New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-08

convincing eloquencc, lighting against the
reactionary parties with tenacious and
skillful propaganda, excited extraordinary in
terest. Learned, polished, popular, and
literary, they were at once the focus of light
and the neuceus of organization. The chairs
! in the universities, gained by rigorous aca-
demic competition by disciples Of tho new
ideas, contributed powerfully to the diffusion
of the light Thanks to them, history as
sumcd a progressive and humanitarian ten
dency. They redeemed the traditions of the
country from their monarchical character,
and reinvested them in the light Of new
science with the Democratic character. Phil
osOphy proclaimed human reason as the SUI
preme criterion for investigating and learning
the truth. The tribune, although open only
to one person, seconded the movement Of the
strongly organized, revealing itself in all the
manifestations of public life, acquiring inside
and outside of the law extraordinary energy.
The dynasty Of the Bourbons understood
that this infusion of ideas was transforming
the public conscience, and thus leading in
evitably to revolutionary explosions. They
prosecuted the press, and the press sustained
its banner with great heroism under the
weight of enormous fnes and the privations
of continual imprisonment. They prosecuted
the tribune, and the electors agreed upon re-
tirement from their legal privileges, and mott
fled to the authorities Of their intention to
appeal to the extreme resort of revolution.
They prosecuted the university, and the uni
vcrsty continued its propagation of ideas and
the education Of youth for liberty. From
this action and reaction, the attack of the
one and the resistance Of the other, from the
tenacious propaganda and continued persecu-
ton, resulted what always happens among
Latin people when an idea is condensed and
oppressed by power-a revolution. And this
revolution, begun in 1856, did not succeed
until 1868. 1t had its period of long prepa-
ration, in which the Republicans carried on
an incessant and tenacious apOstolate. 1t
had its day Of explosion, in June, 1860, IN
of the Queen in all the streets of Madrid,
sustaining battle of twcnty-four hours.
After the battle came period of repression,
in which tho Republicans, although van
pushed, sealed with their blood on the field
and with tho sufferings Of exilo their I'M
shaken fidelity to the Republic. It had its
day of victory, tho Goth Of September, 1868, |
in which the dynasty fled, and those princi-
pies essentially Republican came to be the
formulas Of our policy-the sovereignty of the
nation, the rights Of tho individual, and uni |
versal suffrage.
Tho revolutionary movement has, after
these preparatory epochs, the final epoch of |
organization and formation. How did it hap |
pen that movement Democratic in charac- |
ter, and consequently of anti-monarchical |
tendencies, did not attain tho Republic ? |
There were several reasons for this. First |
The revolution which broke out so often only |
whom Conservative elements were |
cooperating with it, and these Conservative |
elements demanded that the ancient monar-
chical form should be restored, knowing that
with the ancient monarchical form they would |
acquire their historic performance. Second:
In the constant Republican propaganda there
had been diffused among the people an idea
of national unity, of individual rights and of
suffrage; but the idea Of the Re-
publican form had only been proparated in
secret. The public propaganda came to the
people, but not in secret. They demanded
what they understandable essence of our
ideas, but did not demand what they were
ignorant Of-thc form of our Government.
Third: Among the Latin people, people of
inspiration, it is necessary for the implantinr
Of an idea to proclaim it in the first DAYS. in !
those supreme moments OF revolution which
are the moments of creation. The word Re-
public was not pronounced by any junta, and
the Republic failed. Fourth: The Republic
cans were divided. Some thought that if the
principles essential to all Democracy were
it was indispensable to accept the
others thought that nothing was
attained if the Republic was not also attained.
Filth: The revolution was in part military,
and the generals who conducted it feared two
the Republic might be opposed
to the army at home, and that abroad it might
give umbrage to the monarchs Of Europe.
All these concurrent causes contributed to
The result that the revolution Of September
substituted one monarch for another, and did
not attain tho logical consequence of it's
deas-the true Republic. -Emilio Castelar,, in
H@pe''s Aa9asine for august.