1969_05 The Daily Collegian May 1969

              THE DAILY COLLEGIAN    .
Board of Pubs
(Continued from Page 1)
•We aren't on a level of un¬
derstanding where we can work
together," Davis said. "We can¬
not work together until we can
understand each other ... We
have to Inform you what Is hap¬
pening today (through a separate
publication)."
The CoUeglan has been writ¬
ing as an authority on us," Davis
later said. "We want to be able
Schyler R eh art, non-voting
board member and adviser to the
Collegian, said that the papers
would be an "act of segregation
In which (the groups would) po¬
larize black and brown opinions'
and would not satisfactorily reach
the audience the groups desire.
He said the only successful way
Is to Incorporate from within.
He was also concerned with pre-
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crcjlod for college students.
i less I)
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to your individual needs, all
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It was created by College Life
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You should take time now to
listen to your College Life rep¬
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most important conversation
you'll ever have.
BOB REESE
P. O. BOX 5112
Phone 224-3558
and go through channels," Davis
said. «. . . (and) lt could erupt
Into a San Francisco State Col¬
lege and If that ts what lt takes,
then lt will erupt."
Davis  also  said (hat If black
given representation on the Stu¬
dent Senate last year as the two
groups requested, the grape boy¬
cott Incident and "some of the ac-
votlng,   Ra-
avold It (a SFSC crisis) through
the paper, we know we can. . .
What we ask is cooperation. . .
Why not give us a chance?"
During the discussion Merrell
said that he would be willing to
meet with heads of the Chicano
and Black students to see if they
could not come up with an agree¬
ment whereby separate publica¬
tion would not be necessary. He
said that he was committed to
giving day-to-day coverage of
Black and Chicano news and that
he   wanted   1
Merrell ii
:o  be   written  by
mlrez agreed with
nclple. They said
they would meet with him and a
phasing out of the minority pa¬
pers might be possible If he pro¬
vided adequate, ln-depth cover-
The board also passed a pro- Tnfi   Rode0 Team   ^me home
posal asking that members ofthe ,«-»-.
Collegia,,   a s . 1 s t   the minority wlth hl«n »°lDt honorfi ln reCelU
staffs  with  the technical news- competition  at  the  Poly Royal,
papering. the annual rodeo and horse show
Rodeo team wins high point honors
JUNE GRADS -
have you checked your
dictionary* lately for
the definitions of:
hence. 6. a lifework; profession; occupation ....
"(Webster's New World Dictionary, College Edition,  1966)
REVENUE OFFICER
Candidates available for employment in June will be con¬
sidered   for   entry into a planned training program which
assignments in tax law compliance. Starling salaries (ef¬
fective July 1969) range from $7412 to $8404 per year.
Excellent fringe benefits include relocation expenses.Test¬
ing and interviews will be conducted by IRS Recruiters who
will be on campus May 8, 1969. See your Placement Officer
Internal Revenue Service
An equal opportunity employer
sponsored by the California Poly¬
technic     College   at   San Luis
The horse show team took
championship honors over 12 col¬
leges  ln  weekend    competition.
Individual winners ln rodeo
competition Include DonAwbrey,
first ln bareback riding and
fourth In team roping; Butch
Jones, first ln bulldogglng;
Claudia Baronl, fourth ln barrel
racing; Llbby Dlrlto, fourth In
goat lying; Sandy Jennings,
fourth ln goat   tying, and Bonnie
competition were Chris Vincent,
first ln western equatatlon and
first ln stock horse class com¬
petition; Jimmy Nunes, fifth ln
Jumping; Debbie Van Buren, first
ln western pleasure and fourth ln
oni, fifth In weslern pleasure.
Don Tucker placed ln several
categories and was named high
point Individual ln college and
open  competition.
