¹ For background on the subject, see Mecham, J. Lloyd, Church and State in Latin America (Chapel Hill. N.C., 1934), pp. 274–304 Google Scholar; and Wright, Almon R., “Argentina and the Papacy, 1810–1827,” Hispanic American Historical Review, 18:1 (Feb., 1938),15–42.Google Scholar

² Chapter IV, Article 67, Sections 18 and 19.

³ Most of the liberals were not disbelievers in Catholic dogma, and even those who were, like Eduardo Wilde, acknowledged that atheism in the majority of the people would be socially dangerous, (Oscar Cornblit, Ezequiel Gallo [hijo], and O’Connell, Alfredo A., “La generación de 80 y su projecto: antecedentes y consecuencias,” in DiTella, Torcuato S., Germani, Gino, and Graciarena, Jorge, editors, Argentina, sociedad de masas [Buenos Aires, 1965]. 47.Google Scholar

⁴ Allende, Andrés R., “Las reform s liberales de Roca y Juárez Celman,” Revista de Historia (Buenos Aires, 1957),1:1. 5.Google Scholar

⁵ Auza, Néstor, Católicos y liberales en la generación del 80 (Cuernavaca, Mexico, 1966), 1, 1/14–1/18.Google Scholar

⁶ Rondanina, Esteban F., Liberalismo, masonería y socialismo en la evolución nacional (Buenos Aires, 1965), pp. 216–18.Google Scholar

⁷ Auza, , Católicos y liberales, 1, 7/13–7/14.Google Scholar

⁸ Chapter I, Article 2.

⁹ Argentine Republic, Ministerio de Justicia, Culto y Instrucción Pública, Memoria, 1881, 55–56.

¹⁰ Roca to Juárez Celman, end of April, 1881, published in Astengo, Agustín Rivero, Juárez Celman, 1884–1909 (Buenos Aires, 1944), p. 257.Google Scholar

¹¹ Roca told Juárez Celman that it was better with Pizarro out of the cabinet, (Jan. 24, 1882, telegram, in the Archivo General de la Nacion, [Buenos Aires], “Archivo Miguel Juárez Celman, Telegrams, 1881–1882”).

¹² Quoted by Allende, , “Reformas liberales,” 10.Google Scholar

¹³ Justicia, Memoria 1882, xxxvii.

¹⁴ When the Bishop in San Juan objected to the civil registry in his area, Wilde replied:

“Your Excellency knows that the Department of Religion can make no intervention in the acts of a provincial legislature. Allow me to point out to you that a civil registry bill which would be observed throughout the republic is already being submitted to the Honorable Congress. … Whatever inconveniences and irregularities that are noted in similar provincial measures will disappear since they will be abolished by the law.” ( Wilde, to Wenceslao Achaval, Bishop José, June 28, 1882, published in La Tribuna Nacional [Buenos Aires], July 29, 1882, 2: 1).Google Scholar

¹⁵ Argentine Republic, de Senadores, Cámara, Diario de sesiones, Aug. 28, 1883, 44.Google Scholar

¹⁶ Argentine Republic, de Diputados, Cámara, Diario de sesiones, Oct. 17, 1884, 2, 491–514.Google Scholar

¹⁷ Argentine Republic, Registro Nacional, No. 14019 (Law 1565), Oct. 30, 1884, K, 893–98. A nation-wide civil resgistry law was not passed until 1889.

¹⁸ Auza, , Católicos y liberales, 1, 7/9–7/12, 9/17–9/18.Google Scholar

¹⁹ Estrada, José Manuel, Obras completas (Buenos Aires, 1897–1905), 12, pp. 330–31.Google Scholar

²⁰ Diputados, Diario, July 4, 1883, I, 468–76. The cited passage is from Chapter I, Article 3 of the bill.

²¹ Ibid., 476–85. The cited passage is from Chapter I, Article 8.

²² Bustamente, Norberto Rodríguez, “Las ideas pedagógicas y filosóficas de la generación del 80,” Revista de historia (Buenos Aires, 1957), 1: 1, 99–101.Google Scholar

²³ Osborn, Thomas, U. S. Minister to Argentina, to Frederick Freylinghuysen, U. S. Secretary of State, Oct. 24, 1883, in National Archives, Washington, D.C., “Dispatches from U. S. Minister to Argentina, 1817–1906,” Microfilm: M-69, R-21.Google Scholar

²⁴ Diputados, Diario, July 6, 1883, I, 488–93. La Tribuna Nacional commented on the speech:

“More than his eloquence, more than his oratorical ability to sophisticate arguments in the service of a lost cause, we admire the resolution of the ecclesiastical paladin to take on his shoulders the unpleasant task of sustaining the entrenchments that (the clericals) want to hide in, doctrines contradicted by scientific truth and already denied by universal reason in the intelligent world,” (July 7, 1883, 2: 2).

²⁵ Diputados, Diario, July 6, 1883, 493–502.

²⁶ One of the most prominent clericals, Miguel Navarro Viola, was prevented from speaking because he was president of the Chamber. Frustrated, he rushed a book of his views into print, La ley de educación primaria ante el Senato argentino; abolición del cristianismo en la enseñanza o sea el racionalismo en las escuelas de primeras letras (Buenos Aires, 1883). He sent a copy to Roca. The President read it and admired it for its style and depth of thought; Wilde only for its style, ( Astengo, Agustín Rivero, Miguel Navarro Viola; el opositor victorioso, 1830–1890 [Buenos Aires, 1947], pp. 264–67).Google Scholar

²⁷ La Prensa, July 8, 1885, 1: 5. There were rumors that the President would veto the council bill if the Congress passed it, but La Tribuna Nacional said that the stories were without foundation (June 25–26, 1883, 1:5).

