BarbarousMexico JOHN KENNETH TURNER

176 BARBAROUS MEXICO
The interview was reprinted by nearly every periodical
in Mexico, and it produced a profound sensation.
It is not exaggerating to say that the entire nation,
outside of official circles, was overjoyed by the news.
The nation took General Diaz at his word, and immediately
there arose a lively but temperate discussion not
only of the various possible candidates for the presidency,
but also of innumerable questions relating to
popular government. Books and pamphlets were written
urging Diaz to immortalize himself as a second
Washington by giving over the government to his people
when he might very easily retain the supreme power
until his death.
But at the height of this discussion the word was
passed quietly about that the president's promise to
retire at the end of the term was not final. To show
how thoroughly the government had public speech and
the press under control at this time it is only necessary
to say that at once, upon the foregoing announcement
being made, the discussion of presidential candidates for
1910 stopped.
Diaz was so thoroughly entrenched in power that
there seemed little use of opposing him directly, but
the people remembered the other statement that he had
made and that he had not yet retracted—that he would
welcome an opposition movement in Mexico. The declaration
that he would support an opposition movement
seemed paradoxical, and so the bright heads of the
progressive element were laid together to devise a movement
that, while not being in direct opposition to Diaz,
would at the same time be able to work an opening
wedge into the log of democracy.
The plan hit upon was to urge President Diaz to
retain his seat and in the same voice to ask that the coun-