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the govt. (which control he ought never to have turned over to Farias because he knew he was already conspiring against the institutions) Congress was occupied in a multitude of laws and decrees highly bene- ficial to the country. The abolition of the ecclesiastic tithes, the abolition of civil coer- cion in order to conserve the monastic votes-the embargo and nation- alization of immense lands held in mortmain (religious orders of both sexes) (200 million dollars) a reduction of the army to less than. one half of the old standing, the abolition of the old system of public edu- cation &c., all these laws were directly attacking the intentions of Santa Arma, who having been won over by the friars, was occupying himself at the time in a reaction that would impede the progress of affairs. A small legal technicality gave him a pretext, and in the early part of June he dissolved the Chambers by force of arms. The Federal Constitution stated, "That the ordinary sessions of Congress should terminate on the 15th day of April, but by an agreement be- tween the chambers only, they could continue for thirty days more. As Santa Anna had intention_ally allowed the time to pass which the constitution granted him for placing his veto to the laws; with the intention that those matters would not again be considered until the ordinary sessions, the deputies agreed to suspend the sessions, allow fifteen days to elapse and at the end of these to continue the other six sessions that were lacking so that by the time those six sessions had been continued (ten days) the time would have already expired which the constitution allowed the executive for publishing a law, or for re- turning it to Congress with his observations. Affairs being thus arranged the members of the two chambers as- sembled on the first day of ,June for the purpose of continuing the six last sessions of the thirty days that were lacking and of naming a President for the two houses according to the rules. At once the government was advised by an official letter, and by another official letter the Secretary of State was called in order that he might reply to strong charges that were being brought against him. The session lasted all day and at night a note from the executive was received in which it was said that that assembly of-deputies was not recognized as legal on account of the legal time having expired in which the Congress could be convened. Some States declared themselves against this scandalous violation of the people's rights, but Santana disposed of the national force and dis- solved all the coalitions that they formed in M:ichoacan, Puebla, San Louis Potosi and Guadalajara, always protesting that his intentions were no other than to stop the advances of the reformers, but under no circumstances would he permit any attempt against the federal consti- tution, which system he would sustain at all cost. With this false promise he deceiYed some of the governors of the states, particularly the one in Zacatecas (Don Francisco Garcia). 1fexia was the last who succumbed in Guadalajara, after General 1.Ioctazuma had done so in San Luis Potosi. As soon as Santa Anna had dissolved the congress, he called to the management of affairs all those men who, having declared themselves against the federal institutions, were out of public offilce. In consequence of his measures everything was being carried on as
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