The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-09
SKETCH OF CANovAs.
His Title 10 Fame BASED on Work for
constitutional Monarchy.

editor of the Patria, in which he defended
/ Conservative ideas. About this time he
| published a volume of lyric poems and a
| series Of historical papers. He was in doubt
whether to follow a literary or a political
career, but soon found himself turned to
! politics by the course of events In 1852
he was named deputy for Malaga and from
| that time to his death had never ceased to
| occupy a seat in the Cortes In 1856 he
was charge d'affaires at Rome and pre-
pared the historical memorandum on the
relations Of Spain with the Holy See which
| served as basis for the Concordat.
After serving the crown as Governor of
| Cadiz in 1855, director general of the ad-
ministration from 1858 to 1861, and lastly, in
| that same year, as under secretary of state
for the interior, the Queen called him to
| the Ministry as a member Of the Mon Cabi-
net. In 1865 he held the portfolios OF finance
and the colonies in the O'Donnen Cabinet,
and it devolved on him to draw up the
law for the abolition of the slave trade
| Shortly before the revolution of 1868 he be-
| came especially conspicuous as one of the
last to defend with energy in the Cortes
! the principle Of blending liberal and concil-
| iatory IDEAS with the constitutional mon
| archy when all the parties that had sup
! ported this political doctrine had deserted
| the Parliament He was banished short
| time before the revolution occurred and
| took no part in it,
In the face of the triumphant revolution
| after his return from exile and in the full
! constituent assembly of 1868 supported by
| Senors Eldpayem, Bugallal and two others
he hoisted the standard of legitimate and
constitutional monarchy. This is his great
est title to fame. His fidelity and ability
finally secured for him the supreme direc-
| ton of the Alfonsist party. and on the Droc-
| lamation of Alfonso XII as King on Dec
| 81 1874, Senor CanoVas del Castillo became
| president or the Council and chief of the
! new Canlnet, called the Cabinet of Concilia~
! ton. lie retired in September 1873, be-
! cause or the demands of the extreme Con-
| serNauVe s5 at party but he was called back to
! the presidency of the Council on Dec. Of
! ,1le same year and charged particularly with
| the direction OF the first legislative cleo
! tlonS OF the new regime He was himself
| elected to the Cortes from the city of
! Madrid in January, 1876. 1t devolVed on
| MN then TO repress the second attempt OF
| the CarnstS TO bring on a civil war and
| TO deal with the first insurrection in Cuba
| with the exception of an interval of a few
months he continued to hold the premier
! SNIP doWn TO 1879, when, on the return Of
! Marshal Martinez CampOs from Cuba, he
retired from the premiership and was sue
| ceeded by Campos, who accepted as his
| colleagues the principal associates of Senior
CanOVas, The opposition raised 10 the pol
| icy of Campos soon forced him to retire
| ASs4SNSo' NNIty Oh
and hnally defeated the free-trade and
emancipation projects OF Campos.
on the reassemblng of the Cortes in De-
| cemoer, 1879, Campos gave up the attempt
! TO conduct the government and Senior Ca
noVas formed a new Cabinet on Dec. TO-
| with a second Cuban insurrection to be
| dealt with. He charged General Blanco
| with this task, but the reactionary ten
dency of his home policy became more and
| more marked until the financial projects in
which he wished to embark drew on him
th the pitter % attacks not only Of Castelar, and
ana Sagasta, ana he was compelled to re-
sign. In 1881 he returned again to power
| but his Conservative Cabinet was speedily
| oVefthfoWn and coalition government ". tn
| Sagasta and CampoS at its head took the
reins of affairs AT the general election of
| the same year he was returned to the Cor
tes from Madrid and became the chief
| spokesman of the intermediate party known
as the party Of Conservative Liberals. On
| Jan. Is, 1881, he was called on to form a
| Conservative Ministry. In order to secure
| a majority devoted like himself, TO ideas
OF order and liberty in harmony with the
| monarchical principle, he dissolved the Cor
| ties and the new elections resulted favor
| ably. But on Nov. 26, 1885, on the question
! of the occupation of the Caroline islands by
| Germany, he was again compelled to re-
| sign, being succeeded by Senior Sagasta
| The same day he was elected president of
| the Chamber by 222 votes against 112 cast
! for Senior Romero Robledo, and he signal
lzed his entrance upon his new functions by
funeral eulogy of King Alfonso XII who
| had died the previous day.
In 1890 another reversal brought him back
! into power and on July he took the pres
| idency of a Conservative Cabinet. replac-
| ing the Liberal Ministry of Sagasta. Two
| years later the pendulum swung to the op-
| posite extreme, and the Liberals, under
| Senor Sagasta won the general elections
! and retained power until 1885, when diSa-
| greements in the Sagasta Cabinet led the
| Queen Regent to summon CanoVaS again
| to tho premiership.
Canovas came last into power on Feb. 7,
| 1S95 A number of officers had broken into
| and pillaged the offices of various news
| papers which had made insinuations against
| the conduct Of officers engaged in suppress
| ing the Cuban revolt. The war minister
seemed to support the officers whereas the
premier, Senor Sagasta, ordered the jour
nalists to be protected. This led to the re-
| tircment of the Ministry. Marshal Campos
was temporarily made captain general of
vailed. Finally Senor Canovas formed a
| Ministry, although he lacked the support of
| q section of the Conservative party. The
| government was defeated on a vote of CEN
| sure on June g. 1895, but did not resign.
! The general elections of April, 1896,
| turned an overwhelming majority to the
| Cortes in favor of the policy of the Canovas
that the ministerialists carried many of
| the election districts by gross frauds On
! June last Senor Canovas rendered the
| resignation of the Cabinet, owing to the diff
| hculty ministers experienced in carrying on
| the government in view of the parlia-
| mentary situation caused by the refusal of
| the Liberals to take part in the delibera-
| tions of the Cortes. This attitude of the
| Liberals was due to a personal encounter
| foreign affairs and Professor Comas, a dis
| tinguished Liberal senator, on May q, when
the duke slapped the face of the professor
after a heated debate on the Morgan reso-
luton adopted by the United States SEN
ate After four days of conference with the
leaders of all political parties the Queen
! Regent requested him to withdraw the res
ignatiOn of the Cabinet, and he did So be-
ing confirmed by the crown in his minis
| terial powers with the personnel ( nd pol
| lev of the Cabinet unchanged.
Senior CanOVaS was the author of numer-
Gus works in moral and political science
and Of History OF the House of Austria,
which is in high repute, and History of
the Decline of Spain from the Accession of
Philip III to the Death of Charles II.
which ranks favorably among works of its
class from Spanish writer's. Under the
title of Eel Sohtario," he published a mon
| ograph dedicated to one Of his uncles Este
banes Calderon OF his literary studies
| fine one Of most general interest Is a volume
on the contemporary Spanish theater
| which appeared in 1856.
He had received the insignia of the Order
| of the Red Eagle from the Emperor of
! Germany. the Grand Cross of the order of
the Tower and Sword from the King Of
Portugal and the Golden Fleece from the
! King OF Spain.
GEN. WoODFORD INTERVIEWED.
VIII Probably Hasten His Departure
from London for Spain.
LONDON. Aug. S-The news OF the as
| communicated Nv tho A.