Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-06-13
SoAEN u.


a Federal Republican, as President of
the Constituent Cortes of Spain, is
considered to indicc te the formation of
Il government similar to that Of the
United States, the Federal Republican
Party being in favor of the supremacy
of the State authority and the restric
ton of the Central authority t. certain
well defined powers. The Unionists
on the other hand advocate a strong
Central government and Il weaker
State government Accustomed as we
have been to regard Spain as single
sovereignty, one and indivisible, and
bearing IL mind also the American
habit for each State and Territory to
have an existence as Il distinct po-
litical organization, prior to any mem
bership in the Federal Union, it
sounds somewhat strange to talk about
constructing Spanish Federal Re
public
The difficulty is more i'll appearance,
however,. ttan in reality, even with
our American notion, that the Federal
Government is the creature and not
the creator Of the States, as will be
seen by glance at Span sG History.
Spain was formerly divided into a
number Of pl ovinces which formed as
many separate governments under the
Moors as under the Christian chief
tains. The whole were united under
one head about rhe close of the
fifteenth century, but the divisions
and even The titles fgeneraily of King
d9ms) were retained, and were
attended with consequent discrepan-
c;es in the mode OF the administration
of the government. Actually the
twelve ancient divisions of Spain, in
elusive of the adjacent islands, are
divided into forty-line provinces as
follows
1. Ne,o Madrid, Guadalax-
ara, Toledo, Cuenca, Ciudad Real.
2. Old CusHle-Burgos, Logrono,
oantander, ityieia, s-oria, SegoTia,
Avila, Leon, palencia, Nalladolid.
Salamanca, Zamora.
3. Corunna, Lugo, Orense,
| POntevettra.
! f. ,:istrc mor!tra-Bada5oz Caceres.
). Seville, Huelva, Ca
dz, Jaen, Cordova.
/ 6. r0uHdG-Granaia Almeri?
! Malaga.
/ 7. i'olcnrt4- Nalene.tss ALICANTE, Cas-
te lon-de-la-H -Hiana. MErc;a, Albacete.
! g. Cteatoaiu- Barcelona, Tarragona,
Lcrida, Gerona.
8. I,.oyrn-l larasoza, Huesca, je-
ruel.
10. Nuratrc- Navarro.
IL. Guipn&coa-Alva, Biscay, Gui-
puscoa.
II. L,iaDds- Bealearic Islands. Can
airy Islant.s.
PREscorr, IN his history of Ferdi-
nand and isabella, tells us that
sFnr several hundred years after
the great Saracen invasion, IN the be-
| ginning of the eighth century
| SPAN was broken up lllto 81 HtiilI
Der of small but independent States.
divided in their interests, and
,ften in deadly hostility wifh one
anotha'. 1t was inhabited by races
the most diss inlilar III their origin, re-
lgion and goye 'nment, the least I'M
portant Of which has exerted senslGlt
Influence pn tt,s, char.ctcf and ltisatU
tions of it's present inhabitants.
Being Thus already separated, IN
certain sort, into distinct political oil
visions differing, more or less, i'll man
ners, customs, traiiiinns an1.tt laws 4
Spain seems.to Ge perhaps III bette
con ion to ra.m a Federal RerubE
; than any other European lnon; FohF.
: A truly Federal Republic, such a
orr forefatbers instituted, we loo
t mon as the best form of goyernmen
, vet devised by man, and We sinGelel
3 trust ths people nf apa1n will be ahl
- ao establish and maintain one like Il
t AS for that so-cailed Federal RepubE
2 in which the Central Government ba
l all the power lnQ til- State Govern
I ments have none; it differs from an
Oh er despotism 80 little, save IN nam'
/ that it is not worth the horrors OF wi
| its establishment will eitail.
. H.----.-...--
Th. annual meeting Of the stocl