Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-01-02
Party LIGes In spain

Madrid NOV. y Cor. Of London Times
The Congreso is IA fine building;
the horSe-shoe-shape debating
chamber, capable of seating, say,
1900 people, has two fine paint
ings, and is splendidly lit up. At
2:30 each day (say Sunday this
House of Commons sits. The Presi-
dent, the aged Posada Herrera, sits
on his throne, his two gorgeously
attired mace-bearers on either side.
his eyer-ready "call to order" bell
close to his hand. In front of him
is the "tribuna," from which fa-
vored government orators are privi-
legged to speak ON grand occasions.
In the raised tier Of benches to the
left sit "the opposition" i. e., the
Constitutionalists, who own Sagasta
as their leader; the Radicals, who
own as their leader the eloquent
Marquis Of Sardoal; and .the old
Moderados, who have no leader at
all of any eminence as a debater
or orator; and the Republicans,
who own CASTELAR, as their
leader. In the raised tiers in
the center, fronting the President,
sit the "Left and Right Center:"
they own respectively the discreet
Alonzo Martinez, now famous for
his most nebulous, but yet honest
opinion on Article XI., lately pub
lished in the Times, and the aged
Santa Cruz as their leaders. On
the right Of the President sit, on
the lowest bench, called "Banco
Azul," or purple bench, the eight
ministers, viz. of marine, public
works, finance, home affairs, State,
war, foreign affairs, grace and JUS
tice, and the President or prime
minister, Senior Canoyas and in
the tiers above the ministers sit in
swarms the ministerial NJ. P.'s,
hardly one of whom is, in any
sense, d man of note. The Sagas-
tinos, or constitutional party, now
growing daily, have barely thirty
Representatives. The Republicans
have only two, viz, CASTELAR, and
Anglada. Yet all Andalusia and
Catalonia is distinctly Republican,
The Radicals have only two Repre-
sentativeq, the Marquis of Sardoal
and an unknown mau, 0falOyietta.
The Ultra -ModeradoS are small in
numbers. So, then, ola House num-
bering about 400 or 800 NJ. P's,
Representatives of country one
third of which is Liberal and anti
Ministerial, we have we say, sixty
NJ. P.'s as representative of the
The secret of this over
whelming force of NJ. P.'s in {" the
majority" of Senor Canova8 is easily
In the spring elections
the Liberal voters werD imprisoned
during the election. This fact 4
telegrapAed to you at the time.
The House, then, cannot be di-
vided into " Liberals" +" and FReac-
tionists," nor, as of old, into
" Motana blanca" and "Motana
"-i. e., white tiers and red
tiers. 1t has-frst, Ministerialists;
second, Constitutionalists; third,
BLoderados; fourth, Radicals; fifth,
Republicans. Still, as a rule, the
vote With, and the Rad
icals, Republicans and Constitution
1liSts join in voting against the
government party or Materialists.
The study Of the " DIVIDED center"
is strange indeed. On the one side
Martinez (Alonzo) and his party
sit, having only split with the other
party of Centrallsts on the much
Yexed qvestion Of Article XI.
Alonzo Martinez thinks the article
good, but that the Methodist
Or Presbyterian propaganda sign
boards should not have been
painted out. Santa Cruz, on
the other hand, agrees SO far with
the government as to think the act
TO have been advisable. 1t will be
said; "Alonzo Martinez was a true
5agastino." So he was, but he and
bis party now call themselves Soon
stitutionales dissidentes," simply
because sagasta must, if an honest
man, support as still VICENTE and
legal the constitution of 1859, while