, 1873-03-07

powers into tho hands OF the Cortes."
The President ltivcro) then asked:
Do the Sovereign Cortes accept the rerun.
c'ation Of tho crown, mado by Don 41nadeo, Of
savoy. ?" They do.
1 'Do the Sovereign Cortcs agree to aend Il
message to that ulustrious- Primo, pressing
their regret, and accepting the rerunciation -
Unanimously agreed to.
7"Do they sGreo to nominate a committee tu
prepare the reply to the megsage2 ?" They do.
Fgue1as, Castelar,, and ton .others, from va
rtous parties. were named to this duty, and,
after short retirement. Senior CASTELAR, present
| ed the following document
re Aas.onat - Assemoy to M Majesty Ktng Amadto
| bERon: The Sovereign Gortes of tho Spanish Nd
| ton have listened with Trofouud respect to You,
Ma5estJs eloquent message, and have read in those
| endo~menta which grace Your Majestys char1cter
This country, the land Of Your 1rsjestys adoption
erous and Lraye IN its turn fond Of its danity sven
to superstition, and Of its Independence e5en to hero
ism, can BY no means forgot that Your Majesty has
been the Chief Of State, the per<onihcstion Of it,
sovereignty the hghea. authority within is code nor
can bc to the fact that in honoring and
exaluug Your Majesty 1t honoes and exalts itae1f.
Benor,. the Cortc3 have been faithful to the trust
committed to them BY their electors AID have watched
over the laws found established by the will Of the
and decisions they have kept within the limits their
prerogatiyes, aud have represented the will nnd tue
pact While the cortes proclaim this with unmstaka-
hio disnetneas that the responsibility Of conflict
which they accept With pain but will solve with en-
moua1y declare that Your Majesty has proved most
faithful observer Of tho respect duo to the Legis-
s adev ss seos and ass6ns ha s yd1 n @
contracted on accepting the Grown Of Spain from
the hands Of this people An honor glorious in
! tatoral pretentions, when arbitrary usurpations Of
power and the prerogstivea OF absolute authority lead
humber spirits 70 forego their Temptations from the
inaccessible hetghta Of the throne alone for
| few Of earth'a privileged ones.
Well may iout Majesty say in the silence OF his
trencnt in the bosom Of his beautiful COUNTRY that
any mortal wera capable Ct a71esting the unpara-
eltd course Of evente, Your H. esty, with his cQnsu
tuona education aud his respect for established law
would have completely md absolutely succeeded IN do
ing The cortes, impressed with thia truth. Il 1t
been "a their power, would have madc the gre-test
sist : from lis resolution and withdraw lis
abdcaton, But their knowledge Of Your
Majesys Ieaoute character. the justics they do to
purposes. prevent the Oortes from requesting Your
Majesty to reconsider hs act, md decide them to
Eounce to you their assumption Of the supreme power
mediate prpvaion In these critical for
tue saivaton Of dsmosrssy the tasis q our politics
immortal and nfectionate mother of US all, In whose
behalf wo sro resolved to lay upon the altar without
struggle a individual ambition, and even, need be,
of our reputation and our If.. -
Our fathers found themselves at The opening OF this
century, In far moro difficult circumstance and de-
71aed to them, drawing their inspirs-
ton from these sentiments. Spain WAS abandoned by
heE Kings, invaded by foreign hosts, enactd By tat
iustrocg genius who appeared to hold in himself the
secret Of destruction and Of war, when the Corte
fined In beeagured isle, almost without the limits of
tho national soil not only saved the country and wrote
the cpopee Of Independence, but created modern
ciety from the scattered ruins Of ancient systems
These Cortes are coCyinced that the Spanish nation
degenerate in the austeze patria1 virtues that dis
tingahed the founders OF Span.s liberty. When the
that encompass erary epoch Of transition and Of crisis
are gonc BY. tho Spanish people, who, while Your
ehi1en s remain es On our nobie soi w every t1
The fata1e eae1 % goaf Ma}e.y sroSa, sst Vii invest
he bosom Of \ free and Independent nation.
- PALACE OF TIE CoR1Es, Feb. II, 1879.
After the reading Of this reply to the late
Kings message, two committees were appointed,
ono to present the foregoing answer, and an
other to accompany tho royal family to tie FROM
tier. This being done, the President, Senior
RlyeIo, presented an important measure which
had been previously drawn up and signed BY
Ply Margall and others.s Senior Rivero intro
ducod it ia these words:
"Gontlenen: We arc about to bring before
you q proposition: We are entering upon
critical moment the greatest in our history as q
nation expect from you calmness, dignity,
and prudence, for these are the'v1rtues Of srrong
bodies."
The Secretary read: ':We pray Congress to:
approve tho following proposition
. The National Assembly assume a1l powers
aud declare that the Republic is ths form of
government OF the nation, leaving to the Con-
stituent Cortes the organization Of this form Of
government.
Gan executive power, responsible to the Cor
tes themselves, shall be elected by the direct
vote Of tho Cortes-"
bic for its directness. clearuess, and siuplcity.
Senior Pi = Margall said:
do not know gentlemen, Representatives Of the nas
on, whether shall be ablo to preserve this
With in my addresses. am profoundly moved; but
y t.sk Is easier than it appears to be- for what can
say that is not in the mind in tha in the
You had e1ected King and to-day that Kng returns
you the he received from the Constituent Cq-tss
fou have no executive chief you have government.
for the last Ministry who had received ther t1uet from
the King disappeared At the SANG 1soneqt wi;h lie
person who committed 1t to then you have CIV ono
legitimate powe the Cortcs, aud these must Of her.
e1ty assume all powers, Ii the1o -1oy who ou->+ion
this7 You youzsslve4 h.re jus: psoyc, its trulh
But il ths cetez may establish tho legislative fno-
tons, an executive power st uaite, aud we pro-
gGse !? yoa TO elect by d!ct Tote that It may be
And as do not puoso 20 be long and It is not abso-
lutey necessary ior me to bo sc, say this
But oueht we to enter On another period Of id in
<es1m government Ought We to leave the dynasty
out Of It's orbit cut Of its power and not substitute it
fruita borne by meuarcbIes heretofore Firs. you
establish constitutional monarchy in the person OF
Queen By divine right, and you could not reconcile
greas the people demanded the integrity Of human
persona1ty and that Queen and her father beorn her
thought only Of hedging political personality and Of
Topping of the Of the Spanish people. Seeing
her to be Incompatible with your HbeTtos you ban
1ahcd her from the country.
Next, you wanted to try monarchy by popular
right and you elected King to pe1sonify It. Tou a.
ready the result that that t1il has given you Hs
himself conFe1sea that he has not been able to over
the strife Of r:rties and the discard which is
consuming u.s. Divisions have multiplied. disco1d his
Increased, and even rent the very parties vino made the
revolution e sspteinber pe Convinced, then, that
you have createL You must come to tho Republic,
because you who have aid down The great principle
Of national sovereignty, cannot accept than ono
form compatible With tntt great prineple; and tho
monarchy IL not for tue. Is the alienation Ct the
eresgnty To tho hands Of Il family. You cannot
now return to the monarchy; the privileges OF casts
h.s d1s.ppearel and you fetter The Sovereignty
ct tho nation to caste, to Il family.
-Thia sovereign Assembly, then, must at once Iro-
claim tho republic cayng to tho tuture constituent
coss to determine the ORGANIZATION und form Of this
ton is the bore Of tho country: but understand
that in moaens like this 1t Is Incumbent On us III to
a1a md