MEXICO AND MAXIMILIAN.

West Coast Times, Issue 609, 6 September 1867, Page 4

MEXICO AND MAXIMILIAN.

(moil THE NEWYOBK HEEAIiD, JULY 11.)

We have at length an official confirmation of the death of Maximilian, who was undoubtedly shot on the 19 th June. With Maximilian were shot Miramon and Mejia, the former a soldier of fortune, -who within the past year, offered his services to the republic and had them refused, and a leader whose desperate acts of wholesale plunder and throat cutting did much to give argument to Europe for intervention in Mexican affairs. Thomas Mejia was a Queretaro Indian, firm and consistent in his support of the retrogade element of his country, A bold and desperate enemy of liberal ideas, he might have thrown himself into the Queretaro stierra, as he has before done, and waged a long and exhaustive warfare against the republic, after the style of the Indian Lozada in Western Jalisco. The Mexicans, in ridding themselves of Miramon and Mejia, have thus disposed of two of the worst revolutionary firebands in their country. There is now, salien, amongt the few remaining, the " tiger " Marquez ; and probably General Diaz, who captured the city of Mexico on the 20th of last month, -will dispose of him in accordance with his former crimes and present treason to his country.

In calmly considering the fate of Maximilian we desire to do justice to all sides of the question. Personally, the Austrian Archduke had many and noble qualities to recommend him. He was a high-toned .and educated gentleman, with all those accomplishments due to a schooling in the most aristocratic court of Europe. We are speaking of him as a man, and as we would speak of any man of any nationality ; and in thus treating of him we shall do more honor to European royalty than by considering any merits of family, which have but light weight in our young republic. With all the brain polish that he may have possessed, he still saw the Mexican question through monarchical eyes, and failing, in common with other European leaders, to take into consideration the progress of republican ideas' upon this continent, even in the poorest nationality to be found here, he made the great mistake of picking up a doomed and virtually lostcauseinMexico, and endeavored to reinstate, in the face of the progress of the nineteenth century, the obsolete ideas of the sixteenth, which, more than to any other civilised Power, cling to the House of Austria. Had Maximilian, when he landed in Mexico, thrown himself entirely into the hands of the liberal party, and at the head of 40,000 French troops proclaimed himself President, not Emperor—for that title will kill any man in Spanish America —he might have orystallized about him all the progressive elements of the country. As it was, by the most outrageous election, forced by Marshal Bazaine, at which nine-tenths of the votes were obtained at the point of the bayonet, he virtually took up the cause of ancient against modern ideas, and naturally failed. That the attack against the republicanism of Mexico was also an onslaught against the progressive ideas of all the republics of the continent is universally conceded ; and in showing our opposition to it as a nation we were not so much lending our moral support to Mexico as we were defending ourselves against the march of royalty which boldly threatened us from the south-

The great and most telling point •gainst Maximilian, in his military trial, was his famous decree of October 3, 1865. This decree held within itself such atrocities that even the acts of Haynau, in Hungary, by order of Maximilian's brother, "Francis Joseph, are merciful, in comparison to what resulted in Mexico from its promulgation. We reproduce it for consideration, together with the protest of our Government to France and the insulting reply we received from the French Minister. In the preliminary proclamation of Maximilian to the Mexicans he stated that President Juarez had fled the soil of Mexico. This was a gross misstatement, for during the intervention Juarez had not left Mexican soil, not even to accept an invitation to dinner, extended to him by the United States officers while he was at El Terra del Norte In the second paragraph he stated that " the honorable men had assembled under his banner," the empire. We ask what is the history of the " honorable" leaders, such as Marquez, Miramon, and the one who betrayed the Archduke at Queretaro? " Clemency will cease now," said the mob, who burn villages, rob and murder peaceful citizens," &c. Yet, after this, sixteen populous villages were laid in ruins by the imperialists in Coahuila, and their inhabitants driven to the mountains. In Article 1 of the famous decree Maximilian declared death to any Mexican who dared to proclaim anj political principles or defend his country in any organisation, even if it numbered one hundred thousand men — death within twenty-four hours following the sentence. Article two gives even a corporal right to try and shoot any Mexican general for offences under * the decree. Article thirteen prevented any demand for pardon. Throughout the document there is a barbarity evinced that is strangely incompatible with the civilisation of the age, aud its effective operation could not fail to exasperate the Mexican people to do any deed of retaliation.

. Under this decree, only ten days subsequent, there were executed in Michoacan two liberal generals, four colonels, five lieutenant-colonels, eight commandants, and many subordinate officers. It drew out a protest on the part of Mr Seward, through Mr Bigelow, to the French government. The answer, as will be seen elsewhere, was an insult, which our Secretary of State generously swallowed. Said Drouyn de Lhuys, in answer, "We are are not responsible for Maximilian or his government." . . . " You have the same remedies bere that we had." It was this decree and the innumerable barbarities com-

niitted under it, that drove the Mexican people to desperation. Another argument held against Maximilian by the Mexican government has been that when the French left Mexico he had no reason to spill the blood of the Mexicans in upholding a hopeless cause — after the departure of Bazaine.

The whole blame of the sliooting of the Archduke lies less with the Mexican republic than with our own tame policy with reference to that country. Our honor has been sadly tarnished by the incapacity of our State' Department and the failure to grasp the Mexican problem* and so solve it at the close of our rebellion. When General Grant gathered twenty-five thousand men on the Rio Grande to march into Mexico, and finish with the Mexican half of our war, the expedition should not have been crushed by the evil hand of Mr Seward, but rather urged on in the bold, soldier-like spirit, that animates our people. Again, had we placed a United States Minister by the side of the liberal government it would have been a practical avowal of our principles, and in all their acts our influence would have been felt. The lack of straightforward manly action on the part of the United States, has sunk us much in the estimates of the world. But the damage is done — it is too late to repair it — Maximilian is shot, and a bold warning is given to Europe not to make the American continent the scene of royalj filibustering efforts. We lament that death was considered necessary to preserve order, as is stated by Juarez to the Prussian Minister. We give credit to the chnalric, hightoned spirit of Maximilian ; and as Americans we would have received him, had he lived, as a man who drew upon all our sympathies as a nation ; but tried by the laws of impartial justice, it will be said that he dealt heavy blows at the republicanism of our continent, and met the fate that might be expected in an attempt to foist a government upon that part of his territory contrary to the wishes of its people. The result of the mad scheme will be an immense influence brought to bear upon the United States to interfere in Mexican affairs, and from the present shadows upon the horizon we shall not be surprised at any moment to hear that our troops are hurrying towards the Rio Grande.