the hispanic nations of the new world-第11节

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Empire　amounted　to；　therefore；　was　an　agglomeration　of　provinces；　held　together　by　the　personal　prestige　of　a　young　monarch。

Since　the　mother　country　still　held　parts　of　northern　Brazil；　the　Emperor　entrusted　the　energetic　Cochrane；　who　had　performed　such　valiant　service　for　Chile　and　Peru；　with　the　task　of　expelling　the　foreign　soldiery。　When　this　had　been　accomplished　and　a　republican　outbreak　in　the　same　region　had　been　suppressed；　the　more　difficult　task　of　satisfying　all　parties　by　a　constitution　had　to　be　undertaken。　There　were　partisans　of　monarchy　and　advocates　of　republicanism；　men　of　conservative　and　of　liberal　sympathies；　disagreements；　also；　between　the　Brazilians　and　the　native　Portuguese　residents　were　frequent。　So　far　as　possible　Pedro　desired　to　meet　popular　desires；　and　yet　without　imposing　too　many　limitations　on　the　monarchy　itself。　But　in　the　assembly　called　to　draft　the　constitution　the　liberal　members　made　a　determined　effort　to　introduce　republican　forms。　Pedro　thereupon　dissolved　that　body　and　in　1826　promulgated　a　constitution　of　his　own。

The　popularity　of　the　Emperor　thereafter　soon　began　to　wane；　partly　because　of　the　scandalous　character　of　his　private　life；　and　partly　because　he　declined　to　observe　constitutional　restrictions　and　chose　his　ministers　at　will。　His　insistent　war　in　Portugal　to　uphold　the　claims　of　his　daughter　to　the　throne　betrayed；　or　seemed　to　betray；　dynastic　ambitions。　His　inability　to　hold　Uruguay　as　a　Brazilian　province；　and　his　continued　retention　of　foreign　soldiers　who　had　been　employed　in　the　struggle　with　the　Argentine　Confederation；　for　the　apparent　purpose　of　quelling　possible　insurrections　in　the　future；　bred　much　discontent。　So　also　did　the　restraints　he　laid　upon　the　press；　which　had　been　infected　by　the　liberal　movements　in　neighboring　republics。　When　he　failed　to　subdue　these　outbreaks；　his　rule　became　all　the　more　discredited。　Thereupon；　menaced　by　a　dangerous　uprising　at　Rio　de　Janeiro　in　1831；　he　abdicated　the　throne　in　favor　of　his　son；　Pedro；　then　five　years　of　age；　and　set　sail　for　Portugal。

Under　the　influence　of　Great　Britain　the　small　European　mother　country　had　in　1825　recognized　the　independence　of　its　big　transatlantic　dominion；　but　it　was　not　until　1836　that　the　Cortes　of　Spain　authorized　the　Crown　to　enter　upon　negotiations　looking　to　the　same　action　in　regard　to　the　eleven　republics　which　had　sprung　out　of　its　colonial　domain。　Even　then　many　years　elapsed　before　the　mother　country　acknowledged　the　independence　of　them　all。



CHAPTER　V。　THE　AGE　OF　THE　DICTATORS

Independence　without　liberty　and　statehood　without　respect　for　law　are　phrases　which　sum　up　the　situation　in　Spanish　America　after　the　failure　of　Bolivar's　〃great　design。〃　The　outcome　was　a　collection　of　crude　republics；　racked　by　internal　dissension　and　torn　by　mutual　jealousypatrias　bobas；　or　〃foolish　fatherlands；〃　as　one　of　their　own　writers　has　termed　them。

Now　that　the　bond　of　unity　once　supplied　by　Spain　had　been　broken；　the　entire　region　which　had　been　its　continental　domain　in　America　dissolved　awhile　into　its　elements。　The　Spanish　language；　the　traditions　and　customs　of　the　dominant　class；　and　a　〃republican〃　form　of　government；　were　practically　the　sole　ties　which　remained。　Laws；　to　be　sure；　had　been　enacted；　providing　for　the　immediate　or　gradual　abolition　of　negro　slavery　and　for　an　improvement　in　the　status　of　the　Indian　and　half…caste；　but　the　bulk　of　the　inhabitants；　as　in　colonial　times；　remained　outside　of　the　body　politic　and　social。　Though　the　so…called　〃constitutions〃　might　confer　upon　the　colored　inhabitants　all　the　privileges　and　immunities　of　citizens　if　they　could　read　and　write；　and　even　a　chance　to　hold　office　if　they　could　show　possession　of　a　sufficient　income　or　of　a　professional　title　of　some　sort；　their　usual　inability　to　do　either　made　their　privileges　illusory。　Their　only　share　in　public　concerns　lay　in　performing　military　service　at　the　behest　of　their　superiors。　Even　where　the　language　of　the　constitutions　did　not　exclude　the　colored　inhabitants　directly　or　indirectly；　practical　authority　was　exercised　by　dictators　who　played　the　autocrat；　or　by　〃liberators〃　who　aimed　at　the　enjoyment　of　that　function　themselves。

