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402 instituted against him, and on the 18th sentence of death was pronounced, and carried out on the 19th. With the death of this chief the rebellion in Tepic was ended. On August 5th the last insurgent band surrendered.

When congress reassembled in March 1873, it soon became evident that a strong opposition was present. This was made manifest by the election of Gomez del Palacio as president of the house, although in the antechamber the majority had been greatly against him. The result was that the ministerial deputies left the hall, and the session remained without a quorum. Such an event could not take place without comments in the press. El Siglo XIX., which had firmly defended Lerdo's candidature, now attacked the ministry, maintaining that no proper union could exist between it and the president, as the former had been the soul of Juarez' administration. This elicited a reply from the Diario Oficial, to the effect that complete concord existed between Lerdo and his ministers; that the latter had long exhibited firmness and self-denial in favor of an administration which considered their services necessary; and that such doctrines as those expressed in El Siglo would most certainly never gain their object. This language of the official organ was a severe blow to the Lerdistas, and naturally estranged them. Thus Lerdo, instead of strengthening himself by a judicious management of the three parties, was already laying the basis of a strong hostile faction. While alienating the Lerdistas, and treating with disfavor the Porfiristas, he did not win the decided