the hispanic nations of the new world-第17节

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ossessed　and　exercised　both。　He　was；　in　fact；　just　the　man　for　the　times。　An　able　administrator；　stern　and　severe　but　just；　rather　reserved　in　manner　and　guarded　in　utterance；　shrewd　in　the　selection　of　associates；　and　singularly　successful　in　his　dealings　with　foreigners；　he　entered　upon　a　〃presidential　reign〃　of　thirty…five　years　broken　by　but　one　intermission　of　fourwhich　brought　Mexico　out　upon　the　highway　to　new　national　life。

Under　the　stable　and　efficient　rulership　of　Diaz；　〃plans；〃　〃pronunciamentos；〃　〃revolutions；〃　and　similar　devices　of　professional　trouble　makers；　had　short　shrift。　Whenever　an　uprising　started；　it　was　promptly　quelled；　either　by　a　well…disciplined　army　or　by　the　rurales；　a　mounted　police　made　up　to　some　extent　of　former　bandits　to　whom　the　President　gave　the　choice　of　police　service　or　of　sharp　punishment　for　their　crimes。　Order；　in　fact；　was　not　always　maintained；　nor　was　justice　always　meted　out；　by　recourse　to　judges　and　courts。　Instead；　a　novel　kind　of　lynch　law　was　invoked。　The　name　it　bore　was　the　ley　fuga；　or　〃flight　law；〃　in　accordance　with　which　malefactors　or　political　suspects　taken　by　government　agents　from　one　locality　to　another；　on　the　excuse　of　securing　readier　justice；　were　given　by　their　captors　a　pretended　chance　to　escape　and　were　then　shot　while　they　ran！　The　only　difference　between　this　method　and　others　of　the　sort　employed　by　Spanish　American　autocrats　to　enforce　obedience　lay　in　its　purpose。　Of　Diaz　one　might　say　what　Bacon　said　of　King　Henry　VII：　〃He　drew　blood　as　physicians　do；　to　save　life　rather　than　to　spill　it。〃　If　need　be；　here　and　there；　disorder　and　revolt　were　stamped　out　by　terrorism；　but　the　Mexican　people　did　not　yield　to　authority　from　terror　but　rather　from　a　thorough　loyalty　to　the　new　regime。

Among　the　numerous　measures　of　material　improvement　which　Diaz　undertook　during　his　first　term；　the　construction　of　railways　was　the　most　important。　The　size　of　the　country；　its　want　of　navigable　rivers；　and　its　relatively　small　and　widely　scattered　population；　made　imperative　the　establishment　of　these　means　of　communication。　Despite　the　misgivings　of　many　intelligent　Mexicans　that　the　presence　of　foreign　capital　would　impair　local　independence　in　some　way；　Diaz　laid　the　foundations　of　future　national　prosperity　by　granting　concessions　to　the　Mexican　Central　and　National　Mexican　companies；　which　soon　began　construction。　Under　his　successor　a　national　bank　was　created；　and　when　Diaz　was　again　elected　he　readjusted　the　existing　foreign　debt　and　boldly　contracted　new　debts　abroad。

At　the　close　of　his　first　term；　in　1880；　a　surplus　in　the　treasury　was　not　so　great　a　novelty　as　the　circumstance　altogether　unique　in　the　political　annals　of　Mexico…that　Diaz　turned　over　the　presidency　in　peaceful　fashion　to　his　properly　elected　successor！　He　did　so　reluctantly；　to　be　sure；　but　he　could　not　afford　just　yet　to　ignore　his　own　avowed　principle；　which　had　been　made　a　part　of　the　constitution　shortly　after　his　accession。　Although　the　confidence　he　reposed　in　that　successor　was　not　entirely　justified；　the　immense　personal　popularity　of　Diaz　saved　the　prestige　of　the　new　chief　magistrate。　Under　his　administration　the　constitution　was　amended　in　such　a　way　as　to　deprive　the　Chief　Justice　of　the　privilege　of　replacing　the　President　in　case　of　a　vacancy；　thus　eliminating　that　official　from　politics。　After　his　resumption　of　office；　Diaz　had　the　fundamental　law　modified　anew；　so　as　to　permit　the　reelection　of　a　President　for　one　term　only！　For　this　change；　inconsistent　though　it　may　seem；　Diaz　was　not　alone　responsible。　Circumstances　had　changed；　and　the　constitution　had　to　change　with　them。

Had　the　〃United　Provinces　of　Central　America；〃　as　they　came　forth　from　under　the　rule　of　Spain；　seen　fit　to　abstain　from　following　in　the　unsteady　footsteps　of　Mexico　up　to　the　time　of　the　accession　of　Diaz　to　power；　had　they　done　nothing　more　than　develop　their　natural　wealth　and　utilize　their　admirable　geographical　situation；　they　might　have　become　prosperous　and　kept　their　corporate　name。　As　it　was；　their　history　for　upwards　of　forty　years　had　little　to　record　other　than　a　momentary　cohesion　and　a　subsequent　lapse　into　five　quarrelsome　little　republicsthe　〃Balkan　States〃　of　America。　Among　them　Costa　Rica　had　suffered　least　from　arbitrary　management　or　internal　commotion　and　showed　the　greatest　signs　of　advancement。

