BarbarousMexico JOHN KENNETH TURNER

EIGHTH UNANIMOUS ELECTION OF DIAZ 175
claimed himself provisional president. Soon afterwards,
he held what is called an election, and announced that
the people had chosen him constitutional president—
unanimously. In 1880 he turned the government over
to a friend, Manuel Gonzalez, who was also elected
unanimously. In 1884 Gonzalez reinstalled Diaz after
a third unanimous election. Following 1884 Diaz was
re-elected unanimously every four years for twenty
years, until 1904, when the presidential term was lengthened
to six years, and for the seventh time he was
elected unanimously. Finally, July 10, 1910, Diaz was
unanimously elected president of Mexico for the eighth
time.
The Mexican presidential campaign just closed, if I
may so denominate it, properly dates from the month
of March, 1908. At that time, through James Creelman
and Pearson's Magazine, President Diaz announced
to the world, first, that under no circumstances would
he consent to enter upon an eighth term, and, second,
that he would be glad to assist in the transference of
the governmental power from himself personally to a
democratic organization of citizens. According to Mr.
Creelman, his words were:
"No matter what my friends and supporters say, I retire when
my present term of office ends, and I shall not serve again. I
shall be eighty years old then.
"I have waited patiently for the day when the people of the
Mexican Republic would be prepared to choose and change their
government at every election without danger of armed revolutions
and without injury to the national credit or interference
with national progress. I believe that day has come.
"I welcome an opposition party in the Mexcan Republic. If
it appears, I will regard it as a blessing, not an evil. And if it
can develop power, not to exploit but to govern, I will stand
by it, support it, advise it and forget myself in the successful
inauguration of complete democratic government in the country."