OUR NEIGHBOR, MEXICO 



483 



and all the territory north of the Rio 

 Grande ceded to the United States by 

 the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and by 

 the Gadsden purchase. 



Iturbide held the throne for less than 

 a year, abdicated, fled the country, to 

 return and be executed as a traitor, and 

 there followed a series of revolutions, 

 each aimed to elevate to power some one 

 who was soon assailed by equally am- 

 bitious competitors, for most Mexican 

 revolutions have resulted rather from 

 personal ambition than devotion to a 

 principle. 



A SUCCESSION OF REVOLUTIONS 



More than half of the first century of 

 Mexican independence was abortive, one 

 coterie after another coming into tempo- 

 rary power, and a number of those ac- 

 claimed as rulers, after brief regimes, 

 met ignominious death at the hands of 

 the people they sought to govern. 



Revolution succeeding revolution, some 

 of national importance, others local 

 emeutes, developed unsafe conditions for 

 person and property and encouraged 

 brigandage throughout much of the na- 

 tion. 



The effort to establish a monarchy 

 under a European protectorate, while the 

 United States was engaged in civil war, 

 failed after three years, during which 

 Maximilian scintillated in the glory of 

 Emperor of Mexico; but this injection 

 of outside influence into home quarrels 

 undoubtedly hastened the time when 

 Mexico took her place among the nations 

 of the world. Having been accustomed 

 to centralized power, a strong govern- 

 ment seemed essential, by reason of for- 

 mer conditions and by the large propor- 

 tion of the people considered as incapable 

 of performing their functions as citizens. 



A nation which had combated foreign 

 foes and passed through many internal 

 conflicts naturally relied to a great extent 

 upon the military arm, and most of those 

 who have directed or now control the 

 affairs of Mexico have held army com- 

 missions. The standing army enroll- 

 ment is about one to every 500 inhabi- 

 tants. 



FORM OF GOVERNMENT 



The form of government adopted by 

 Mexico follows in general that of the 

 United States, having executive, judicial, 

 and legislative divisions, and each of the 

 27 States is represented in two houses 

 of Congress, composed of Senators and 

 Deputies. Congress holds two sessions 

 each year for limited periods, but main- 

 tains an organization to act in emergency 

 as advisory to the Executive and to plan 

 the work of Congress between sessions. 



Each State has its governor and legis- 

 lature, and is subdivided into districts 

 (or counties ), over each of which a "jefe 

 politico" is placed, the districts having 

 subsidiary municipalities with magis- 

 trates, presiding officials, and councils. 



The autocratic feature of the Mexican 

 government which is so much protested 

 may be largely due to the fact that gov- 

 ernors of the various States hold office 

 with the approval of the President ; that 

 jefe politicos of districts have similar 

 relations to the governors of the States, 

 and that the officers of the municipalities 

 are generally controlled by the jefe po- 

 liticos. 



Successive re-elections of President 

 Diaz have limited the number of changes 

 in officials, some of whom have abused 

 their powers to an extent which has 

 caused emphatic expressions of dissatis- 

 faction. 



This condition existing in a republic 

 may appear startling, yet it is not very 

 different from the control exercised over 

 portions of our own country, the varia- 

 tion being that in the United States many 

 dominate by self-appointment or by the 

 indifference of citizens, while in Mexico 

 such have practically official endorsement 

 and recognition and consequent responsi- 

 bility. 



The Mexican constitution prohibits 

 slavery, acknowledges the citizenship of 

 all native Mexicans and those born of 

 Mexican parentage, and of naturalized 

 foreigners who bear no allegiance to 

 other nations. In practice the right of 

 suffrage is limited and may be expected 

 to remain so while a considerable por- 



