524 



MEXICO. 



north during the year, and they practically 

 ended the war in northeastern Mexico. Thence- 

 forth the struggle for popular government was 

 to be conducted by the President in the thinly- 

 populated State of Chihuahua, under circum- 

 stances which would have disheartened or 

 thoroughly prostrated most men in his posi- 

 tion. But Juarez seemed to gather strength 

 by reverses, and regarding himself as the repre- 

 sentative of the republic and the repository of 

 a sacred trust, he heroically kept the field with 

 barely 2,000 men against formidable odds, not 

 knowing what fortunate event might not hap- 

 pen to brighten his prospects. One by one his 

 chief generals and advisers had been taken from 

 him by death, by capture, or by submission to 

 the imperial army, until scarcely a man of note, 

 except ISTegrete, remained near him. In August 

 one of the most trusted of the republican lead- 

 ers, Doblado, left the country, whether from 

 despair of the cause or on a public mission is 

 not known ; but, unlike Uraga and others, 

 without suspicion of treachery. In the middle 

 States matters looked no more favorably for 

 the republicans, who saw their scattered forces 

 frequently worsted in petty engagements. Ar- 

 teaga, Ortega, and other leaders, maintained an 

 unequal struggle with the imperialists, which 

 could terminate in but one way. Only in the 

 oouth did the republicans preserve any show 

 of efficient organized opposition. 



About the middle of August the emperor 

 started on a tour of i bservation, intending to 

 go as far as Zacatecas, about three hundred 

 aiiles north of the capital. Previous to his de- 

 parture, by the following decree, dated August 

 7th, he removed the censorship which had been 

 imposed upon the press : 



Until the committee charged with organizing the 

 administration of justice shall have presented me 

 with the result of their work, I have considered it 

 convenient to amplify the action of the press. Con- 

 sequently from the 8th day of this month, and until 

 further orders, the previous censorship is suppressed. 

 Every individual can freely utter his opinions of offi- 

 cial acts, to point out their defects, without provok- 

 ing to disobedience and with a due respect for au- 

 thority. Offensive allusions, recriminations which 

 tend to keep up discord and foment party spirit, 

 will be repressed, conformably with the last regula- 

 tions upon this matter, &c. 



As a concession to the liberals this was a 

 prudent measure, and it was followed by other 

 acts of clemency during the imperial progress, 

 which undoubtedly made converts to interven- 

 tion. A more important result of his journey 

 was the determination to treat as outlaws the 

 armed adherents to the republican Govern- 

 ment. This policy was first unfolded in the 

 following letter to his Minister of State, Velas- 

 quez de Leon, dated a few days after his return 

 to the capital : 



Mr DBAE MINISTER : Since my return from my 

 arduous voyage to the departments of the interior, 

 during which I have received in each city, town, and 

 village, the most sincere proofs of sympathy and of 

 the most cordial enthusiasm, I have been able to 

 deduce two irrefutable truths : The first, that the 



empire is an act firmly based upon the free will oi 

 the immense majority of the nation, and in it is em- 

 braced the form of a Government of true progress : 

 and that it is the best to correspond to the needs of 

 the people. The second is, that this immense ma- 

 jority is desirous of peace, of tranquillity acd of jus- 

 tice benefits which it expects and anxiously asks 

 of my Government, and which I, having present my 

 sacred duty before God, and the people which haa 

 elected me, am resolved to give it. Justice will find 

 its base in institutions adequate to the times, and 

 will be sustained with incessant zeal. For the es- 

 tablishment of peace and tranquillity in all this beau- 

 tiful and extensive country, and for the prompt de- 

 velopment of its prodigious wealth, my Govern- 

 ment is determined to employ all its means and 

 energy. 



If up to the present time leniency has been shown 

 to its political adversaries to give them time and op- 

 portunity to recognize the national will and conform 

 themselves to it, in future it will be an imperative 

 obligation to combat them, for their flag now carries 

 no political creed but a mere pretext for robbery and 

 murder. My duty as a sovereign obliges me to pro- 

 tect the people with an iron arm and to correspond 

 to the wishes expressed on all sides. We declare, 

 as chief of the nation, and with the full knowledge 

 of our sacred mission and of the duty which we have 

 imposed on ourself, that all the armed bands which 

 are yet overrunning some parts of our beautiful 

 country, pillaging it, alarming and menacing the in- 

 dustrious citizen in his labor and liberty, shall be 

 considered as gangs of outlaws, and will fall in con- 

 sequence under the inflexible and inexorable severity 

 of the law. Therefore we commend all functionaries, 

 magistrates, and military authorities of the nation to 

 pursue and annihilate them by all means in their 

 power. If our Government does respect all political 

 opinions it cannot tolerate criminals, who destroy 

 the first liberties it is called upon to guarantee, those 

 of person and property. 



Given at the Palace, Mexico, 3d of November, 

 1864. MAXIMILIAN. 



About this time some changes were made in 

 the ministry, which thereafter comprised the 

 following persons : Minister of State, Don Jose 

 Maria Lacunza; Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

 Jose F. Ramirez ; Minister of "War, Juan de D. 

 Peza ; Minister of Public "Works, Luis Robles ; 

 Minister of Justice, Pedro Escuden T. Echanove ; 

 Minister of Government, Jose Maria Cortes Z. 

 Esparza ; sub-Secretary of the Treasury, Martin 

 de Castillo. 



By a decree dated December 4th, a consulting 

 body called the Council of State was created, 

 to consist of the following persons : Don Jose 

 Maria Lacunza, Minister of State, President; 

 Don Hilario -Elgueso, Don Urbano Fonseca, 

 Don ledosio Lares, Don Jesus Lopez Postillo, 

 Don Jose Lopez IJraga (the general who de- 

 serted the republican cause), Don Vincente 

 Ortigosa, Sr. Obispo Francisco Ramirez, and 

 Don Manuel Siliceo, Councillors. All of these, 

 with the exception of Ramirez, it is said, were 

 old liberals. The following extract from the 

 decree creating the Council will show what 

 duties they were required to perform : 



ART. II. The duties of the Council will be : 1. To 

 draft projects for regulations, decrees, or laws, which 

 we directly, or by some one of the ministers, would 

 have to take charge of, and to present the several 

 projects to us. 



2. To form a Court of Appeals. 



3. To form of itself a supreme court, to judge re- 



