1820 Aug. 9

Emancipation Spanish

Summary

Corruptive influence

Townsend

In the following passage in Spanish history, as referred to by

Townsend may be seen a series of events by which an illustration of the above

observations may be presented to Spanish eyes. In the first place the existence of

the matter of corruptive influence in the hands in question, and its operation on the

/a/ Cortes; in the next place the resistance, which, before the quantity of it had

swollen to a certain pitch, was capable of being opposed to it and the obstruction

applied by that resistance to the consummation of despotism; and lastly the removal

of that obstruction by the encrease given to the dominion of that King of Spain, whose more common appellation is the Emperor Charles the fifth.

Townsend II. 261 I. 319: 2 d edition: "It appears,

by the 5th. article in the requisitions of the Santa

Junta, (a) that the reigning Monarchs, ever watchful to

extend the bounds of their prerogatives, and to advance their power, had, by places

and pensions judiciously bestowed, maintained a corrupt influence in the popular

assembly; for as we have already seen, when giving a description of Toledo, the Junta insisted that the representatives of the Commons

should be paid by their constituents, and receive neither place nor pension from the

Crown.

"Yet, notwithstanding all that could be offered to the avarice or to

the ambition of the members, the Cortes, ever troublesome in representing grievances,

and difficult to manage, occasioned such embarrassment to the kings and to their

ministers, that, not desirous of listening to complaints, they were tardy in their

application to this intractable assembly, and never but from absolute necessity

issued a proclamation for calling them together."

As, under the existing Constitution, as the King can not carry on the

business of government without the concurrence of the Cortes, the consequence is -

that from any coercive power, capable of being exercised by the King or his

Advisers,- exercised either over the people at large or over their representatives in

the Cortes,- they can not during the existence of this same Constitution have any

thing to apprehend. At the same time, in the hands of those same Advisers - in the

hands of the Council of State, in conjunction with his own is lodged the whole

expenditure of government, together with the disposal of Ecclesiastical and Judicial

power in all their branches, and administrative and executive power in all their

highest branches, together with factitious dignity in all its shapes. Upon the

breasts of the representatives of the people in Cortes, without need of so much as a

word, said in this view by any body to any body, will the aggregate mass of all these

instruments of felicity, be operating in the character of matter of corruptive

influence.

Note (a)

(a) viz. of Castile, addressed to the Emperor Charles 5 th as King of Spain A o 1520 or thereabouts.

Townsend I. 319. 2 d edit. This Santa

Junta was "an assembly composed of the Deputies of all the Cities." The

disregard shewn to the above requisitions produced a civil war, which after

continuing two and twenty months, ended by the surrender of Toledo to the King, A o 1522, in consequence of the defection of the Ecclesiastics and

the Nobles: "and thus" (says Townsend I. 320.) "the Nobles in Spain, as in all other

countries, rather than give liberty to the people, submitted to receive the yoke"