640 



SPADT. 



which stipulate for subsidies to foreign powers, and all 

 those which individually affect Spaniards ; in no case 

 may secret articles of a treaty modify the public 

 ones. 5. To concede amnesties, and general indul- 

 gences. 6. To contract matrimony himself, and to 

 permit it to be contracted by the persons who, being 

 his subjects, have the right to succeed to the crown 

 according to the Constitution. 7. To , abdicate the 

 crown. To the executive power belongs the faculty of 

 making rules for the fulfilment and application of the 

 laws previous to the requisites the same supply^ The 

 dotation of the King will be fixed at the beginning 



itary t 



regular order of primogeniture, always preferring the 

 nearest lines in the same line always preferring the 

 male to the female, and in the same sex the oldest to 

 the youngest. Should the dynasty which is called to the 

 possession of the crown become extinct, the Cortes will 

 proceed to a new choice, as may best suit the nation. 

 When the King dies, the new King will swear to guard 

 the constitution and the laws in the same mode 

 and in the same terms as the Cortes may decree for 

 the first occupant of the throne according to the Con- 

 stitution. The Prince of Asturias will take the same 

 'oaths when he attains eighteen years of age. The 

 Cortes will exclude from the succession those per- 

 sons who may be incapable of governing, or who 

 may have done any thing to merit the loss of the 

 right to the crown. When a female reigns, her hus- 

 band will have no part in the government of the 

 kingdom. The King is of age at eighteen. The 

 first articles refer to the powers exercised by minis- 

 ters, and the public forces and taxes. Ministers not 

 members of either of the Chambers cannot take part 

 in the debates. Ministers may be impeached'by the 

 Lower House, and will be judged by the Senate. 

 Trial by jury is established alike for political and or- 

 dinary offences. 



The document was signed by Salustiano de 

 Olozaga, President, and the Committee of 

 Thirteen. The ministry, on finding the chances 

 of the Duke de Montpensier to the throne very 

 doubtful, applied in April to Don Fernando, 

 ex-Eegent of Portugal, but he refused the offer 

 of the Spanish crown. 



On April 19th, the Minister of Finances pre- 

 sented his budget. He estimates the receipts 

 at 2,141,000,000 reales, of which 473,000,000 

 are derived from taxes upon landed property, 

 120,000,000 from taxes upon articles of com- 

 merce, and 45, 000, 000 from the succession duty. 

 The salt and tobacco monopolies are to be 

 abolished in 1870, and various modifications 

 will be made in the tariff". He proposed to 

 effect a reform in the system of prohibitory- 

 duties, after a period of six years, by gradually- 

 reducing such duties. He recommends that 

 the amount of the floating debt be fixed by 

 law at 600,000,000 reales. 



The discussion of the Constitution began 

 April 6th. In the debate on April 22d, the 

 clauses granting the liberty of the press and the 

 freedom of public meeting were adopted, after 

 an amendment empowering the authorities to 

 inspect the contents of newspapers before 

 publication had been suspended. A bill of 

 amnesty was passed by the Cortes on May 1st. 



Oh May 5th a Carlist conspiracy was dis- 

 covered at Barcelona. Its discovery led to 

 the arrest of thirty-six persons, among whom 

 there were several superior officers. 



In the sitting of the Constituent Cortes on 

 May 12th, the discussion on the draft of the 

 Constitution was renewed. Article 31, re- 

 lating to the circumstances under which the 

 constitutional guarantees may be suspended, 

 was adopted by 96 votes against 56. The 

 Cortes rejected a proposition of Bettor Orense 

 to add a clause proclaiming the abolition of 

 slavery in the Spanish colonies. Sefior Olo- 

 zaga and Admiral Topete said that both the 

 Government and the nation wished for the 

 abolition of slavery, but that it must not be 

 effected in a manner prejudicial to established 

 interests. An amendment to the constitution 

 was proposed by the Eepublicans, to the effect 

 that all powers emanate from the nation, and 

 all persons to whom they are intrusted must 

 be elected by and held responsible to the peo- 

 ple, .which was agreed to. An amendment 

 tending to the establishment of a federal re- 

 public was rejected by 182 against 64. A 

 proposition was consequently made to create a 

 triennial Directory, to be appointed by the 

 Cortes. Fearing that civil war was imminent, 

 the Cortes were ready to accept even the 

 proposition for a regency. Amendments re- 

 quiring the King to be a native of Spain, and 

 that he be elected by a plebiscitum, were re- 

 jected. The Cortes then passed the monarchy 

 clause of the Constitution, and, on May 21st, 

 hereditary monarchy was adopted by 214 votes 

 against 71. On this occasion, Castellar made 

 a great effort in favor of establishing a repub- 

 lic, eloquently referring to the example of the 

 United States, and praising their form of gov- 

 ernment with enthusiasm. His declarations 

 were responded to by great agitation in Barce- 

 lona and Saragossa in favor of a republic. On 

 May 10th the Government approved the bill 

 establishing religious liberty, by 156 votes 

 against 31, in consequence of which vote the 

 Ultramontane members, except one, declared 

 their resignation. On June 1st the Consti- 

 tuent Cortes adopted the new Constitution by 

 a vote of 214 against 55. After the vote was 

 declared, Seflor Figueras, amid much enthu- 

 siasm, announced that the Republicans, though 

 opposed to those clauses of the Constitution 

 which provided for the establishment of a 

 monarchy, would support them. The motion 

 made by the Republicans, that the standing 

 army in Spain be reduced from 85,000 to 25,000, 

 was lost by a vote of 173 against 53. 



The Constitution was promulgated with great 

 pomp on June 6th. The members of the Ex- 

 ecutive Council of the nation, together with 

 the deputies to the Cortes, went out of the 

 Chambers to a platform which had been erected 

 in front of the halls of Congress. After the. 

 deputies had taken their allotted places and 

 silence was obtained the secretary commenced 

 to read the Constitution, which was received 

 with loud cheers by the great mass of peo- 

 ple assembled in front of the stand. On their 

 return to the Chambers the deputies took the 

 oath to protect the Constitution and the laws. 



