226 JUDICIAL CORRUPTIONS. 



scribed powers, somewhat analogous to, and 

 certainly not more extensive than those of a 

 board of aldermen with us. But even this 

 shadow of popular representation was 'pro- 

 rogued' by Gov. Armijo soon after his acces- 

 sion to power (five or six years ago), and has 

 never since been convened ; so that its func- 

 tions have been arbitrarily exercised by the 



governor ever since. 



The administration of the laws in Northern 

 Mexico constitutes one of the most painful 

 features of her institutions. Justice, or rather 

 judgments, are a common article of traffic ; 

 and the hapless litigant who has not the means 

 to soften the claws of the alcalde with a ' sil- 

 ver unction,' is almost sure to get severely 

 scratched in the contest, no matter what may 

 be the justice of his cause, or the uprightness 

 of his character. It is easy to perceive, then, 

 that the poor and the humble stand no chance 

 in a judicial contest with the wealthy and con- 

 sequential, whose influence, even apart from 

 their faciUtics for corrupting the court and 

 suborning witnesses, is sufficient to neutral- 

 ize any amount of plebeian testimony that 

 might be brought against them. 



The evil consequences arising frorn mal- 

 administration of justice in New Mexico are 

 most severely felt by foreigners, against Avhom 

 a strong prejudice prevails throughout the 

 South. Of tliese, the citizens of the United 

 States are by far tlic most constant sufferers; 

 an inevitable result of that sinister feeling with 

 which the ' rival rep ubUc ' vie ws the advance 



