Mexican President Diaz to Resign by End of May

Mexican insurrectos received the news yesterday they have been waiting to hear since they began their revolution last November: Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico since 1884, will resign by the end of the month. The Minister of Foreign Relations, Francisco León de la Barra, will serve is interim President until new elections can be held later this year, while the leader of the revolutionaries, Francisco I. Madero, will serve as his chief adviser in what many are calling a "joint presidency." To aid final negotiations for this peace agreement, Madero has ordered an immediate cessation of hostilities for five days.

Diaz is reportedly in ill health due to a infection brought on by an ulcerated tooth. He suffered a fever on Tuesday but he appears to be recovering well. One of his conditions for his surrender is reportedly political amnesty, suggesting that he may try to stay in Mexico following his retirement.

According to press reports in the Bisbee Daily Review and Washington Herald, the surrender by Diaz appears to be complete and that the Mexican government has accepted nearly all of the insurrectos demands, though are some differences in the details between the two reports. In addition to the resignation of President Diaz, the federals agreed that the government will pay all expenses for the war, grant amnesty to rebel troops and for them to carry their weapons home, to equalize taxation, and to buy up the big landed estates and split them up into smaller lots for men to cultivate them. The Washington Herald reports that Madero will be allowed to name 14 state governors but the Bisbee Daily Review suggests that the retirement of Diaz and the joint regency of de la Berra and Madero is so complete a guarantee that he will drop that demand. The three cabinet officers to be named by Madero include one his chief negotiators, Dr. Vasquez Gomez, who will take the Internal Affairs post.

There is disagreement between the Herald and the Daily Review as to who will take the War Ministry post. The Daily Review suggests that General Bernardo Reyes will be the pick, a man fitting the description given by de la Berra, "a general who has the good will and respect of the army." However, he is not trusted by the rebels. The Herald suggests that the war department pick will be G. Salos.

Of the soon to be former president, Finance Minister Jose Limantour said:

Not once did he think of himself. Every thought he expressed was for the future of the country. He has honest pride, but no vanity. I venture to predict that in a year or two when the new order of things has been established, Mexico will regard him as her greatest hero. This resignation must forever silence those who could find no other criticism than that he lusted for power. He ruled with the single-hearted aim of his country's welfare, and he resigns for the same reason. Throughout his long administration he never failed to listen to the best advice he could obtain.

In this crisis, where he is most vitally concerned, next to the republic itself, he listened impartially to his advisers, and acted with judicial fairness, although the decision went against himself.

Of these developments, Madero said, "Bueno."

Link: Diaz, Broken in Health and Spirit, Drops the Sceptre in Mexico and Surrenders to the Revolutionists [The Bisbee Daily Review]
Link: Madero Declares Armistice Pending Diaz' Retirement [The Washington Herald]