FSC grad wins first prize for
technical paper on heat
James   Wright, a graduate of
January  and     now   works    for
Fresno State  College,   was re¬
Hughes      Aircraft  Company  ln
cently awarded a $100 first prize
FuUerton, Calif. He Is a graduate
for his technical paper presenta¬
of     Roosevelt    High   School ln
tion at the American Society of
Mechanical   Engineers'  (ASME)
The    title   of his paper was
Regional Student Conference, Pa¬
•Effect of Radiant Heat Loss on
cific Central Section.    The host
Heat Flux through a Roof."   He
school was the University of Ne¬
plans to enter lt again at the ASME
vada, in Reno.
national contest this November ln
Wright     received  his degree
in  Mechanical   Engineering last
In addition to FSC and Nevada,
five other schools    participated
San Jose State, Sacramento State,
(he Universities of CaUfornla at
Berkeley and Davis, and theUnl-
verslty of Santa Clara.
Two engineering students from
FSC accompanied Wright to the
conference. They were Dan Hlb-
ler and William O'ConneU.
As for Wright's future, he
hopes to enter UCLA this faU to
do graduate work ln Engineering.
■      ■    fatal*, poturr.   ^afJOaHm
WSTAIB „t 235 N. F.llo.
La Semana de la Raza Bronce y
El Cinco de Mayo
Every fifth of May Puebla, the original "City of the
Angels" ln the Western Hemisphere awakens to a
glorious day, a day which has won her the proud name
of "Puebla la herolca." For this is the commemoration
^ of the Balalla del Clnco de Mayo, May 5, 1862, when
Puebla repulsed a French attack. Around eleven ln the
morning the school children of Puebla, decked out ln
their unlformes de gala (dress uniforms) decorated with
Identifying ribbons, march for four hours in a five mile
long parade through the center of the city. When the
parade reaches the zocalo (central plaza), the units of
the various schools march past the state and municipal
officials and salute them. The rest of the day Is spent
In a grand fiesta with many of the citizens gaily dressed
in regional costumes, while bands play throughout the
city. There Is dancing ln the zocalo and other plazas.
At ten ln the evening, (he "combate de flores" (the
flower battle, an ancient Aztec tradition) takes place.
•People throng to the zocalo and adjoining streets throw¬
ing flowers at each other and presenting bouquets to
friends and strangers alike. Later, there are many
glittering private parties to cap the festivities.
During  t
I day, the Mexican Army stages a
Cerro de Guadalupe, atop which star
historical museum, which was the c
Throughout the Mexican Nation similar events take
place; and, ln the ancient Aztec village of Penon (the
rock), In (he suburbs of Mexico City, a classic play Is
enacted with a cast of public officials, soldiers, and
;. Not only does the long drama follow closely
ts, but lt contains long quotations from
the various diplomatic pronouncements and treaties which
preceeded and followed the battle. s
One may well ask why all the festivities, and thereby
hangs a glorious and interesting tale of Intrigue, ad¬
venture, derrlng-do, and heroic patriotism. From 1858
to 1861, Mexico was wracked by a sanguinary and de¬
structive civil war, the Guerra de la Reforma or Guerra
de Tres Anos. The conflict was a showdown between
the Jacobin radicals who called themselves puros and
the ultraconservatlve religious elements. They were all
Catholics, but they disagreed violently on the relations
between Church and State, as well as on the nature of the
State Itself. The Liberals (as the puros were officially
called), favored a federalized republic and rejected their
Indo-Spanlsh-Cathollc culture ln favor of the Anglo-
oriented-Protestant one of the United States. The Con¬
servatives preferred a unitary republic on the French
model or a recreation of the Spanish monarchlal state,
as well as the Europeonlzatlon of Mexican culture. To
bring about their ends, both sides courted foreign Inter¬
vention: the Liberals that of the United States, the Con¬
servatives that of France.
At the conclusion of the Guerra de la Reforma, which
the Liberals won with the aid of the United States, Pres¬
ident Benito Juarez surveyed the sorry state of his coun¬
try, drained physically and emotionally and.utterly
devastated by a fratricidal war. Small surprise, then,
that President Juarez declared a two-year moratorium
on the payment of Mexico's foreign debt. Although the
decision was dictated by absolute necessity, lt was catas¬
trophic, for lt furnished a pretext for foreign I
tlon. The time was propitious, for the United States, it¬
self embroiled ln the bloody struggle between the Union
and Confederate forces, was in no position (o enforce
the Monroe Doctrine which not only decried intervention
by non-American powers, but specifically banned the
further extension of the monarchical system lnAmerlca.
