[Inclosure.]
Extracts from Mexican Herald, September 17,
1904.
president’s message to
congress.
Last night, with the customary ceremony, President Diaz opened the
first period of sessions of the Twenty-second Congress, and on that
occasion read a message reviewing the condition of public
affairs.
[Page 488]
The following is a translation of the message in question:
Messrs. Deputies, Messrs.
Senators:
The fact that the Twenty-second Congress of the union is on this day
inaugurated, coupled with the memories which this anniversary
arouses in the heart of every Mexican, lends added interest to this
solemn ceremony in which I am called on to perform the duty imposed
on me by article 63 of our fundamental law.
foreign relations.
In the first place, I take pleasure in informing you that our foreign
relations have preserved their friendly character, for, though
during the time that has elapsed since my last report an incident
occurred which might have had painful results, a friendly
disposition on both sides brought it to a satisfactory
termination.
incident with guatemala.
The documents published last month in the Diario Oficial will have
apprised you that as several soldiers were passing in front of the
Mexican legation in Guatemala city in charge of a prisoner the
latter escaped and penetrated into the zaguan of the edifice,
whither, without asking permission, his custodians followed him and
whence they forcibly dragged him out. The minister of Mexico, as
soon as informed of the occurrence, lodged a protest, as was his
duty, demanding satisfaction for the outrage and the chastisement of
the guilty parties. The Government of Guatemala ordered an
investigation and, without doubt misinformed as to what had
transpired, declined at first to accede to these demands, though
expressing regret at the incident. Mindful of the sentiments of
fraternity which have always animated us in our relations with
Guatemala, the Government was loath to go to extremes in the
manifestations of its displeasure and merely took care to instruct
its diplomatic representative to press his demands, seeing that the
testimony of various persons who had been eyewitnesses of the
occurrence left no doubt that an outrage had been committed. It is
gratifying to me to inform you that this conduct, marked by both
firmness and prudence, produced the desired result, seeing that the
Government of Guatemala gave satisfaction to the Government of
Mexico by yielding to its demands, which involved an expression of
regret at what had occurred and the punishment of the person who
proved to have been directly guilty.
relations with paraguay.
For the first time a Mexican minister has visited the capital of
Paraguay in acknowledgment of the courtesy of that country in
sending a plenipotentiary to this Republic three years ago. Through
reports received by the department of foreign relations and through
newspapers published in those parts, it has been learned that both
the Government and people of Paraguay extended a most cordial
welcome to our representative, thus improving the already pleasant
relations which have always existed between the two sister
nations.
minister from china.
For the first time also our Republic has been visited by a
representative of the remote Chinese Empire, who was received both
by the governor and the society of the capital with the
consideration due to his personal accomplishments and his high
mission. On our side a person has been designated to represent the
nation at the court of Peking, and any day now he may be expected to
present his credentials. Thus diplomatic relations, which will be of
mutual advantage, have been established between the two
countries.
postal conventions.
There has been promulgated in this country a convention entered into
between Mexico and Great Britain for the interchange of postal money
orders, enabling the Mexican public to avail itself of this mode of
remittance with any other country in the world through the
instrumentality of the British post-office.
Two conventions with the Republic of Cuba, one for the interchange of
correspondence and the other for the interchange of postal packages,
have also been promulgated.
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It is undoubted that these three international agreements will be of
mutual advantage to the nations concerned.
* * * * * * *
Messrs. Deputies; Messrs. Senators:
If the facts which I have just communicated to you offer no special
novelty, they at least portray faithfully the country’s situation as
far as the interests, the administration of which has been confided
to the Executive, are concerned and corroborate the conviction which
now prevails generally throughout the world that the Republic has
entered resolutely upon the ways of unquestioned progress. Peace,
order, and legality, aided by the sound sense which now
characterizes the people of Mexico, are well known to be the causes
of this favorable situation in the history of the country. The
permanence of those blessings and their increasing development
will-depend in future on the same causes, seeing that the obstacles
which formerly trammeled public prosperity have been removed, and in
order to preserve and expand it indefinitely nothing will be needed
but the endeavors and industry of every good citizen and the timely
and patriotic labors of the people’s representatives in the exercise
of the powers with which the constitution has clothed them.
