New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-11-24

meeting Oh tbc DeAt CVIVes. endowed with pow |
srs TO watch over the strict observance of the
Constitution aud administration Of the laws; re-
porting 70 the next Cortes any infrsction It may
have observed, and empowered TO convoke an eA-
tIaordihary Cortes in critical times Ine h'ne
csapot quit the kingdom without the consent Oh
t,e Cortes He requires the consent OF the Cor
tes for contracting marriage. Inc Cor.esnA
the annual revenue Of the Kings household,
The only Pdyy Council of the King is the
Conpc;, Of State, in which the ministers have
M ,es, and which consists Of forty persons, four
s-el,-zastics, four grsndees Of Spain, and the
rest formed by distinguished sd ninistrasors, all
Of faem chosen by the King from list Of one
tcpdred and twenty persons nominated by the
Cortes but no actual deputy can be council
or. and 10 councillor can accept Offices, honors,
or employment from the King. The Councillors
of State cannot be removed without sufficient
reasons proved before the Supreme Court OF JUS
tice. The Cortes fix the salary of these council
ors whose opinion the King viii hear upon oil i'm
portant matters, and who nominate the candidates
for ecclesiastical and judicial places, 10 the sec
tons respecting the udicsture, all the old conse-
los are abolished new organization of tribunals
il introduced, a Supreme Court Of Justice is e.
tsbnsbed to try the Ministers when impeached,
to tske coguizsnce Of all cases of dismissal aud
,u,uenson from Office Of Councillors OF State,
and the officers OF Courts OF Justice, etc. With
out proof that reconciliation has been attempted,
NO lawsuit can be co nmenced. Torture, CON-
pulsion, coDfscatioD of property are suppressed.
All exceptional tribunals are abolished but the
military and eccesiastic, against the decisions Of
which sppe,ls TO the Supreme Court are how
ever permitted.
For the interior government of towns and com
mupes, (communes, where they do not exist to be
Termed from districts with population Of 1000
souls Ayun.amentos shall be formed Of one or
more magistrates aldermen aud public councillors,
to be presided over by the chief of police (correg
dor) and to be chosen by general election. No
public officer actually employed and appointed by
the King, can be eligible as a mag lstrate, alder
man or public councillor. The municipal en-
pigments sball be public duty, from which no
person can be exempt without lawful reason.
The municipal corporations shall discharge all
their duties under the inspection Of the provin-
cial deputatiOn.
The political government Of the Provinces shall
be placed in the Governor (gefe politico) appoint
ed BY the King. This Governor is connected
with deputation, over which he presides, and
which 10 elected by the districts when assembled
for the general election of the members for new
Cortes These provincial Populations consist of
seven members, assisted by Secretary paid by
the Cortes. These Populations shall hold sessions
for ninety days at most in every year. From
the powers and duties assigned to them, they may
be consid cred as permanent Committees of the
Cortes. All members of the AyuntamientOs and
provincial populations, in entering Office swear
fidelity TO the Constitution. With regard to the
taxes, all SpsDards are bound, without any dis
tiBction whatever, to contribute, in proportion to
their means, to the expenses of the State. All
custom. houses shall be suppressed, except in the
seaports and on the frontier. All Spaniards are
likewise bound to military service, and, beside
the standing army there shall be formed corps Of
national militia in each province consisting of the
inhabitants Of the same, in proportion to its popu-
lation and circumstances Lastly the Consttu-
ton of 1912 cannot be altered augmented, or cor
rected in any of its details, until eight years
have elapsed after its having been carried into
practice.
When the Cortes drew up this new plan Of the
Spanish State, they were Of course aware tina!
such modern political constitution would be
altogether incompatible with the old social sys-
tenn, and consequently, they promulgated a series
ofdecrees, with view toorganic changes in civil
society Thus they abolished the Inqusition.
They suppressed the seignorisl jurisdictions;
with their exclusive, prohbitve, and prvative feu
dial privileges, /. e., those of the chase fishery,
forests, mills, etc. excepting such as had been
acquired on an onerOus title, and which were to
be reimbursed. They abolished the tithes
throughout the monarchy, suspended the nomina-
tions 80 all ecclesissiic prebends not necessary
for the performance Of divine service, and took
steps for the suppression Of the monasteries aud
the sequestraton. of their property.
They intended to transform the immense waste
lands, royal domains and commons of Spain into
private property, by selling one half of them for
the extinction Of the public debt, distributing
another part by lot as a patriotic remuneration
for the disbsnded soldiers of the war of indie
Pendsnce and granting third part, grstuitously.
and also by lot, TO the poor peasan'ry who should
desire to possess but not BE- able to buy them.
They allowed the inclosure of pastures and other
real property, formerly forbidden. They repeal
ed the sb'urd laws which prevented pastures from
being converted into arabic land or arabic land
converted into pasture, and generally freed
agriculture from the old arbitrary and ridiculous
zules. They revoked all feudal laws with respect
20 farming contrsets' and the law, according to