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166 In fact, during his first years of control in Mexican affairs, Diaz was as captious with the rights of foreigners as have been some of his successors. In the first issue of the Government Gazette, published after he secured control of the capital, he declared null railway contracts made by his predecessor. He later forfeited railway charters, changed schedules of railway tariffs in violation of contract, and confiscated construction work already done. The following quotation from a speech in the National Chamber of Deputies, on May 22, 1878, illustrates the sort of anti-foreign opinions that supported such acts. The executive had made a contract for a road from Mexico to the Pacific and to the frontier of the United States in Texas or New Mexico. A speaker opposing the project declared:

It is very poor policy. . . to establish within our country a powerful American company. . . we are going to establish within our territory an American influence. . . . Border nations are natural enemies. . . without referring to history, but considering only contemporaneous acts, who despoiled France. . .? The bordering nation, Germany. Who is invading Turkey at the present time? The bordering nation, Russia. . . . What war is there between Spain and Russia? None. It is a natural law of history that border countries are enemies. ..

Hence, sir, the United States. . . are naturally our enemy. . . . And will it be prudent in this case to place the enemy within our house?

There is also another law in history; nations of the North necessarily invade the nations of the South. . ..