The situation of Mexico: speech

ITV nr LIBRARY •*-»

™ °f CALIFORWA. SAN DIEGO /

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THE SITUATION OF MEXICO:

SPEECH

DEtlVKRED BY

SENOK EOMEEO,

ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY AND MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY

OP THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO TO THE UNITED

STATES, AT A DINNER IN THE CITY OF

NEW YORK, ON THE IGin OF

DECEMBER, 18G3.

NEW YORK:
WM. C. BRYANT & Co., PRINTERS, 41 NASSAU ST., COR. LIBERTY.

1864,

LIBRARY

UNI R. ifv OF
C. .' I ^;JNIA

SAN DIEGO

1

F
/JL33.

XX

SPEECH OF SENOR ROMERO.

GENTLEMEN :

The internal condition of Mexico is scarcely under-
stood or appreciated in this country or in Europe.

The general impression seems to be, that we are an un-
civilized, heterogeneous people, constantly divided by
petty personal feuds and ambitions ; always engaged in
making pronunciamientos ; entirely wanting in patriotism
and high-toned sentiments ; altogether unfitted for self-
government; utterly incapable of developing our great
natural resources ; and therefore unworthy of the sym-
pathy or respect of mankind.

Never was an opinion more unjust; never a judgment
more unfounded.

It is well known that when Mexico was a colony of
Spain, it was the policy of the Spanish Government to
rule the country by means of the Catholic clergy.

With this object in view, the clergy were clothed with
every kind of personal privilege, and were allowed to
monopolize a very large portion of the real estate and

other property of the country. They were also the only
educated class, and all instruction of the masses was left
entirely in their hands. By these means they main-
tained a profound influence over the consciences of the
ignorant people, and they constituted an aristocracy
more powerful and more firmly rooted than any other in
the world.

When, in 1810, the early Mexican patriots proclaimed
the independence of their country from the Spanish
yoke, the clergy were alarmed by a movement that had
not been made by themselves, and which, if it should
terminate in the overthrow of the Spanish Government
and the establishment of a National government, might
place in peril their numerous privileges, their immense
riches, and their controlling influence. They therefore
determined to oppose the movement.

It is unnecessary to say that so long as the Mexican
clergy threw the immense weight of their influence on
the side of the Spanish Government, the Spaniards were
everywhere triumphant.

But while the struggle was going on in Mexico, a great
change took place in Spain. The Spanish Cortes, ani-
mated by liberal ideas, had issued various decrees,
seriously diminishing the personal privileges of the
clergy, and had passed laws providing for the desamor-
tization of their immense property for the benefit of
the nation at large. The Mexican clergy then began
to change their ground.. They saw at once how much
they would have to lose if the laws passed by the Span-
ish Cortes should be carried into effect in Mexico ; and

believing at the same time that they could organize a
government which would be fully under their own con-
trol, they determined to adopt the cause of independ-
ence, and with their aid the independence of Mexico was
then achieved.

Since that time a fearful struggle has been going on
between the clergy on the one side, who have sought to
control the National Government, and, on the other, the
few enlightened patriotic men who, seeing that there was
no hope that Mexico could become what nature designed
her to be unless liberal principles should be adopted,
and an entire separation be effected from Church influence
and control — began to labor for the establishment of a
liberal, popular government, which should keep down
the ambition and usurpations of the clergy, ahvays di-
rected to the promotion of their own interests, without
any regard for the welfare of the country.

The result of such a struggle in its earlier efforts could
not be doubtful, taking into consideration the power,
the influence and the resources of each party respect-
ively.

Whenever the Liberal party succeeded in establishing,
through the ballot-box, a legal government — a govern-
ment which would not favor the interests of the clergy
when these were opposed to the interests of the country —
a government in favor of promoting foreign immigration,
of opening roads, constructing railroads, authorizing the
free and public exercise of all religions, the freedom of
the press, of reducing import duties, favoring all
branches of commerce — in a word, of developing all the

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natural wealth and vast resources of Mexico — the clergy
immediately instigated a pronunciamiento against that
government, and brought to bear every influence to se-
cure its overthrow.

Such a state of affairs, however, could not last forever.
While the struggle was going on, the people began to
grow enlightened. Everybody saw that the money of
the clergy was constantly used to foment revolutions, to
subvert the public peace, and to shed the blood of the
innocent people for the iniquitous purpose of maintain-
ing interests and preserving privileges entirely incompat-
ible with the well-being of the country.

Thus, the Liberal party, which, at the beginning, was
small in numbers and weak in power, became stronger
every day, until, finally, in the year 1860, it had become
strong enough to crush entirely the Church party, and to
re-establish, it was hoped forever, constitutional law and
constitutional government throughout the whole extent
of Mexican territory. This was done without foreign
aid, and even against the sympathies and encouragement
of European powers, who had ever lent all possible aid
to the Church party. At the same time all the special
privileges of the clergy were repealed, and the Church
property was declared to be National, and was sold to
the people at a low nominal price.

This latter measure had a double object. While the

• Mexican Government proposed to disarm the clergy, by

-taking from them the principal weapon they had used in

their efforts to excite pronunciamientos and disturb the

public peace, it desired to render useful to the. country

the immense wealth which had been accumulated by the
Church, and which, being withdrawn from free circula-
tion, and monopolized by a class indisposed or incapable
of making it productive, had only been a source of evil,
and a perpetual barrier to the prosperity of the nation.
Thus, when it was generally believed abroad that we
were at war without a plausible motive, only to promote
petty personal ambitions, we were really working out
one of the most thorough of revolutions, and one of the
most necessary for the true prosperity of the people of
Mexico.

It should be well understood that we have never
raised any issue with the Church party of Mexico on
spiritual questions. Our disagreement has been wholly
with reference to temporal affairs, and has not, in any
manner, involved the dogmas of the Catholic faith.

