defence, though this time the town fell. Diaz escaped from his captors and was soon in the field with a new army. He fortified Oaxaca, and. , eduising ho recognize the puppet Emperor Maximilian as most of his Republican friende had done, he compelled Bezaine to slim(' the whole winter of 1304-65 in taking the place. Once mor: he wee a prisoner, and here more he escaped. Raising a fresh urines he cleared the imperialists out of ffoutl,crn Mexico, and. by et oflning Puebla in April, 1867, Ire cut Maximilian's pine of retreat to the coast and sealed his fate. Maximilian, attempting a sortie Cross his capital. was taken and shot by t he orders of Juarez. at Queretaro. • biz. by motel neasty. smitee: Itent.:1,:: awl Ca Oa. . —
How was it that Diaz, alone of all Mexican Presidents, contrived to retain power for 60 long C This is the most interesting question raised by hie career, and Mr. Hannay answers it somewhat fully. First of all, Diaz was popular with the Army. He hail shown moderation in his victories. Contrary to the general practice then and now, he had not shot all the officers of his rivals' forces when Ire captured them. Again, he insisted that the Army should be regularly paid, and that the pensions stopped by Jarmoz should be resumed. Further, he recruited from the guerrilla bands ft InOttntA police force, which like the Army could count on its pay. end set it to stamp out brigandage and highway robbery. Nest. he came to I Mika Willi the United States with regard both to t heir (lumina for a wee indemnity and to their just complaints of Mexioa,a raids into Texas, which were as common then as they have been it. recent years. Washington recognized him as President, after some delay, and he was then able to induce the capitalists of America and Europe In take up concessions for public works in Mexico. Foreign capital flowed in to provide railways, harbours, anal is great drainage scheme for the valley round t lie capital, and to work the mineral deposits. Diaz pledged the credit of the country freely and rashly, but as the foreigners gave employment to thousands, and as trade improved with the opening of the railways. the complaints against the President's heavy taxes passed un- heeded. He checked all opposition with a resolute hand. In 1879 he had a whole batelt of influential conspirators at Vera Crux shot without trial, and never needed to repeat the lesson. Mexican became so quiet and orderly, and its finances seemed no sound, that the world at large began to look upon the Republic under Diaz aa settled and cis itized State. That, as we now see, was an Musket. The landowners and the moneyed classes found their profit in sup- porting Diaz. but the mass of the people benefited little by his rule. Coder a thin veneer of modern progress, all the evil practices of the past continued. Dias can hardly be blamed if, in concert with the Americans, he exterminated the cruel Apaches in the north. but he was guilty of a great crime in enslaving the Yaqui Indians of Sonora and sending them to the pestilential plantations of Yucatan and the Valle Nacional, near Vera Cruz. His fall was not caused by public indignation at his despotism. Madero, as Mr. Hannay saga bluntly, belonged to a very wealthy family of ranch-owners, who spent £250,000 to make a revolution when Diaz had lost his grip of affairs and was (Mowing signs of senile decay. In all essenti.919 the Mexican people remain as destitute of a true national spirit as when Diaz began to govern them. "Ho failed," says Mr. Hannay charitably, perhaps because he was not great man enough, but more surely because he had not to hie hand the elements with which morn could be done."
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