283
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
leaves Guanajuato. Montezuma captures him. .Arista remains at that pla<!e. He surrenders. Entrance of Santa .Anna at the head of seven thousand men. Exile of .Arista and Durun. Return of Santa Anna to the Capital. Anecdotes that throw some light on his character. CHAPTER XVI. Although Santa Anna did not immediately take charge of his office, still, he wanted to direct the affairs of the nation in his retirement just as though he were in the Capital, and he became angered at Farias because he dared to discharge his duties without consulting him. He considered the Vice-President only as a subaltern who had no powers to work except under his orders. Nor was his conduct toward Con- gress less arrogant and presumptuous. He 'became ex'traordinarily offended because this body worked independently and did not ask his opinion in numerous and important measures which they considered. In a word, he began to show at that early date the secret hostility which a year later broke out in open warfare. against the Vice-President and the National Congress. His sister, :Francisca, communicated his dis- content to the Aristocratic party which spared nothing in encouraging him in his arrogant pretensions and in firing the di~cord which was coming into existence between the new President and the National Congress. It is said that they offered him an immense fortune if he would betray his party. Be that as it may, in a short time we shall see him as the champion of the aristocracy and the Church, defending the principles and the party which he had just destroyed. Such was the state of affairs when he left Mango de Clava for Mex- ico. On the way he had a long conference with Vasquez, the Bishop of Puebla, and it was noticed that from that time he commenced talk- ing in very uncomplimentary terms of Congress and of those who sup- ported Congress. On reaching the Capital and taking over the reins of government on the 15th of May, 1833, he threw off his disguise and openly opposed that body by slandering its character and denouncing· its measures. The nation was soon aware of the disagreement between these two departments of the Government, but did not clearly com- prehend its cause. The cause was none other than this; namely, that Congress was busy with important reforms which, should they be car- ried out, would be the death blow to all of Santa Anna's ambitious hopes. The real patriots of the country began to realize the impossibility of establishing a government which should have as its foundation free and illustrious institutions while the power should remain in the hands of the clergy and the army, and they at once began to establish a sys- tem of reforms for the purpose_of destroying this influence which had impeded the progress of civilization for a long time and had submerged the country in a state of darkness and perpetual war. Some of the states had already started these reforms, and congress was working on the same beneficient cause when Santa Anna reached the Capital. This was the only reason he had for opposing the decisions of that body. It was evident that our hero would never be able to reach the emi- nence to which he aspired without the assistance of the clergy and the army, against which influence Congress directed its patriotic legis- lation. It was therefore absolutely necessary for the accomplishment
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