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210 misfortunes in order to gratify the selfish ambition and greed of themselves and their followers.

It is worth while to remember that, with a few exceptions, every revolution in Mexico has been led by some representative of the Latin population and the members of that race have, on account of their virtual monopoly of the property and the educated intelligence of the country, always constituted the great majority of its governing element. Even during the war for freedom, the character of this element was illustrated by an incident which occurred in the fourth year of that contest. After Morelos had succeeded Hidalgo as the leader of the revolutionary forces, in an effort to establish some form of regular government he summoned a national congress which he intended to be "a source of union to which his lieutenants might look as to himself in case of accident." This congress was necessarily movable because it had to follow the patriot army. It was not only dependent upon the revolutionary forces for protection but also for sustenance, inasmuch as it was enabled to exist only by revenue secured by the armed forces. Shortly after the capture of Morelos by the Spanish forces, and Don Manuel Teran had succeeded him in command the congress enacted laws appropriating eight thousand dollars a year as a salary for each of its members and taking the management of the public funds