ment. It was his wish to govern with the liberal national party, without distinction of cliques, and he invited the intelligent of all factions to coöperate with him in the work of constitutional reconstruction. Thus the policy of Diaz, from the first, was the reverse of that of Lerdo; and by his impartial regard for the liberal-minded partisans of all cliques he made his administration successful.
The day appointed for the primary elections was January 28, 1877, while the secondary or electoral votes of the districts for the members of congress and the president were to be cast on the 11th and 12th respectively of February following. Congress was to be installed on the 12th of March.[1] It was found necessary, however, in the case of the more distant states, to extend this time, and it was not until April 1st that a number of deputies sufficient to constitute a quorum could be assembled. On that day congress formally opened its sessions, and Diaz, still in the character of provisional president, delivered the customary address to the house. He stated that although the relations of the government with foreign powers were for the present abnormal, the diplomatic agents resident in the capital had manifested so friendly a spirit that he did not doubt that the nations they represented would shortly recognize the new government. Alluding to the elections, he said that the popular suffrage had been entirely free; that though in some cases abuses had occurred, they were attributable to the practices inaugurated by the late administration, and he called the attention of congress to this evil, in order that by reforms of the electoral laws and the punishment of violators of them, it might be put a stop to. He then touched upon the measures that had been taken for the internal improvement of
- ↑ This was in conformity with the plan of Palo Blanco, which provided that the elections of the supreme powers should take place two months after the occupation of the capital by the revolutionists, and that congress should assemble one month after the elections. See the convocatoria in Diario Debates, 8° Cong., i. 5-10.
