The War of the Secret Political Societies of Mexico.--The Scotch and
the York Free-Masons.--Anti-Masons.--Rival classes compose Scotch
Lodges.--The Yorkinos.--Men desert from the Scotch to the York
Lodges.--Law to suppress Secret Societies.--The Escoces, or Scotch
Masons, take up arms.--The Battle.--Their total Defeat.
As Jalapa is a pleasant resting-place in a journey to the interior, we
will stop here to discuss national affairs for a little while. The
first political subject in order is the furious contest that for ten
years was carried on between two political societies, known as the
_Escoces_ and _Yorkinos_--or, as we should call them, Scotch
Free-Masons and York Free-Masons--whose secret organizations were
employed for political purposes by two rival political parties.
MASONS AND ANTI-MASONS.
At the time of the restoration of the Constitutional Government of
Spain in 1820, Free-Masonry was introduced into Mexico; and as it was
derived from the Scotch branch of that order, it was called, after the
name of the people of Scotland, _Escoces_. Into this institution
were initiated many of the old Spaniards still remaining in the
country, the Creole aristocracy, and the privileged classes--parties
that could ill endure the elevation of a Creole colonel, Iturbide, to
the Imperial throne. When Mr. Poinsett was sent out as Embassador to
Mexico, he carried with him the charter for a Grand Lodge from the
American, or York order of Free-Masons in the United States. Into this
new order the leaders of the Democratic party were initiated. The
bitter rivalry that sprung up between these two branches of the Masonic
body, kept the country in a ferment for ten years, and resulted finally
in the formation of a party whose motto was opposition to all secret
societies, and who derived their name of Anti-Masons from the party of
the same name then flourishing in the United States.
When the Escoces had so far lost ground in popular favor, as to be in
the greatest apprehension from their prosperous but imbittered rivals,
the Yorkinos, as a last resort, to save themselves, and to ruin the
hated organization, they _pronounced_ against all secret societies.
Suerez y Navarro, in his "Life of Santa Anna," thus relates the history
of these Secret Political Societies:
"After the lodges had been established, crowds ran to initiate
themselves into the mysteries of Free-Masonry; persons of all
conditions, from the opulent magnates down to the humblest artisans. In
the Scotch lodges were the Spaniards who were disaffected toward the
independence; Mexicans who had taken up arms against the original
insurgents through error or ignorance; those who obstinately declared
themselves in favor of calling the Spanish Bourbons to the Imperial
throne of Mexico; those who disliked the Federal system; the partisans
of the ancient regime; the enemies of all reform, even when reforms
were necessary, as the consequence of the independence. To this party
(after the overthrow of the Empire) also belonged the partisans of
Iturbide; those who were passionately devoted to monarchy; and the
privileged classes.
"In the assemblages of the Yorkinos were united all who were
republicans from conviction, and those who followed the popular
current--the mass of the people having devoted themselves to this
organization. It is enough to say, in order to mark the position of
both parties, that among the Yorkinos figured, in great numbers, those
that believed the name of _republican_ was not a mere imagination.
"Some individuals of both associations had the same object and the same
identical end, and only differed in the modes of making their
principles triumphant. A great number of persons, who co-operated in
the creation of the new order, had belonged to the Scotch order, and
had labored for the overthrow of Iturbide. They knew the secrets of the
Scotch party, their projects, their tendencies; and the desertion of
such furnished a thousand elements to the new order to make war upon
the party they had abandoned. When parties were fully organized and
assailing each other, the contest became terrible, and its consequences
fearfully disastrous. Actions the most harmless, and questions purely
personal, were matters for the contests of parties. The press was the
organ of mutual accusations--now against particular individuals, and
now against parties in conjunction. The Escoces multiplied their
attacks until they lost all influence in affairs. Generals, Senators,
Deputies, and Ministers abandoned their standard, as time increased the
power of their rival with every class of individuals that embraced the
new order. In the nature of things there was desertion and fear,
because, as a writer, who was initiated into both orders, remarks: 'A
general enthusiasm had taken possession of men's minds, who thought
they saw in the new order the establishment of future prosperity.'
"The seekers for office found ready access in these lodges to those who
had office to dispense. The liberal found in the York lodges the strong
support of liberty and liberal institutions. The high functionaries of
government found aid and support in the strength of opinions; and the
people, ever in search of novelty, united themselves to this
association, in order to form one mass which sooner or later would
suppress the privileged classes.
INTRIGUES.
"No intrigue, nor any effort, was able to check the progress of the
York lodges. This induced their enemies to present the project of a law
in the Senate, where the Escoces had a majority, to suppress secret
societies by severe penalties against those who adhered to such
associations. For the better insuring of success, the Escoces assumed
the language of morality; and, confounding their own affair with that
of their native country, clamored hypocritically against the pernicious
influence which clandestine meetings exercised in public affairs.
According to them the cry of the nation was against secret societies.
The bill passed the Senate after prolonged discussion, being supported
by those persons who knew it was intended to satisfy an offended party,
whose prestige diminished day by day. If the factions had not
originated in secret societies, they might have extirpated the evil by
proscribing masonry. When have the ravages of the hurricane been found
to content themselves with logical and pleasant words? At what time,
and in what country, has a law been enforced, where those who were to
execute it found an insuperable obstacle in their own sentiments?
Indeed, it was impossible to destroy the political fanaticism of the
day by the mere dash of a pen! The evil had gone to its utmost limit,
and could not be cured by rigor or persecution.
"The demoralization was so great that it extended to the armed force,
because the greater part of the chiefs and officers had joined one or
the other of the societies. Besides the seductive influences of the
lodges, two generals, distinguished for their services in the first
insurrectionary war, brought with them a number of soldiers to the
party to which each severally belonged. General Nicholas Bravo was the
head of the Escoces, and Don Vincente Guerrero was the leader of the
Yorkinos. Both derived support from the names and prestige of these two
personages, and from the popularity which each enjoyed with his
companions-in-arms. The Scotch party feared the day would come, in
which the deputies--the majority of whom were their enemies--would
decree the total proscription of all those persons who were hostile, or
suspected of being hostile, to the Yorkinos, as the Chambers had fallen
into the practice of submitting to the caprices of the dominant order.
They therefore appealed to arms, having exhausted the right of
petition.
"General Bravo, Vice-President of Mexico, and leader of the Escoces,
having issued his proclamation, declaring that, as a last resort, he
appealed to arms to rid the republic of that pest--secret societies,
and that he would not give up the contest until he had rooted them out,
root and branch, took up his position at Tulansingo--a village about
thirty miles north of the City of Mexico. Here, at about daylight on
the morning of the 7th January, 1828, he was assailed by General
Guerrero, the leader of the Yorkinos, and commander of the forces of
government."
After a slight skirmish, in which eight men were killed and six
wounded, General Bravo and his party were made prisoners; and thus
perished forever the party of the Escoces. This victory was so complete
as to prove a real disaster to the Yorkinos. The want of outside
pressure led to internal dissensions; so that when two of its own
members, Guerrero and Pedraza, became rival candidates for the
presidency, the election was determined by a resort to arms, which
brought about the terrible insurrection of the Acordada.