superior judges held office for life. The people received the guarantee of equality before the law, security for person and property — slavery and confiscation being forbidden — and liberty to proclaim their opinions. Care was taken to alleviate the oppression weighing upon laborers, especially Indians, by limiting the deduction for debts to one fifth of the pay, abolishing corporal punishment, and prohibiting fathers from binding their children to employers.[1] But these, like many other excellent measures, were frustrated by corrupt officials, disorderly state of affairs, and other circumstances.
The emperor certainly had a greater taste for issuing laws than firmness and power to carry them out; and toward the end of this year there came in a flood of enactments, many of them being revivals of colonial decrees.[2] A characteristic effort was made in behalf of education, for the spread of rudimentary knowledge and the establishment of secondary schools,[3] while the empress fostered benevolent institutions.[4] Amid the great care lavished on court routine, it may be readily understood that the theatre received attention.
- ↑ Méx., Col. Ley. Imp., vi. 186. And relieving children from debts contracted by parents. During the absence of the emperor, Charlotte brought a number of deeply studied bills before the council, and wrung from the members often too ready approval, as Domenech declares. Hist. Mex., iii. 238. The empress herself wrote in Aug. 1865: "Tous mes projets ont passé; celui des Indiens, après avoir excité un frémissement. . . à été accepté avec une sorte d'enthousiasme.' Rivera is willing to credit Maximilian with good intentions, but he was overruled in many instances. Hist. Jal., v. 652-3. Romero abuses his law for operatives. Leg. Mex., Circul., ii. 202-6; Mex., Code Rural, 1-13. On press regulations, see Lefévre, Doc. Maximiliano, ii. 33-73.
- ↑ To persuade Europe that he had a 'creative genius,' sneers Arrangoiz, Méj., iii. 340, and was lifting Mexico out of barbarism. Too weak to meet discussion, says Domenech, he often took advantage of a minister's absence to execute his purpose. Ubi sup.
- ↑ Approaching the German gymnasia. Covarrubias, Instruc. Púb., is not willing to give credit for this attempt, but Ratzel, Aus Mexico, 338, etc., takes pains to let it be known. I need only instance a law of Nov. Ist, requiring a free school to be established on every estate where over 20 families were occupied. This applied also to factories employing over 100 workmen. Méx., Col. Ley. Imp., vi. 187. He approved the decree of 1857 suppressing the university, but created an academy for sciences and literature. For rules and ceremonies at opening, see Acad. Imp., Acta Instal., 1-27.
- ↑ Assisted by a council de beneficencia, a sisterhood for visiting the sick and poor, and a protective union for workmen.
