546 



MEXICO. 



lowlands, and captured the capital of the State 

 with little trouble. Here their number was 

 increased by the addition of three hundred Fed- 

 eral troops and six hundred National Guards, 

 who, after being defeated, joined them. The 

 Governor and a few of his officers made their 

 escape, but only succeeded in taking with them 

 a very small force. The Federal Government 

 immediately ordered General Ignacio Alatorre, 

 one of the ablest of Mexican officers, to Oajaca ; 

 martial law was declared, and the constitu- 

 tional Governor appointed a civil and military 

 commander. 



By the middle of March the States of Sonora, 

 Jalisco, Aguas Oalientes, Zacatecas, Durango, 

 Guanajuato, Michoacan, Mexico, Puebla, Tlax- 

 cala, Oajaca, and the Church revolutionists of 

 Michoacan, had signified assent to the plan ; 

 and martial law had been proclaimed in Oajaca, 

 Jalisco, Michoacan, and Tlaxcala. 



The principal alleged causes of dissatisfac- 

 tion with the Lerdo Administration were : 



Official interference with the Federal, State, and 

 municipal elections. 



The reelection of Lerdo, as resulting from the in- 

 terference alluded to. 



Repeated extraordinary contributions and loans 

 upon real and personal property. 



To remedy which alleged grievances, the 

 plan of Tuxtepec proposed the following re- 

 forms : 



1. Free suffrage, and absolute non-interference in 

 the elections, on the part of the Government or of 

 any of its subordinate officers. 



2. No reelection of any public functionary under 

 any circumstances. 



3. No extraordinary contributions or loans to the 

 Government. 



It should here he observed that, the amount 

 appropriated for war expenses in 1876 ($11,- 

 000,000) having proved too small, the President 

 called a meeting of the principal capitalists of 

 the capital and requested a loan of $500,000 ; 

 this being refused, Sefior Lerdo determined to 

 levy a special tax of one per cent, on all capi- 

 tal exceeding $25,000, and on all property 

 valued at more than $25,000, and one-half per 

 cent, on property and capital less than $25,000 

 and more than $5,000. The decree was issued 

 on the 6th of March, and included the whole 

 republic. Here was a new departure and a 

 bold one. Heretofore revenues had been raised 

 by taxes on capital, rents, incomes, imports, 

 and exports, hut real estate had always been 

 exempt. No Government had hitherto dared 

 to tax the haciendas and lands of the large 

 proprietors. 



The method prescribed by the Mexican Con- 

 stitution for electing the President of the Ee- 

 public is, in general, similar to that followed 

 in the United States, save that at the time of 

 counting the vote a committee of five mem- 

 bers is appointed from the national Congress 

 to scrutinize the returns. 



The presidential elections took place then, 

 as usual, in July, and the Congressional Com- 



mittee, having completed its labors, made its 

 report to Congress to the effect that Lerdo had 

 received 7,536 of the 8,288 votes cast in the 

 republic, and was in consequence elected as 

 constitutional President for the period to end 

 on November 30, 1880. 



Meantime, General Diaz, who had taken the 

 field early in the year, and gained several ad- 

 vantages over the Federal troops up to the 

 time of the proclamation of Lerdo's reelec- 

 tion, pushed on thenceforward detertninately 

 toward the capital, and achieved a decisive 

 victory over the Government troops command- 

 ed by Antillon, near Huamantla. Soon after- 

 ward, on November 26th, Lerdo, accompanied 

 by his cabinet and an escort of cavalry, evacu- 

 ated the capital, and, after a short stay in Guer- 

 rero, gained the seaport of Sihuatanejo, and 

 proceeded thence in a coasting-vessel to Aca- 

 pulco, to meet the Panama steamer soon to call 

 there on its way southward from San Francisco. 



Before President Lerdo evacuated the city 

 of Mexico, however, Sefior Iglesias, up to that 

 time Chief- Justice of the Supreme Court, pro- 

 nounced, issuing at Salamanca, State of Guana- 

 juato, a manifiesto, under date of October 28, 

 1876, to the effect that, in truth, there had 

 been no legal election for President in the re- 

 public, and consequently that, in accordance 

 with the provisions of the Constitution, he, 

 being ex-officio Vice-President, should be in- 

 stalled in place of Lerdo, whose period of of- 

 fice had expired, and who, not having been 

 constitutionally reflected, should retire. 



On the same day as his manifiesto, Iglesias 

 put forth a plan, the more prominent points 

 of reform proposed in which are as follows : 



Non-reflection of the President for the period im- 

 mediately following that of his incumbency in of- 

 fice. 



Complete liberty in the next elections, with the 

 express understanding that neither Iglesias nor any 

 of his cabinet officers would be candidates. 



Equalization of the revenues, estimates, and out- 

 lays of public funds, throughout the country. 



Eeorganization of the National Guard, and also of 

 the regular army. 



A profound respect for individual guarantees, and 

 the acknowledged rights of man. 



Special inviolability of the liberty of the press, and 

 the suppression of subsidized newspapers. 



Enforcement of the laws of personal protection 

 under the Constitution. 



Obedience to the decrees of judicial tribunals: 

 and also the complete independence of the judicial 

 power. 



Development of the Department of Public In- 

 struction, especially the section of elementary edu- 

 cation, on the principles of free schools and obliga- 

 tory attendance. 



The development of interior improvements, espe- 

 cially building new lines of railroads. 



Faithful observance of treaties existing with for- 

 eign nations. 



For a time after Iglesias had issued his mani- 

 festo and declared hostilities against the Gov- 

 ernment, Diaz feigned submission to the self- 

 styled dejure President ; but, after the down- 

 fall and flight of Lerdo, he turned his arms 

 against the originator of the plan of Salaman- 