The Church party has wished, as an association, to rule
the country for their own advantage. We have sought
to establish a perfect independence between Church and
State, to confine the Church to spiritual affairs, and to
make it subordinate to the State in temporal matters.

Thus, when we had reason to believe that our long
civil wars had ended — for we had removed, even to the
roots, the sole cause of all our past misfortunes — and
that we were now about to enjoy the blessings of peace
—the only thing needed by Mexico to become a pros-
perous nation — new misfortunes of a different kind have
suddenly fallen upon us.

The Church party of Mexico, seeing that with their
own means it was impossible to moke any further resist-

ance, or to foment any further revolutions, and having in
view, as they always have had, only their own advantage,
regardless of the welfare of the country — resolved to send
emissaries to Europe, for the purpose of interesting in
their favor some of the principal European Governments,
in order to be by them restored to power in Mexico.

These emissaries represented that the Church parly
were in favor of a Conservative Government — & Mon-
archical Government— modelled after the European sys-
tem; while the Liberal party were in favor of democratic
institutions, and sympathized fully with the views and
principles of the United States.

On this point the emissaries were right. The Liberals
of Mexico do believe that if they can succeed in de-
veloping there, the great principles which have made the
United States so great and prosperous, Mexico will reach
the same end by using the same means.

These emissaries, however, exaggerated the influence
of the Church party in Mexico. They said the Liberal
Government of that country was tyrannical, oppressive,
and unpopular, and governed only by force; and they
even affirmed that the mere moral influence of Europe
would be sufficient to overthrow it, and to restore the
Church party to power.

They further promised, that after overthrowing the
Liberal Government, the Church party would establish a
Government which should be entirely under the influence
of the European nations which should aid them in their
purpose.

These false representations of the emissaries led to the

allied expedition of France, England, and Spain, which,
assuming pretexts utterly insufficient and unjust, disem-
barked at Vera Cruz, in December, 1861.

When the English and Spanish Generals and Commis-
sioners, after having resided some time in Mexico, saw
that the state of things in that country was entirely dif-
ferent from what the Church party emissaries had repre-
sented to their respective Governments, they decided
without hesitation to withdraw, with their forces, from
the country ; and so clear to them was the deception
practiced upon their Governments, that they took the
delicate step of withdrawing from the alliance of their
own accord, without consulting with their superiors, and
without waiting for instructions from their Governments,
although acting in an affair so full of difficulties and of
ulterior complication?.

We have thus reached the actual situation in Mexico ;
and under this head it will be necessary to say a few
words more.

The French army did not retire from Mexico, with
the armies of England and of Spain, for the French
Government had other objects in view, and it was
fully determined to accomplish them. The Emperor of
the French believed at that time, and perhaps he still
believes, that the United States were permanently di-
vide 1, and that circumstances might take such a shape
as to afford him the opportunity of acquiring Texas, of
recovering Louisiana, and of possessing the mouth of the
Mississippi.

To accomplish this end, it was necessary to obtain a
2

10

foothold on this continent, at a point as near the United
States as possible, and particularly to Louisiana and
Texas — a point of departure where he could collect se-
curely and conveniently a large army and a large naval
force, and form a base of supplies.

The Emperor of the French, therefore, directed him-
self, not so much against Mexico as against the United
States. How far he has succeeded in his plans is now a
matter which belongs to history. It is sufficient to say,
that by means of his Mexican expedition he has been
able to collect, on the American continent, almost on the
Southern frontier of the United States, a large French
army, and has sent to the Gulf of Mexico a very consid-
erable French squadron, much larger than could have
been necessary for any purpose connected with Mexico —
a country that has no navy ; and all this has been accom-
plished— strange to say — without any remonstrance,
without any protest, and even without any demonstra-
tion of interest or concern, on the part of the United
States.

What the end of these complications will be, it is very
difficult to foretell. So far as relates to the occupation
of Mexico, it is perfectly certain that the Emperor of
the French will soon be undeceived, and will learn that
he has undertaken more than he can accomplish, and that
when he sees the complete failure of the farce which his
agents are now playing in the city of Mexico, he will
find himself compelled to retire from a country which he
has so unjustly invaded. With regard to ourselves,
therefore, there can be only one result, which will be

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Terified sooner or later. It will inevitably be the
triumph of the holy cause of Mexican independence.

The French will soon fail of even the aid of the Church
party. That party hoped, and to a certain extent, with
reason, that when the French army should occupy the
City of Mexico, the Imperial Government would annul
the laws of reform issued by the Liberal Government of
that Republic, and, the first thing, would restore to the
clergy the property that had been taken from them, and
nationalized and sold.

But it happened that among the persons who had pur-
chased the ecclesiastical property, there were a consid-
erable number of French subjects, who would be injured
~by the restitution of that property, if it should take
place ; and this consideration has led the French Govern-
ment, not only not to abrogate the reform laws, but to
prevent its satellites, who have assumed the name of
regency in Mexico, from themselves attempting to abro-
gate them. If, then, the French Government should per-
sist in the policy which they have commenced to follow,
it will not be long before the Church party will begin to
make as decided opposition to the intervention, as they
did a year ago to the Constitutional Government.

In conclusion, there is one remark that cannot be
withheld. It is regarding the striking similarity which
•exists between the Church party of Mexico and the
Slavery party in the United States.

The Church was there a power stronger than the
State ; so was slavery in this country. The Church has
there been the only cause of our civil wars ; so now

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is slavery here. The Church party in Mexico, after]
being conquered by the people, solicited foreign inter-
vention, in order to be re-established in power ; so
slavery in this country, as I understand, has sought
foreign aid even before being conquered by the Govern-
ment of the United States.

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