Napoleon m, Emperor of the French, had long dreamed
of a Catholic Latin American Empire which would coun¬
teract the,Protestant Anglo-oriented United States. Also,
he was Influenced by the dazzling vision of Mexican
riches dangled before his eyes by such Mexican exiles
as the ex-Liberal General Juan Almonte, the royalist
Jose Maria Gutierrez Estrada, and the ambitious Jose
V.nuol Hidalgo who had distinguished himself against
the American Invaders at the Battle of Churubuseo in
1847. He was also Influenced by his bastard half-brother,
the Due de Momy, who was a partner of J. B. Jecker,
Napoleon H prevailed on Britain and Spain to agree on
forcibly pressing their respective claims against Mexico
by means of a Joint diplomatic mission backed by a pow¬
erful punitive expedition ... a form of International
Intimidation of small powers by large ones commonly
referred to In diplomatic and military circles as "show¬
ing the flag." When Indulged ln between major powers,
lt Is known less euphemistically as "rattling the sword."
His plan was ratified officially In the London Convention
on October 31, 1861. By this agreement the contracting
parties pledged themselves to respect the territorial In¬
tegrity of the Republic of Mexico. There were no pro¬
visions for changing Mexico's form of government.
On January 9, 1862, the tripartite envoys, Count Dubois
de Saligny, General Juan Prim, and Sir Charles Wyke
met at Vera Cruz to discussthelrclalms.lt soon became
clear that Spain and Britain's claims were Just, whereas
France demanded the honoring of the Jecker bonds (the
Due de Momy was to get thirty per cent) and an addition¬
al twelve million pesos ln cash. France wanted no ques¬
tions asked. She was unwilling or unable to furnish
valid proof.
Nevertheless, President Juarez and his representa¬
tives treated the tripartite expedition with courtesy and
consideration. Not only did he allow them tooccupy Vera
Cruz unopposed but, by the Treaty of La Doledad, al¬
lowed the foreign troops to move from the oppressive
heat of the disease-ridden "Hot Land" to the healthier
climate of the Mexican Plateau, near Puebla. The allies
agreed to retreat to Vera Cruz, should 1
France's exorbitant demands and the rudely Inflexible
attitude of Dubois de Saligny, who was a stooge of the
Due de Morny, soon caused a personality clash between
the French envoy and General Prim. Sir Charles Wyke
sided with the Spanish general. Tempers reached the
breaking point, when the French landed General Almonte
and other Mexican Imperial agents to engage ln sub¬
versive activities under the protection of the flag of
France. At the urging of their representatives, Spain and
Britain recalled their expeditionary forces.
Napoleon III then ordered the Commander ln Chief of
his Invading army, General Charles F. Latrllle, Count
of Laurencez, to take Mexico City and overthrow the
Government of Mexico. On this occasion, as ln almost
every instance ln the French Intervention ln Mexico,
France forgot her vaunted devotion to honor. General
Laurencez violated the treaty of Soledad and marched
directly towards Puebla, where an army under General
Ignaclo Zaragoza blocked the way to the capital.
Juarez's choice of General Zaragoza to repel the
French Invasion was both surprising and intuitive. He
might have selected General Jose Lopez Uraga, for ex¬
ample, a trained soldier.of great technical knowledge
and proven skill since 1947, He knew European military
strategy and had distinguished himself ln action during
the War of Reform. General zaragoza, on the o
was a brilliant but untutored guerilla tactician from Coa-
huila. However, no one knew the military ability and
the limitations of the Mexican soldier better, or had
greater confidence ln his heroic endurance and courage.
It Is Interesting that Zaragoza ln addressing his unpaid,
underfed, poorly clolhed and armed troops never spoke
of winning or dying heroically, as Antonio Lopez de
Santa Ana often had. Zaragoza spoke confidently only of
total triumph.
General Laurencez, on the contrary, had formed a poor
concept of the Mexican soldier. When the bedraggled men
of the Conservative guerilla leader, General Lorenzo
Marquez, straggled Into bis camp, the French general
noted they were barefooted, half-naked, and Ill-armed.
