date

1822 March 24 Rid Yourselves
1822 March 24

Rid Yourselves

Letter 3 Ultramaria Submissive

They are to contribute a mark a day. In what is your benefit?

Submission has place in Ultramaria has place [...?] in every Province

and in every part of every Province. Such is the supposition, to the admission of

which I stand bound.

But, submission - for what length of time? to no length of time do I

stand bound. I say [...?] for the first moment, but no longer. For, granting that

they had never /the matter had never been/ looked at before, the second moment I have

a right to suppose them looking into the Constitutional Code: that Code which

according to the framers of it, as stated in the very first Article belongs as much

to them the Ultramarians as to you the Peninsula Spaniards. Looking forwards in the

Code, they have not to look any further than Article 8, before they find these words

/stands obliged every/ Spaniard without any distinction whatsoever, obliged without

any distinction to contribute in proportion to his possession, to the expences of the

State. Well then under this Article, in each Ultramarian Province, each Spaniard -

each inhabitant suppose - contributes to the expences of that portion of the State,

in exact proportion to his possessions. To this, under the Article in question, no

reasonable objection can be made. But when a contribution to this amount has been

made by him, no further contribution consistently with this Article can your rulers

call upon him for. For, in an Ultramarian Province suppose the Article in so far

fulfilled that towards the incumbrances of Government in that Province - or if you

please say towards the incumbrances of government in all Ultramarian Provinces taken

together every man has been contributed in proportion to his means: in addition to

this will he be called upon to send any money or moneys worth to Spain for your use?

If so, then is this Article violated. Unless an equal sum is sent to Ultramaria from

the Peninsula: and in this case there is no gain from the receipt: on the contrary,

there is loss by the expence and trouble of importation and exportation: so much real

loss.

In vain would any one say - in addition to the expence of government in Ultramaria,

a sum will under this Article be requisite, as the quota of the Ultramarian Province

for the common defence of the two Spains. To prove that under this Article any such

contribution is required, one thing necessary would be necessary to be proved and

proved to their satisfaction is - that the common defence of both be more effectually

and advantageously provided for by their sending money from Ultramarian Spain to

Peninsula Spain than it would be either by sending money from Peninsula Spain to

Ultramarian Spain or by leaving to be employed in Ultramarian Spain the money

necessary to the defence of Ultramarian Spain and in Peninsula Spain the money

necessary to the defence of Peninsula Spain of this argument. But if the money is to

stay in Ultramarian Spain till this proof has been made, the arrival of any such

money among you in Peninsula Spain does not promise to be a very speedy one
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    Description: 1820. Dec r. 23 d.

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    Part I.

    Lett. 3 Ultramaria Submissive

    But if, at the expence of Ultramaria money or money's worth in amount

    of the burthen in the Peninsula - and this paid voluntarily and with full

    satisfaction on the part of those by whom it is paid, let us see from what sources in

    particular it must come.

    1. Supposable source the first. Taxation at large.

    Upon the first mention, it can scarcely fail to be acknowledged, that,

    in the shape, for any such a purpose as that in question, any such contribution as a

    voluntary one - voluntary one - voluntary in any such degree as that in which it is

    and will be voluntary in Spain - could not, in any part of Ultramaria, be reasonably

    be expected to have continuance. In the Constitutional Code, not only in the Article

    just mentioned, but from beginning to end, the principle professed is that of equal rights, equal to all citizens of the state, as well on

    the one side of the sea as on the other. But, in the way of taxation, not a maravedi

    could any where be levied in Ultramaria or Spain for the use of Peninsula Spain - for

    the relief of the inhabitants of Peninsula Spain - without a proportionable violation

    of that principle. A circumstance that can never be out of view in any part of

    Ultramarian Spain is - that it was by the determination not to submitt to any such

    imposition, that the yoke of England was cast off by the Anglo-American United

    States.

    2. Supposable resource the second: Mine-rents or Mine

    taxes: Payment of money to Spain, by te occupiers of mines in Spanish America,

    submitting to this whether under the name of taxes or under

    the name of rents would be considered as submission to

    taxation: if levied at all, the contributions, thus levied upon the fruits of the

    land and labour of the people in Spanish America, ought to be applied (they would

    think) in easement of the taxes borne by the people of the province or state in which

    the mines are situated, and not to the enrichment of strangers, at so vast a

    distance. (a)
  • Title: [[clxvii. 142] 1821 March 11]
    Description: [clxvii. 142]

    1821 March 11

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    Constitution paralyses

    The taxesshall be equally divided among all Spaniards, says Article 339 in proportion to their means, without exception or privilege whatever." The mass of taxes imposed upon us is out of proportion to our means: it is too heavy cries Province A. So says Province B: and so throughout the alphabet. Here then is Appeal Appeal to an extent to which there is no limit other than that to the number of obedient provinces.

    By Art. 373. Every Spaniard has a right of memorial /making representation/ to the Cortes or the King to claim the benefits of the observance of the Constitution.

    Well then what is it you your rulers will have? What they will not have is money; what they will have is Memorials, /representation/ Well and while the Memorial /a representation/ declaring that the Constitution has been violated by the tax in question is now as then on its way, are /is/ the taxes to be levied notwithstanding? If so what is this vital business is the use and benefit of sending those Memorials? Now upon receipt of one of those Memorials, should the quota allotted /assessed upon/ Memorializing Ultramarian provinces be decreed at Madrid comparatively speaking too great, will the overflow /excessive/ supposing it received be refunded?

    Upon what theory - upon what hypothesis can the expectation of money to be drawn from Ultramaria into Spain have been grounded?

    That Ultramaria and Spain are contiguous, that Ultramaria is upon wheels, and may be driven and packed off at pleasure or that between them is stretched a rope along which letters may be passed in no time one or other of these conceptions might have been prevalent /had place/ in the minds of those by whom persuasion of retaining the dominion over under such a Code as that in question was entertained.
  • Title: [1822 March 28 Rid Yourselves]
    Description: 1822 March 28

    Rid Yourselves

    Part I

    Letter 3 Ultramaria Submissive

    In the case of this or that article suppose a prohibition put not

    only the importation of it from any foreign country or from any Ultramarian Province

    into another, but even upon the production of it in the Province in which the demand

    for the consumption of it has place. In the character of a source of profit to you

    and your rulers and your operating in diminution of the burthen of taxes would any

    such operation be worth employing? I answer without difficulty in the negative To aid

    conception, take for example the prohibition put upon wine making in so many

    Ultramarian Provinces, for the purpose of forcing the people to resort /have

    recourse/ for that article to Peninsula Spain: in which case money might be levied in

    /taken from/ the Ultramarian consumer either by a tax on the export of it from the

    Peninsula, or by a tax on the import of it into the Ultramarian Provinces, or in both

    ways.

    I answer /The answer is/ If in either way or in any other way profit

    is received from the source in Peninsula Spain under the nature of diminution of the

    burthen in the shape of taxes payable there, it will by by the Ultramarian consumer

    be seen to be a tax upon him, and in his breast dissatisfaction will thus be produced

    exactly as by any other tax to the produce of which the same destination were given.

    In addition to their wines, it is true, the profit made by the producer or importer

    into Peninsula Spain - made by means of monopoly thus given to him - made at the

    expence of the Ultramarian consumer. But if the dissatisfaction would be considerable

    that would be produced in Ultramaria by the view of the profit thus supposed to be

    given to you in Peninsula Spain given at the expence of the Ultramarians in question

    and by means of a force put upon them, much greater would be their dissatisfaction at

    seeing themselves thus universally pinched to no better purpose than that of

    enriching a few strangers in the distant hemisphere.