Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/197

Rh The process of reorganizing the administration was hampered at every step, as we have seen, by the lack of means, financial and military, for maintaining order and giving effect to the many commendable measures that were proposed. Party spirit and personal jeal- ousy added their pernicious influence, which penetrated also to the council and cabinet, without, however, leading in this quarter to the discord that would long since have produced radical changes in any other Mexican government under similar circumstances. In October the cabinet still embraced Ramirez, who filled also the place of the absent Velazquez de Leon, Almonte, Peza, Robles, and Escudero, but Cortés Es- parza had resigned the portfolio of gobernacion, now held by José María Esteva. Manuel Siliceo, a liberal, had taken that of instruction and worship; and Fran- cisco de P. César had replaced Campillo as under- secretary of finance, Langlais being actual head of this department.

The fact that the cabinet had held together so well, consisting as it did mainly of liberals who were known to be at heart hostile to the imperial cause, indicates at least a zeal, combined with absence of prejudice, that merits admiration for Maximilian Eagerness for office seems a leading quality on the opposite side. He desired the best men for his purpose, irrespective of creed or popularity; but he was too readily per- suaded or imposed upon to be esteemed for judgment. Siliceo, for instance, was on the point of being ex- pelled for maintaining correspondence with Juarez, when Ramirez managed to change this order for a seat among the ministers, on the ground that it was necessary to win over republicans. The gain in this direction must have been counteracted by the irritat- ing appointment of L. Détroyat, a French lieutenant,