ment and he holds the nominal support of his old military chiefs; though, very often, they take matters into their own hands, such as taxation of foreign mines and ranches. Though the President has compelled some of these men to resign, the task is so enormous that it cannot be completed for some time. Mañana is a famous expression in Mexico when one asks how soon something can be done; and, though mañana means to-morrow when translated into English, it signifies a much longer period when applied to work.
The iron policy in Mexico, if one may call any act there by that term, belongs to the military chiefs. There is no lack of firmness when they act.
Don Luis Cabrera, former Secretary of the Treasury and now government leader in the Chamber of Deputies, is considered the intellectual leader of the country; but one of his hobbies is the hunting of ducks. Still, this story is not to be about a duck hunt. More interesting than such excursions are his activities in Parliament.
A few days before the session adjourned, in August, 1917, some members objected in uncensored terms to the presence of Americans in Mexico City as members of a financial commission upon the invitation of the government. Their activities were due more to Cabrera's initiative than to any other official's.
Two American authorities—Professor Chandler, of Columbia University, and Professor Kem-