Never having seen them ln action, he concluded that
Mexico could  easily be  conquered  with
French regulars. So contemptuous was he of Mexican
military ability, so sure that the Conservative and
deeply religious citizens of Puebla would betray the army
of the radical government of Juarez, that he decided on
a frontal attack of the two hills where General Zaragoza
had deployed his men, Cerro de Guadalupe and Cerro de
Loreto. Also, Lurencez could not know that the general
ln his twenties who led the flanking attack for Zaragoza
was the military genius who would eventually destroy
the armies of Emperor Maximilian. His name was Gen¬
eral Porflrlo Diaz, and this was his first major com¬
mand. Before the battle, General Laurencez wrote bis
government: "We have over the Mexicans such a super¬
iority of race, organization, discipline, morality, and
high Ideals that even now, at the head of our valiant six
thousand soldiers, I am the master of Mexico." Famous
"General Laurencez, commanding 6000 well-trained
and handsomely uniformed dragoons and foot soldiers,
was given orders to occupy Mexico City. On the path of
his march to the capital was Puebla, defended by 4000
Mexicans armed with I antiquated guns—many of which
had seen service at the battle of Waterloo fifty years
before, and had been bought _t a bargain by Mexico's
ambassador to London back ln 182S. Commander of
Puebla's forces was Ignaclo Zaragoza, an amateur
ln tactical warfare, as were most of his officers, but a
seasoned warrior in guerrilla fighting. Laurencez, to
show his contempt for (hat ragtag army, called for a
charge up the middle of the Mexican defenses at Zara¬
goza's most strongly fortified position. The charge
carried his cavalry through soggy ditches, over a
crumbling adobe ValL..and up the steep slopes ofthe
Cerro de Guadalupe. Bui their drive petered out before
reaching Its objective, and over one thousand Frenchmen
were left sprawled on'.he field, dead or dying. Laurencez
paid for his contempt. The Mexican army held, and then
Zaragoza led a counter-attack that drove Laurencez
back to Orizaba and, after a short reprieve, attacked
him again and drove the remnants of his army to the
coast. This was the first time French troops had
met defeat ln nearly half a century, and lt was handed
them not by a major power of Europe but by the pen¬
niless, war-torn republic of Mexico. This battle for
Puebla, fought on May 5, is yearly commemorated ln
Mexico by a national holiday, and there Is hardly a
Mexican village, town, or city that does not call its
main street Clnco de Mayo."
But the Cinco de Mayo did more than give Mexicans
their most glorious national holiday. A Mexican his¬
tory   text   comments   on   its  significance  as  follows:
•The victory of the Mexican Army ln the Battle of
Clnco de Mayo had far-reaching consequences, national
as well as International.
With regard to the national consequences, the belief
that the French were Invincible in war was destroyed,
a belief the Conservative traitors themselves had used
to demoralize the defenders of the nation. Furthermore
the victory made the entire nation thrill with enthusiasm
and patriotism, thus encouraging the Mexican people to
continue their struggle against tne Invader without
nagging..By this victory, the Mexican Army also gained
an additional year ln which to reinforce and reorganize
Itself, forming new military cadres, in which almost
all the political elements of the nation were repre-
As regards the International consequences, the defeat
of the French had resounding effects ln Europe, tarnishing
the brilliance of Napoleon Ill's prestige, enhancing the
honorable posture of the Spanish and British envoys,
destroying the slander spread there by the Conserva¬
tives that the Juarez government had no bashingl..
furthermore, this Mexican victory admirably prevented
an effective alliance between Napoleon and the Confederate
States ln the Civil War of the United States, which could
possibly have changed the ending of that struggle. A
historian says that on the Clnco de Mayo Zaragoza
defended at Puebla the Integrity of the Mexican Father¬
land and the North American Federation." (C. Gonzales
Blackaller and L. Guevara Ramirez, Slntesls de his-
toria de Mexico, p. 366).
Mexican Americans, then, have a double Incentive to
cry proudly, "Viva el Clnco deMayo!" And other Ameri¬
cans, ragardless of national origins, have reason to
Join them.
J. C. Canalea