Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-14
Palmarola, his secretary, Immediately
after the receipt of the cable announc'
ing the assassination of Canovas.
LIFE OF cANovAs.
How He Rose from the Masses to Head
of the Ministry.


born of humble parents at Malaga,
February 8, 1928. He took the course in
philosophy and law in the university at
Madrid and began his career as 1ournal-
ist In 1851 he made his debut under the
patronage of Sonora Rios. Rosas and Pa
checo, as chief editor of the Patrla, In
which he defended conservative IDEAS
About this time he published a volume OF
lyric poems and q series of historical pa
pers. 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 ne was named
deputy for Malaga, and from that time to
his death had never ceased to occopy a.
scat in the cortes. In 1856 he was charge
d d'affaires at Rome and prepared the his
torical memorandum on the relations OF
Spain with the holy see which served aa
a basis for the concordat.
After serving the crown as governor OF
Cadiz in 1855, director-general of the nd
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 member of the Mon
cabinet. In 1865 he held the portfolios OF
finance and the colonies in the O'Donnetl
cabinet, and 1t devolved upon him to draw
up the law for the abolition of the slave
trade. Shortly before the revolution OF
1868 he became especially conspicuous as
one of the last to defend with energy in the
cortes the principle of blending liberal and
conciiatory ideas with the constitutional
monarchy, when all the parties that had
supported this political doctrine had de-
serted the parliament.
His Title to Fame.
He was banished short time before the
| revolution occurred, and took no part in X.
In the face of the triumphant revolution,
after his return from exile and in the full
| constituent assembly of 1865 supported by
| Senors Elduayem, Bugallel and two
others, he hoisted the standard of legiti-
mate and constitutional monarchy. This
is his greatest title to fame. His fidelity
and ability finally secured for him the SUI
preme direction of the Alfonsist party:
| and on the proclamation of Alfonso XII.
as king on December 81, 1874, Senior Can
| ovas del Castillo became president of the
| council and chief of the new cabinet, called
the cabinet of conciliation. He retired in
| September, 1875, because of the demands
of the extreme conservative party, but he
| was called back to the presidency of tho
| council on December of the same year
charged particularly with the direction
| of the first Legislative elections of the new
regime. He was himself elected to the
cortes from the city of Madrid in Janu-
ary, 1876 1t devolved upon him then to
repress the second attempt of the Carlists
to bring on 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 pre-
miership down to 1879. when, on the re-
turn of Marshal Martinez CampoS from
Cuba he retired from the premiership. and
was succeeded by Campos who accepted
as his colleagues the principal associates
of Senior Canovas The opposition raised to
the policy of Campos soon forced him to
retire. Senior Canovas skillfully resisted,
delayed and finally defeated the free trade
and emancipation projects of Campos. On
the reassembling of the cortes in Decem-
ber, 1879, Campos gave up the attempt to
conduct the government, and Senor Can
ovas formed a new cabinet on December
10, with a second Cuban insurrection to
be dealt with. He charged Gen. Blanco
with this task but the reactionary tendency
of his home policy became more and more
marked until the financial projects in
which he wished to embark drew upon him
the bitter attacks not only of Castelar, and
the republicans, but also those of Cam
pos and sagasta, and he was compelled
to resign. In 1881 he returned again to
power but his conservative cabinet was
speedily overthrown and coalition gov
ernment with Sagasta and Campos at its
head took the reins of affairs
Returned to Power Again.
At the general election of the same year
he was returned to the court and from
Madrid. and became the chief and spokes
man of the intermediate party known al
the party of conservative liberals. On Jan
, uary IS, 1884, he was called upon to form {
conservative ministry. In order to secure
majority devoted, like himself, to idea:
OF order and of liberty, in harmony will
the monarchical principle, he dissolved the
cortes, and the new elections resulted IA
vorably. But on November 20, 1885, on th'
question of the occupation of the Caroline
islands by Germany, he was again com
PEELED to resign, being succeeded by Senoi
a Sagasta. The same day he was electet
president of the chamber by 222 vote,
against 112 cast for Senor Romero Robledo
and he signalized his entrance upon hi
new functions by funeral eulogy of KIM
Alfonso XIII, who had died the previous
day. In 1890 another reversal brought hin
back into power, and on July he took th
= presidency of a conservative cabinet re
placing the liberal ministry of Sagasta
Two years later the pendulum swung to tn
opposite extreme, aud the liberals, unde
Senor Sagasta, won the general elections
= | and retained power until 1895, when disa
!, greements in the Sagasta cabinet led tn
queen to summon Canovas again to tn
: premiership.
/, His Last Recall.
5 Canovas came last into power on Febru
"a | airy Z, 1896 A number of officers had brokel
E and pillaged the offices of various newspa
! pers which had made insinuations agains
u the conduct of officers engaged in suppress
Il ing the Cuban revolt. The war ministe
seemed to support the officers, whereas tn
- premier. Senior Sagasta, ordered the joul
! nalists to be protected. This led to the re
V tirement of the ministry. Marshal Cam
a pos was temporarily made captain geners
of Madrid, and the greatest eXcitemen
J. prevailed. Finally Senior CanoVas forme
) a ministry, although he lacked the supper
of a section of the conservative party.
The government was defeated on a vot
of censure on June 3, 1895, but did not re
= sign. The general elections of April, lS9
II returned an overwhelming majority to tn
:, cortes in favor of the policy of the Car
u ovas cabinet, though the oppositio
l. charged that the ministerialists carrie
d many of the election districts by gros
=, frauds. June last Senior Canovas ter
', dered the resignation of the cabinet, ow
~ ing to the difficulty the ministers eXper
T. enced in carrying on the government
l. view of the parliamentary situation cause
by the refusal of the liberals to take paI
T. in the deliberations of the cortes. ,Th
e attitude of the liberals was due to pei
II sonal encounter between the duke
=, Tetuan, minister of foreign affairs, an
y Prof. Comas, a distinguished liberal SCI
ator, May 21, when the duke slapped ii
face OF the professor after a heated d'
bate on the Morgan resolution adopted h
the United States senate After four day
N of conference with the leaders of all pt
litical parties, the queen-regent requisite
X him to withdraw the resignation OF II
cabinet and he did So being conflrmt