'482 



MEXICO. 



MICHIGAN. 



that the United States ought not to be left alone in 

 the role of protector and that all the American re- 

 publics should proclaim principles similar to those 

 of the Monroe doctrine and should protect each 

 other whenever necessary. A Pan-American Con- 

 gress was to meet at the suggestion of Ecuador in 

 the city of Mexico during the summer, and the prin- 

 cipal feature of the agenda, besides the discussion 

 of the means of promoting progress and the devel- 

 opment of industrial enterprise and commerce by 

 enacting measures conducive to their extension, 

 was the enactment of a public law of America, 

 which, while respecting all legitimate rights, should 

 give to the American Monroe doctrine all desirable 

 extent and all the guarantee necessary to enforce 

 its being respected. Gen. Felip Berriozabal, who 

 was appointed Secretary of War on March 19, on 

 the resignation of Gen. Pedro Hinojosa, unfolded in 

 the autumn a scheme for the reorganization of the 

 Mexican army in connection with the introduction 

 of compulsory service. The adoption of the Euro- 

 pean system was approved by the higher officers of 

 the army, because the present method of conscrip- 

 tion brings in undesirable elements. The reorgani- 

 zation contemplated will give 20 battalions, or 10 

 regiments of 1,000 men each. When drought caused 

 a scarcity of food in some of the central States 

 President Diaz in May issued a decree removing 

 the duty on corn at the port of Vera Cruz. Charles 

 W. Howe, a fugitive from justice whom the Mexi- 

 can Government refused to extradite because he 

 had become a naturalized Mexican citizen, was con- 

 victed under Mexican law for the embezzlement of 

 county funds in Iowa, and was sentenced to twelve 

 years' imprisonment. The improvement in import 

 duties, stamps, and other sources of revenue proving 

 not only sufficient to restore the equilibrium, but to 

 leave a large surplus, Minister Limantour, in Decem- 

 ber, proposed a decrease of certain taxes and the 

 abolition of others, especially the tax on the salaries of 

 Government employees. The constitutional reform of 

 the abolition of the alcabalas, or octroi duties, has 

 been put into force throughout the republic, and 

 the laws issued by the Government to substitute 

 other taxes in the place of these duties have not 

 met with the difficulties that were feared. 



Re-election of Diaz. In the presidential elec- 

 tion of 1896 Porfirio Diaz was the only candidate. 

 His nomination was demanded by the whole native 

 Indian population, of whose blood he is on his 

 mother's side and to which by his education and 

 sympathies he belongs. There was practically no 

 opposition, although there is an anti-Diaz party", the 

 Clerical Conservatives, who resent the confiscation 

 of lands given to the Church by the Spanish kings 

 and the secularist policy pursued under Diaz, as it 

 had been under Juarez and under the empire of 

 Maximilian as well. But this party is too weak in 

 the country to re-establish the dominion of the 

 Church. Gen. Bernard Reyes, the popular and 

 progressive Governor of the State of Nueva Leon, 

 who had announced himself as a candidate, with- 

 drew when he saw that the demand for the renom- 

 ination of Diaz was irresistible, supported by the 

 signatures of 531,000 citizens. When the election 

 took place on July 13 the votes of all the electors 

 were given to Gen Diaz, the first and only Presi- 

 dent who had been able to conserve the peace and 

 good order, the credit, and the progress of Mexico. 

 Having been a political and military leader from 

 his youth, he shared with Juarez, the first Indian 

 President, the glory of redeeming his country from 

 the French, and when Juarez in his old age became 

 the tool of railroad speculators and grasping cor- 

 porations, Diaz- headed the opposition against his 

 early friend and benefactor and against Lesdo, the 

 latter's successor, and in 1876 as chief of the suc- 



cessful revolution assumed the supreme power. He 

 was elected President in a constitutional manner in 

 the following year, but had to retire in 1880 be- 

 cause the Constitution prohibited a second term. 

 As minister he was the actual ruler when Gonzalez 

 was President ; in 1884 he was elected and in 1888, 

 the Constitution having been altered to allow him 

 to succeed himself, he was re-elected and again in 

 1892, and now for the fourth successive term, the 

 fifth in all, in 1896. He was inaugurated amid 

 general rejoicing on Dec. 1. 



Yaqui Disturbances. The half-civilized Yaqui 

 tribe, a branch of the ancient Aztecs that was never 

 conqiiered by the Spaniards, have often risen 

 against the State authorities of Oaxaca and defied 

 the Federal Government on account of some real 

 or fancied grievance. Of late they have been stirred 

 up to fanatical outbreaks by a pretended saint 

 among them, one Teresa Urrea, who fell into a 

 cataleptic trance in consequence of a disappoint- 

 ment in love and when she awoke said that she had 

 seen paradise and was gifted with the power to 

 heal the sick. Thousands of Yaquis came to Ca- 

 bora, where her father's ranch was situated, to be 

 cured by Santa Teresa, and Mexicans made pil- 

 grimages from Sonora and Chihuahua. Finally 

 her followers were instigated to purchase arms 

 and ammunition and attempt a revolution against 

 the Government. A large detachment of Govern- 

 ment troops was sent to quell the impending ris- 

 ing and arrest the girl who was its cause, when 

 they attempted to carry out their orders the people 

 gathered from far and near to defend her. and 

 bloodshed was only averted by the timely arrival 

 of an overwhelming force of soldiers. A large 

 company of her followers afterward banded to- 

 gether to deliver her and her father from prison, 

 whereupon the Mexican authorities conveyed the 

 Yaqui saint, who was called the witch of Sonora by 

 unbelievers, across the United States frontier to 

 Nogales. The armed body of fanatics followed her 

 thither, and shortly afterward she led a column of 

 rebellious Indians whom the Mexican troops nearly 

 annihilated at Tomochic, Chihuahua, killing more 

 than 200. She was again taken prisoner, and was 

 sent once more across the border into the United 

 States, with a strict injunction never to return to 

 Mexico. After living quietly for several months in 

 a small place near El Paso, she set out to visit 

 other towns and exhibit her wonderful powers. 

 Soon she collected a band of several hundred Mexi- 

 cans, with whom she crossed the Rio Grande and 

 proclaimed another revolution against the Mexican 

 Government. The soldiers at the frontier posts at- 

 tempted to disperse the mob of fanatics, and a 

 number of sharp skirmishes occurred, in all of 

 which Santa Teresa was victorious until a large 

 force was dispatched from Chihuahua, which 

 routed the revolutionists. The woman leader fled 

 across the river and lived at El Paso until she 

 again disappeared and placed herself at the head of 

 another army of fanatics who believed her to be a 

 saint appointed from heaven to lead them to vic- 

 tory in a war against the Mexican Government. 

 On Aug. 12 about 60 Yaquis attacked the Sonora 

 part of the town of Nogales, killing the guards and 

 breaking into the customhouse. Citizens of the 

 American town came to the assistance of the Mexi- 

 can authorities, arid finally the Indians were driven 

 out, crossing over into United States territory. A 

 month later they attacked the customhouse at 

 Juarez, opposite El Paso. 



MICHIGAN, a Western State, admitted to the 

 Union Jan. 26, 1837; area, 58,915 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial census 

 since admission, was 212.267 in 1840; 397.654 in 

 1850; 749,113 in 1860; 1,184,059 in 1870; 1,636,937 



