New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-01
SPANISH POLITICS.
COMPOSITION OF THE CoRTEs.

ELECTION OUTRAGES-THE COALITION oF CAn-
| LISTS AND RADICALS.
| lPROM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE fn'DoN''I
MADRID. April 16.-General elections are grave
crises among free peoples and gravest among tnose
who have recently established their liberty. Spain
is at this passing through one OF these crses
A Democracy which INDUCES in public speaking
aud has the privilege of association and OF express
sion in the press exercises those natural rights by
which each man enjoys the free exercise OF his own
conscience, but Democracy which votes exercises
power and power is most difficult even for the most
| experienced and wisest of arstocracies The more
| we study the political life Of the Spanish people,
from the time when it entered into the full exercise
| of Democracy, curious phenomenon meets us-the
moderation with which practice our natural
| rights even the most delicate ones-such as the
right of reunion-and the violences with which the
right of voting is practiced in all its operations,
from primary meetings to the proclamation OF the
deputies elected.
It would be useless to deny that in every region
elections are stormy and much more violent than
other political operations The exercise OF other lib
critics is moral power and the exercise OF electoral
liberties political power Men, always interested,
prefer the political power Of the day to the moral
power which may last for much longer time.
remember having seen in Geneva the tiles OF the
roof of the electoral palace thrown about the streets
upon the day of the general elections. But it is
none the less singular that here, in Spain, funda-
mental rights are practiced better and the electoral
right worse than in any other portion OF the world
This monstrous disproportion in the exercise OF
political rights which substantially equal is not
to be explained except by declaring plainly an evil
dent truth-that elections in Spain disorderly,
and opposed to the aptitudes Of this people,
already ripe for liberty, because they are systema-
ically disturbed and fasifed by the policy OF the
Government Spain is Democracy and a. Democracy
of representation; Universal Suffrage exercises
power and exercises it by means of its representa-
tives II this representation is falsified Democracy
is fasifed; and the policy of the Government tends
exclusively to tho Justification Of elections. Our
immense budget remains in the hands OF power
which unscrupulously devotes it to maintaining en-
ployes to influence elections. The Budget, without
exaggeration may be called the fund for the corrup
ton of voters. Then when Government and pro-
yincial deputation Of any consequence is to be
elected suit after suit is brought against its men,
bers, unimpeded by the pusllanjmity of our magis-
trates until the dissolution of opposition corpora
tons Is accomplished. In this way the certificates
Of registry which entie the eectOr to his vote, are
distributed to the citizens favorable to the Govern
ment and refused to the citizens favorable to the
opposition. The greater part Of the districts of
Andalusia find themselves obliged to stay away from
the polls account of the opposition having been
deprived of their certificates of registry.
EAs the dey o. the election comes on the Governor
sends into the districts delegates resembling the
cicnt Roman Exactors who, by threats and prosecu-
tons, by arrests and imprisonments, in contempt of
all law and disregard of all rights, attempt the in
timidation of voters When the day Of the election
comes the public clocks set forward. Presidents
and secretaries take their places without notifica-
ton to the public. In some of the Colleges the Min
isterialsts gather around them in solid body to pre-
vent the opposition electors from coming near the
polls In other Colleges the electors are only able to
approach one by one and their certificates are easily
taken from them in the crowd. The forces OF the
army and navy come to the polls in regiments. in
line of battle, as If performing military duty, re-
ceiving from their officers the ballots on which are
inscribed tho names of The Ministerial candidates.
Even these violences are not enough. The official
returns are falsifed. The Judge nominated by the
Government is President Of the Canvassers. There
are districts like that Of Albocaser, where the
Judge has arrested all the opposition Secretaries,
and with only one Government Secretary has certi-
fed the election of the beaten candidate. In Tremp
and In Fgueras the Republican candidates had an
enormous majority in all the towns, but the Judge
1900 electors in towns of 900 inhabitants How can
dynasty which gains its victories in this way con-
slider itself firm and secure the thronei How
can Government which resorts to such measures
imagine itself the faithful representative of genu
inc Democracy How can judges who thus indulge
in forgery punish forgery with any moral authority
How, in the midst Of this contempt of law by au-
thorty can the people be taught the necessary re-
spect for the lawsf We have, it is true, a Democ-
racy, but Democracy completely falsifed.
Iwould not wish to create an erroneous opinion
among the American people in regard to our poti-
cal situation, but ought to say that these electoral
outrages were plainly announced by all men OF
sagacity from the fatal day on which, through the
combinations of English policy, foreign dynasty
was placed at the head of this emancipated DemOc
racy Among free peoples, the fundamental bases of
the Government are notIplaced in question at every
election No one in the United States or in the
Swiss States desires that America and Switzerland
should cease to be Republican. Very few even yet
desire In Great Britain that England should cease
TO be O monarchy but here among rs many desire
that Spain should be Republic, and almost all wish
that she shall not be subjected 10 foreign dynasty
In consequence the elections go continually against
the Supreme Power; and the Government, seeing
that its own existence If not the existence of soci
ety. is placed in jeopardy, believes itself justified in
resortng TO dictatorship for its own defense. But
they should not deceive themselves. Spain,
although nation of the South and Of artistic tenn
permanent, has, in common with the Saxon peoples.
persistence Of purpose amounting almost tn obsti-
macy, and no power can ever have force enough to
persuade Spain that it is worthy Of its ancient his
torcal prominence to remain governed by dynAsties
and canarias of foreigners.
There has been much criticism of the electoral Co