In　Guatemala；　however；　there　had　arisen　another　Diaz；　though　a　man　quite　inferior　in　many　respects　to　his　northern　counterpart。　When　Justo　Rufino　Barrios　became　President　of　that　republic　in　1873　he　was　believed　to　have　conservative　leanings。　Ere　long；　however；　he　astounded　his　compatriots　by　showing　them　that　he　was　a　thoroughgoing　radical　with　methods　of　action　to　correspond　to　his　convictions。　Not　only　did　he　keep　the　Jesuits　out　of　the　country　but　he　abolished　monastic　orders　altogether　and　converted　their　buildings　to　public　use。　He　made　marriage　a　civil　contract　and　he　secularized　the　burying　grounds。　Education　he　encouraged　by　engaging　the　services　of　foreign　instructors；　and　he　brought　about　a　better　observance　of　the　law　by　the　promulgation　of　new　codes。　He　also　introduced　railways　and　telegraph　lines。　Since　the　manufacture　of　aniline　dyes　abroad　had　diminished　the　demand　for　cochineal；　Barrios　decided　to　replace　this　export　by　cultivating　coffee。　To　this　end；　he　distributed　seeds　among　the　planters　and　furnished　financial　aid　besides；　with　a　promise　to　inspect　the　fields　in　due　season　and　see　what　had　been　accomplished。　Finding　that　in　many　cases　the　seeds　had　been　thrown　away　and　the　money　wasted　in　drink　and　gambling；　he　ordered　the　guilty　planters　to　be　given　fifty　lashes；　with　the　assurance　that　on　a　second　offense　he　would　shoot　them　on　sight。　Coffee　planting　in　Guatemala　was　pursued　thereafter　with　much　alacrity！

Posts　in　the　government　service　Barrios　distributed　quite　impartially　among　Conservatives　and　Democrats；　deserving　or　otherwise；　for　he　had　them　both　well　under　control。　At　his　behest　a　permanent　constitution　was　promulgated　in　1880。　While　he　affected　to　dislike　continual　reelection；　he　saw　to　it　nevertheless　that　he　himself　should　be　the　sole　candidate　who　was　likely　to　win。

Barrios　doubtless　could　have　remained　President　of　Guatemala　for　the　term　of　his　natural　life　if　he　had　not　raised　up　the　ghost　of　federation。　All　the　republics　of　Central　America　accepted　his　invitation　in　1876　to　send　delegates　to　his　capital　to　discuss　the　project。　But　nothing　was　accomplished　because　Barrios　and　the　President　of　Salvador　were　soon　at　loggerheads。　Nine　years　later；　feeling　himself　stronger；　Barrios　again　proposed　federation。　But　the　other　republics　had　by　this　time　learned　too　much　of　the　methods　of　the　autocrat　of　Guatemala；　even　while　they　admired　his　progressive　policy；　to　relish　the　thought　of　a　federation　dominated　by　Guatemala　and　its　masterful　President。　Though　he　〃persuaded〃　Honduras　to　accept　the　plan；　the　three　other　republics　preferred　to　unite　in　self…defense；　and　in　the　ensuing　struggle　the　quixotic　Barrios　was　killed。　A　few　years　later　the　project　was　revived　and　the　constitution　of　a　〃Republic　of　Central　America〃　was　agreed　upon；　when　war　between　Guatemala　and　Salvador　again　frustrated　its　execution。

In　Brazil　two　great　movements　were　by　this　time　under　way：　the　total　abolition　of　slavery　and　the　establishment　of　a　republic。　Despite　the　tenacious　opposition　of　many　of　the　planters；　from　about　the　year　1883　the　movement　for　emancipation　made　great　headway。　There　was　a　growing　determination　on　the　part　of　the　majority　of　the　inhabitants　to　remove　the　blot　that　made　the　country　an　object　of　reproach　among　the　civilized　states　of　the　world。　Provinces　and　towns；　one　after　another；　freed　the　slaves　within　their　borders。　The　imperial　Government；　on　its　part；　hastened　the　process　by　liberating　its　own　slaves　and　by　imposing　upon　those　still　in　bondage　taxes　higher　than　their　market　value；　it　fixed　a　price　for　other　slaves；　it　decreed　that　the　older　slaves　should　be　set　free；　and　it　increased　the　funds　already　appropriated　to　compensate　owners　of　slaves　who　should　be　emancipated。　In　1887　the　number　of　slaves　had　fallen　to　about　720；000；　worth　legally　about　650　each。　A　year　later　came　the　final　blow；　when　the　Princess　Regent　assented　to　a　measure　which　abolished　slavery　outright　and　repealed　all　former　acts　relating　to　slavery。　So　radical　a　proceeding　wrought　havoc　in　the　coffee…growing　southern　provinces　in　particular；　from　which　the　negroes　now　freed　migrated　by　tens　of　thousands　to　the　northern　provinces。　Their　places；　however；　were　taken　by　Italians　and　other　Europeans　who　came　to　work　the　plantations　on　a　cooperative　basis。　All　through　the　eighties；　in　fact；　immigrants　from　Italy　poured　into　the　temperate　regions　of　southern　Brazil；　to　the　number　of　nearly　two　hundred　thousand；　supplementing　the　many　thousands　of　Germans　who　had　settled；　chiefly　in　the　province　of　Rio　Grande　do　Sul；　thirty　years　before。

Apart　from　the　industrial　problem　thus　created　by　the　abolition　of　slavery；　there　seemed　to　be　no　serious　political　or　economic　questions　before　the　country。　Ever　since　1881；　when　a　law　providing　for　direct　elections　was　passed；　the　Liberals　had　bee