The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-08-29

The civil war IN the Peninsula has attract ,
cd 50 much attention lately that it becomes
interesting to cast a glance at the man for the |
SUPPORT or the defeat Of whose prctCnsOnS SO
much blood has been shed and so much trca
sure wasted in Spain. Who is Don Carlos !
and what are his rights to the throne heI
claims?
When Philip ', son of Louis XIV, be
came, after the Treaty of Utrecht the rcCOg-
missed King OF Spain, it was decided by the
European powers that, with avew to prevent
any possible union between the crowns OF
Spain and France, through matrimonial al
lance, the Sa!iC law of inheritance should be
introduced in the peninsula. Philip, who
was then most anxious TO establish dynasty
of his own on the throne which he assembled,
readily agreed to this, and from and after the
year 1913 the female heirs in q direct line of
descent were deprived Of the right OF inheri-
lance of the crown 50 long as there were male
relatives in lateral line. brothers of king
of Spain obtained thus preference over
his daughters The law was thoroughly
new one in the country. From time immem-
orial women had sat upon the thrones Of the
various Kingdoms, and it was through inter.
marriage of their soyereigns that the differ.
cnt mOnarChes tAsturiaS, Navarro, Aragon,
Catalonia, CASTLE ETC. into which the PENN
gula was formerly divided, became united in
what He now call Spain. The final consoli-
dalton Of the new kingdom took place through
the marriage Of Ferdinand and Isabella the
Catholic.
Thus the Carlist assertion that the saliC law
| is Fundamental law Of ancient Spain is
false 1t is u purely Bourbon law, establish
Cd by that dynasty IN its own interest and in
the French tashion--that is to say, without
the advice or dcliberatiOn Of the Cortcs, to
whom il WAS communicated "a an 0Vtp dc0r-
dFtiO 1nGC'" oCtrS2e.
When, after Napoleon's invasion, Ferdi-
nand VII. was restored to the throne, this
law was still in force and according to all
the probabilities It was his brother Don Car.
los subsequently known as the Pretendcr
Charles W that would succeed to the throne
after the death Of the King, who had been
married three times, and had no children by
either of his wives. In 1929, however Ferdi-
nand married once more. This time his
choice fell upon Princess whom he had new
err seen but who belonged to the House of the
Neapoltan BUurbons, which is proyerbially
very prolific. The young Maria Christina
NOV, III her old age, married to Senior Mu-
nOZ, Duke of RianZaTes, and residing in Par
| isl proved to be worthy of the reputation of
her family, for notwithstanding that Fcrdl-
nand was an old and sick man, She brought
! him two daughters in the three years they
! lived together. One Of these is the eX-Queen
Isabella; the othtr IS Maria Louisa Duchess
| of Montpcnsicr.
| The moment Maria Christina was recog.
Missed as a possible mother, her Neapoltan
relatives began to work for the abrogation of
the salic law, and the young Queen herself
cXcrtcd all her influence upon her idiotic hus-
| band to attain the same object When lsa-
| bella was born the saliC law was accordingly
! abrOCatcd, the ancient form of inheritance
was introduced once more, and Isabella was
/ declared heir to the throne. When Ferdi-
| nanG died she was a baby two years old, and
| her mother was appointed Regent.
| Don Carlos, who was thus deprived of the
/ right of inheritance, protested, refused to give
/ his oath of allegiance 10 his niece, took flight
/ To Portugal and thence 10 England, and in a
/ few months appeared in the Basque provinces
| at the head of his armed partisans. That was
1 the beginning Of Carlism and Of the so-called
| seven years ClS3G-lSi0l.
/ That Carlism succeeded then in rising to
! life ut all was due to the circumstances that
/ the party of Isabella was Consided The liberal
uariv-;hat il counted all the advanced"
men on It's side. and CnioyCd the support of
/ the courts OF France ard England The Car
/ lists. on the other hand, represented the CON
/ sCryatiyc elements and naturally included
/ the mass Of the clergy and Of the rural and
mountain populations. The struggle was
| thus perfectly lndentical with that which was
carried on all through Europe at that time.
/ Isabella was supposed to represent parlia-
mcntary system of government and the youn-
/ ger branch of Spanish BourbonS, rs against
/ the monarchy OF divine right; just as Louis
! Philippe represented the younger branch of
Spanish BOurbOas and liberia! reforms IL
France.
Aflcr the close OF the seven years war,
Charles Y. was "iu,c-uCl' AZ Bcurges, and