date

[clxii. 2] 1820 July 24 Emancipation
[clxii. 2]

1820 July 24

Emancipation Spanish

Reasons for Emancipation.

Summary

I. Any dominion exercised over Spanish America or any part of that country by the ruling few in Spain would be detrimental in every point of view to the interest of the subject many (a) in Spain: and this, even although, on hearing of the happy change, the people over whom the dominion were thus to be exercised were not only contented but unanimously and anxiously desirous to submitt to it. It would be detrimental - in the first place in a pecuniary, or say a financial point of view. For

1 The expence to the subject many in Spain would even on the above supposition be very considerable. A military establishment, by land and sea together, over and above what would be kept up were there no such dominion would be regarded as necessary, to be kept up: to be kept up - partly for the eventual defence of the dominion against eventual foreign aggression, (b) partly against discontent disobedience and revolt in this or that part of Spanish America itself, when the exaltation and ferment of thoughtless sympathy had been succeeded by calm reflection, operating upon inevitably unpleasant experience. To set against this expence, the net supply of money and money's worth, furnished by means of the dominion by Spanish America to Spain and thus contributing by its removal to save taxes in Spain would perhaps be nothing: at any rate not equal to the expence.

Such saving could not be made to the subject many in Spain, but at the charge of the people - subject many and ruling few together - in Spanish America: and to this charge it serves not only to say what it is that can tend to dispose them to submitt after the change, howsoever disposed before. The charges of conveyance suffice to render every such supply more burthensome to Spanish America than beneficial to Spain.

Notes

(a) To the ruling few, no; but beneficial. But of this presently.

(b) For example from the United States, England, Portugal France.
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    '.2. Still more if averse; as, under the Constitution, they can not but be.

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