BarbarousMexico JOHN KENNETH TURNER

190
BARBAROUS MEXICO
eral months. Her husband succeeded in escaping to
the United States, and when Mrs. Martinez joined him
neither of theni had a dollar. Mrs. Martinez, by the
way, is a native of the United States.
Most remarkable of all was the treatment meted out
to the nominee of the Democratic Part y, General Bernardo
Reyes, governor of the state of Nuevo Leon.
Doubly, trebly remarkable was that treatment in view
the fact that General Reyes not only did not accept
the nomination of the Democratic Part y, but that he
repudiated it. Four times he repudiated it. Not only
that, but during the months in which calamities were
being heaped upon him and his friends he never gave
utterance to one word or raised his little finger in the
most insignificant act that might be construed as an
offense to President Diaz, to Vice-President Corral, or
to any of the members of the Diaz government. By its
military bluster the government tried to create the impression
that Reyes was on the verge of an armed revolt,
but of that there is not the slightest evidence.
As a candidate, General Reyes did not perfectly fit
the ideal of the leaders of the Democratic movement,
for lie had never before appeared in any way as a
champion of democratic principles. Doubtless the
Democrats chose him, as a government organ charged,
because of their belief in his "ability to face the music."
Reyes was a strong figure, and it requires a strong figure
to rally the people when their fears are strong. It was
for this reason that the Democratic leaders pinned their
faith to him, and they launched their campaign on the
assumption that when lie discovered that the people were
almost unanimous for him, he would accept the nomination.
In this the Democrats were mistaken. Reyes chose