MEXICO. 



439 



who trusted them with, not a small portion of their 

 destiny. Chosen under circumstances truly excep- 

 tional, called to preside over the reorganization ol a 

 country in which not only the political institutions 

 had been destroyed, but also its national life cruelly 

 attacked, it became necessary to establish the bases 

 of government and of public administration ; to change, 

 in a country rich ana capable of supporting itself, the 

 inert quietude produced by the fatigue of prolonged 

 and gigantic struggles ; to give new birth to confidence 

 and the spirit which it inspires in the honored ma- 

 jority of the nation; and to give all those labors and 

 useful enterprises the impulse which they derive from 

 security conceded as a right, and from the guarantee 

 made effective to every legitimate interest. This 

 noble and arduous task imposed upon Congress by 

 the era in which it happened to exist, was at once 

 admirably comprehended thereby, which consecrated 

 itself most effectually to the performance of its_duty, 

 with the most entire good faith and the most sincere 

 mind. It has not been the pretension of this assem- 

 bly to endow the nation with huge and wise legis- 

 lative documents, nor to introduce great novelties in 

 the national codes. Accepting the mission much 

 more useful, if less ostentatious of aiding the repub- 

 lic in raising itself from material ruins, the price of 

 its glorious moral triumph, and of repairing the im- 

 mense losses suffered in so many and so obstinate 

 wars, it has preferred to occupy itself in resolving 

 those questions of the moment, which have arisen 

 day after day from the abnormal state in which society 

 found itself, and in dictating regulations for the under- 

 standing, the application, and the development of the 

 eminently wise and beneficent institutions which to- 

 gether form our fundamental law. Although twelve 

 years have already passed since its promulgation, it 

 may be asserted that it has only been possible to 

 make a regular application of this law since the repub- 

 lic triumphed in the foreign war, which was nothing 

 more than the continuation of that which servileness 

 and retrocession had stirred up against our Constitu- 

 tion. In order that those luminous principles which 

 this Constitution contains may be practical truths, 

 great legislative labors have been and are still neces- 

 sary. Although in the native representative system 

 there is wanting efficacious action 2 and although even 

 the possibility exists of the executive power not mov- 

 ing in harmony with the national representation in a 

 country which is being reorganized, and which is 

 passing through the exceptional situation in which 

 ours has found itself for two years past, still there 

 exists that which is better and more consistent 

 namely, a concurrence between the public powers. 

 Under such circumstances the first, or, better said, 

 the only acceptable rule of public conduct is that of 

 maintaining the order of things derived from previous 

 events, proving to the Government that the people 

 will be conformable j aiding it in its march over ter- 

 rible obstacles, and in expediting its action, provided 

 it has for its ultimate object and final tendency the 

 establishment of peace and of public security. Such 

 has been the guide adopted by Congress, established 

 as the first rule of its decisions, and applied with ad- 

 mirable good feeling and with rigid consequences. 

 By chance it may not be known to-day what an im- 

 mense good such prudent and well-inspired conduct 

 has brought to the country ; but when the impartial 

 gaze of the historian shall examine how diligently the 

 Congress which terminates to-day performed its func- 

 tions, he will undoubtedly do justice to your prudence 

 and patriotism ; neither will there be denied the ear- 

 nest desire manifested to organize and bring upon 

 practical ground those constitutional principles where- 

 of the various organic laws passed in this Congres- 

 sional hall give testimony, as well as those chosen 

 from among those laws found in force. Although 

 through the electoral right and that of the free ex- 

 pression of thought, the press have received rules 

 sufficiently proper to enable them to be accepted and 

 put in force, there was still wanting the fixing of those 



important principles by which the States should har- 

 monize in determining their duties. There did not 

 exist in the Federal compact the just and proper pro- 

 hibition with regard to the establishment of local and 

 differential duties, although a multitude of contribu- 

 tions as materially grievous as they are repugnant to 

 our political system have not been extinguished. 

 The grand and beneficent innovation of the judicial 

 "amparo" against the violation of guarantees was 

 sterile, and without a law which should regulate it ; 

 the trial by juries, so ardently desired, could not be 

 enforced in a most important part of the republic ; 

 there were wanting bases for the regulation of public 

 instruction ; some lesser reforms in the system of mil- 

 itary juries were rejected ; many people have clamored 

 in vain for the erection of new States ; finally, the in- 

 dispensable custom of a sovereign people of dictating 

 to its administrators how they should dispose of the 

 fund derived from their sweat and blood, and how 

 much of it and in what manner it should be applied 

 to the public necessities, was ignored. 



Congress has endeavored to provide for all these 

 exigencies, the importance of which is notorious, and 

 if experience shall demonstrate that it has not suc- 

 ceeded fully, it will be well entitled to the glory of 

 having intended to have done so. That which has 

 been accomplished with care by the way of planning 

 and promoting public improvements, is not to be 

 despised. The privileges and subventions for turn- 

 pikes, railroads,and telegraphs, have only been limited 

 by the resources which it nas been possible to dedi- 

 cate to these works, and the day when the VeraCruz, 

 Tehuautepec and Paso del Norte railroads shall give 

 prosperity and life to our country, there will be ac- 

 knowledged how much is due in this respect to the 

 assembly which to-day closes its sessions. The state 

 in which our foreign relations exist, on account of the 

 war of intervention, has been the reason why Con- 

 gress has had very little to do in that respect ; but 

 scarcely on any subject has the opinion of its mem- 

 bers been so uniform and so well known. It has 

 associated itself decidedly and without reserve to the 

 opinion of the Executive, whose attitude, full of 

 decorum and dignity, has only met with sympathy 

 and decided aid in the House. To welcome with 

 friendship and kindness every honest foreigner ; to 

 give him protection and guarantees in exchange for 

 obedience to the national law ; to maintain commer- 

 cial, scientific, and literary relations with all the na- 

 tions of the globe, are international obligations which 

 Mexico fulfils with pleasure, and to which she will 

 never be wanting. But to renew relations with the 

 governments of those countries which brought her 

 ruin and desolation, and endeavored to deprive her 

 of her independence, does not suit her interests, nor 

 does it become her to take the initiative step. She 

 has never derived any benefit from her treaties with 

 European nations, and it is natural that her desires 

 no more relations than those required by the strictest 

 and most rigorous justice when the actual state of 

 war has been changed into that which exists between 

 nations which have ceased to be enemies. 



Kelative to this important point, as well as the 

 other culminating points in our foreign policy, Con- 

 gress has seen with delight that the Executive has 

 marched forward, inspired by an elevated sense of 

 his obligations, and guided by a sincere desire to 

 procure the happiness of the republic. For this 

 reason he has met with a constant and efficacious aid 

 from the national representatives. 



The members, that have composed Congress, will 

 be soon changea, but their spirit, which is that of all 

 elevated and patriotic Mexicans, will continue the 

 same, and, free from many obstacles, can express it- 

 self in a manner most suitable to the happiness and 

 prosperity of our country. 



The subject of the claims made and to be 

 made by citizens of the United States against 

 the Mexican Government began to alarm the 



