668
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
mano le sangre de su hermano t No es independencia, libertad, paz, union, felicidad, y prosperidad lo que buscamos 1 t Y se hande obtener tan estimables clones con nuestra ruina y desolacion en una guerra intestina 1 No: El q. pretende uniformar la opinion 6 establecer un govierno pr. fuerza de armas, en su corazon es un enemigo del bien comun de la Patria. Por lo mismo ninguna Prov..• de las q. adopten este plan devera reclutar Tropas 6 hacer preparativos hostiles contra ostras q. no lo sigan; ni tampoco tomar las annas en su propia de- fensa en caso q. el govierno gl. 6 cualquier otra Prov"· intentase.n forzarlas a q. adoptasen otro sistema diferente q. no sea a.probado por la mayoria; a menos q. no hayan sido inutiles y sin efecto todos las medidas pacificas y de reconciliacion ; en cuyo caso sera justa y mui necesaria la clefensa segun los principios incontestables de la ley de la. naturaleza. 1 Plan made by S. F. Austin in Monterrey May 1823, and delivered to Ramos Arispe who approved of it, as will appear by his notes on the margin in his own handyriting- At the time this plan was arranged by me the nation was distracted by factions and on the eve of falling into a Gen•· State of anarchy- There was a .Monarchical Party, embracing a majority of the capital and wealth of the nation, but it was divided into two parties, Bourbon- ists and Iturbiclists-the former wishing to have an Emperor from Spain and the latter in favor of restoring Iturbide who had been re- cently dethroned-the monarchists were also divided into absolute and limited---:-the former were small and quiet and apparently acted with the others-There were two grand parties of Republicans-the Oen- tralists-ancl Fedemlists- the former included the most wealth, the latter were the most numerous-The lower class of people, the rabble, who outnumbered any of the others, belong to no party and to any or all parties as accident or individual influence gave them direction After the fall of Iturbide in March 1823, Congress jeopardised all by not promptly declaring what system should be adopted-the reason of the delay was they prefered calling a new congress to decide that great question, but in the interval the public mind was left in a state 0£ dangerous fermentation, and so early as April and May, some of the Provinces indicated a disposition to take their own course and set up for themselves without waiting for ihe decission of the nation- the public mind was distracted, and the ferment dayly increasing-· there was no focus, no rallying point for public opinion to center at.- It was at this crisis that I condensed the principles of the constitu- tion of the U.S. in this plan and gave it to Ramos Arispe who was the head of the federal party at that time he told me he would send it to bis friends-I believe that this plan had much influence in giving unity
1 Another draft ot articles 21-21S with unimportant variations is omitted.
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