Not　all　the　dictators；　however；　were　selfish　tyrants；　nor　all　the　liberators　mere　pretenders。　Disturbed　conditions　bred　by　twenty　years　of　warfare；　antique　methods　of　industry；　a　backward　commerce；　inadequate　means　of　communication；　and　a　population　ignorant；　superstitious；　and　scant；　made　a　strong　ruler　more　or　less　indispensable。　Whatever　his　official　designation；　the　dictator　was　the　logical　successor　of　the　Spanish　viceroy　or　captain　general；　but　without　the　sense　of　responsibility　or　the　legal　restraint　of　either。　These　circumstances　account　for　that　curious　political　phase　in　the　development　of　the　Spanish　American　nationsthe　presidential　despotism。

On　the　other　hand；　the　men　who　denounced　oppression；　unscrupulousness；　and　venality；　and　who　in　rhetorical　pronunciamentos　urged　the　〃people〃　to　overthrow　the　dictators；　were　often　actuated　by　motives　of　patriotism；　even　though　they　based　their　declarations　on　assumptions　and　assertions；　rather　than　on　principles　and　facts。　Not　infrequently　a　liberator　of　this　sort　became　〃provisional　president〃　until　he　himself；　or　some　person　of　his　choice；　could　be　elected　〃constitutional　president〃two　other　institutions　more　or　less　peculiar　to　Spanish　America。

In　an　atmosphere　of　political　theorizing　mingled　with　ambition　for　personal　advancement；　both　leaders　and　followers　were　professed　devotees　of　constitutions。　No　people；　it　was　thought；　could　maintain　a　real　republic　and　be　a　true　democracy　if　they　did　not　possess　a　written　constitution。　The　longer　this　was；　the　more　precise　its　definition　of　powers　and　liberties；　the　more　authentic　the　republic　and　the　more　genuine　the　democracy　was　thought　to　be。　In　some　countries　the　notion　was　carried　still　farther　by　an　insistence　upon　frequent　changes　in　the　fundamental　law　or　in　the　actual　form　of　government；　not　so　much　to　meet　imperative　needs　as　to　satisfy　a　zest　for　experimentation　or　to　suit　the　whims　of　mercurial　temperaments。　The　congresses；　constituent　assemblies；　and　the　like；　which　drew　these　instruments；　were　supposed　to　be　faithful　reproductions　of　similar　bodies　abroad　and　to　represent　the　popular　will。　In　fact；　however；　they　were　substantially　colonial　cabildos；　enlarged　into　the　semblance　of　a　legislature；　intent　upon　local　or　personal　concerns；　and　lacking　any　national　consciousness。　In　any　case　the　members　were　apt　to　be　creatures　of　a　republican　despot　or　else　delegates　of　politicians　or　petty　factions。

Assuming　that　the　leaders　had　a　fairly　clear　conception　of　what　they　wanted；　even　if　the　mass　of　their　adherents　did　not；　it　is　possible　to　aline　the　factions　or　parties　somewhat　as　follows：　on　the　one　hand；　the　unitary；　the　military；　the　clerical；　the　conservative；　and　the　moderate；　on　the　other；the　federalist；　the　civilian；　the　lay；　the　liberal；　and　the　radical。　Interspersed　among　them　were　the　advocates　of　a　presidential　or　congressional　system　like　that　of　the　United　States；　the　upholders　of　a　parliamentary　regime　like　that　of　European　nations；　and　the　supporters　of　methods　of　government　of　a　more　experimental　kind。　Broadly　speaking；　the　line　of　cleavage　was　made　by　opinions；　concerning　the　form　of　government　and　by　convictions　regarding　the　relations　of　Church　and　State。　These　opinions　were　mainly　a　product　of　revolutionary　experience；　these　convictions；　on　the　other　hand；　were　a　bequest　from　colonial　times。

The　Unitaries　wished　to　have　a　system　of　government　modeled　upon　that　of　France。　They　wanted　the　various　provinces　made　into　administrative　districts　over　which　the　national　authority　should　exercise　full　sway。　Their　direct　opponents；　the　Federalists；　resembled　to　some　extent　the　Antifederalists　rather　than　the　party　bearing　the　former　title　in　the　earlier　history　of　the　United　States；　but　even　here　an　exact　analogy　fails。　They　did　not　seek　to　have　the　provinces　enjoy　local　self…government　or　to　have　perpetuated　the　traditions　of　a　sort　of　municipal　home　rule　handed　down　from　the　colonial　cabildos；　so　much　as　to　secure　the　recognition　of　a　number　of　isolated　villages　or　small　towns　as　sovereign　stateswhich　meant　turning　them　over　as　fiefs　to　their　local　chieftains。　Federalism；　therefore；　was　the　Spanish　American　expression　for　a　feudalism　upheld　by　military　lordlets　and　their　retainers。

Among　the　measures　of　reform　introduced　by　one　republic　or　another　during　the　revolutionary　period；　abolition　of　the　Inquisition　had　been　one　of　the　foremost；　otherwise　comparatively　little　was　done　to　curb　the　influence　of　the　Church。　Indeed　the　earlier　constitutions　regularly　contained　articles　declaring　Roman　Catholicism　the　sole　legal　faith　as　well　as　the　religion　of　the　state；　and　safeguarding　in　other　respects　its　prestige　in　the　community。　Here　was　an　institution；　wealthy；　proud；　and　influential；　which　declined　to　yield　its　ancient　prerogatives　and　privileges　and　to　that　end　relied　upon　the　support　of　clericals　and　conservatives　who　disliked　innovations　of　a　democratic　sort　and　viewed　askance　the　entry　of　immigrants　professing　a