²⁸ Diputados, Diario, July 13, 1883, 1, 581–87.

²⁹ La Tribuna Nacional compiled the list, (July 11, 1883, 1: 6).

³⁰ July 18, 1883, 1: 1.

³¹ Diputados, Diario, July 14, 1883, I, 626.

³² July 15, 1883, reprinted in Estrada, , Obras completas, 11, pp. 265–66.Google Scholar

³³ July 28, 1883, 1:8. It is interesting to note that the colegio was one of few schools that did not have religious instruction in its curriculum. The federal normal schools also shared that distinction as the result of presidential decrees going back to 1863.

³⁴ Auza says that 180,000 signatures were obtained, (Católicos y liberales, I, 10/13).

³⁵ Senadores, Diario, Aug. 28, 1883, 528. The Senate’s argument was based on the fact that Roca had submitetd the original act creating the National Education Council first to that house back in 1881.

³⁶ Diputados, Diario, June 23, 1884, 1, 330.

³⁷ Senadores, Diario, June 26, 1884, 101. The vote totals were recorded in La Prensa of June 24 and June 27, 1884.

³⁸ Astengo, Rivero, Navarro Viola, p. 267.Google Scholar

³⁹ Registro Nacional, No. 13732 (Law 1420), July 8 ,1884, IX, 782–89.

⁴⁰ Kennedy, John J., Catholicism, Nationalism, and Democracy in Argentina (Notre Dame) 1958, p. 195.Google Scholar

⁴¹ Justicia, Memoria, 1882, xxxvi; and Justicia, Memoria, 1883, xxxiii.

⁴² Justicia, Memoria, 1884, I, 118–19.

⁴³ The pastoral text is in Argentine Republic, Ministerio de Justicia, Documentos oficiales relativos a la pastoral de fecha 25 de abril de 1884 del vicario capitular del obispado de Córdoba en sede vacante (Buenos Aires, 1884), pp. 5–19. Although very few schools in the diocese had Protestant teachers, there were some Northamerican imports. The dissertation order was specifically directed at Cárcano’s, Ramón J. work on civil rights, De los hijos naturales, adulterinos, incestuosos y sacrilegos, which is discussed by Carcano in his Mis primeros ochenta años (Buenos Aires, 1965), pp. 59–69.Google Scholar Clara’s justification for all of this was the 1864 papal encyclical Quanta Cura. In it, Pope Pius IX expressed the view that ecclesiastical authority may exercise its powers with the consent of the State. The Argentine government had never allowed the document to be released in the republic.

⁴⁴ University of Córdoba group to Wilde, Apr. 30, 1884, telegram published in La Tribuna Nacional, May 2, 1884, 1: 1, 2.

⁴⁵ Wilde to the cabildo, May 2, 1884, published in Documentos oficiales, pp. 21–3.

⁴⁶ Fatherde Novoa, Andrés Vásquez, president of the cabildo to Wilde, May 7, 1884, published in Documentos oficiales, pp. 37–39.Google Scholar

⁴⁷ Costa, Eduardo to Wilde, , June 3, 1884, published in Documentos oficiales, pp. 59–60.Google Scholar

⁴⁸ Registro Nacional, No. 13671 (Decree), June 6, 1884, IX, 758–59.

⁴⁹ June 9–10, 1884, 1: 1.

⁵⁰ June 23–24, 1884, 1: 1.

⁵¹ Wilde, to Gavier, Gregorio, governor of Córdoba, June 7, 1884, published in La Nación, June 8, 1884, 1: 1.Google Scholar

⁵² He issued a second pastoral letter on June 16, 1884, which was printed in La Nación, June 18, 1884, 1: 7–9.

⁵³ La Nación, June 22, 1884, 1: 1.

⁵⁴ The new appointee to be bishop, Juan Cipriano Tissera, was required by the administration to take a special oath that recognized the State’s patronato as valid.

⁵⁵ Mignone, Emilio Fermín, “Los católicos y la Revolución del 90,” Revista de Historia (Buenos Aires, 1957), 1: 1, 57–58.Google Scholar Estrada’s statement was made on August 30, 1884.

⁵⁶ Col. Solá, Juan to Wilde, , Sept. 22, 1884, telegram, published in La Nación, Sept. 23, 1884, 1: 1.Google Scholar

⁵⁷ Aug. 24, 1883, 1: 1.

⁵⁸ Miss Armstrong to Wilde, Sept. 25, 1884, as published in Silva, Carlos Alberto, La política internacional de la nación argentina (Buenos Aires, 1946), p. 470.Google Scholar

⁵⁹ Wilde, to Armstrong, Miss, Sept. 29, 1884, as reprinted in La Tribuna Nacional, Sept. 30, 1884, 1: 4.Google Scholar

⁶⁰ Francisco Ortiz, Foreign Minister (who had succeeded de la Plaza) to Mattera, , Sept. 30, 1884, as excerpted in Silva, , Política internacional, pp. 370–71.Google Scholar

⁶¹ Oct. 1, 1884, 1: 2–3. The article was unsigned, but its author was generally known at the time. It later appeared in Wilde, Eduardo, Obras completas (Buenos Aires, 1935), 8, pp. 168–69.Google Scholar Similar articles by Wilde appeared in other newspapers over the next few weeks.

⁶² Mattera, to Ortiz, Foreign Minister, Oct. 12, 1884, as published in La Tribuna Nacional, Oct. 15, 1884, 1: 4–5.Google Scholar

⁶³ Ortiz, to Mattera, , Oct. 13, 1884, published in Silva, , Política internacional, p. 471.Google Scholar

⁶⁴ Mattera to Roca, Oct. 14, 1884, published in Roca, Museo, Documentos (Buenos Aires, 1964–67), 6, pp. 77–79.Google Scholar

⁶⁵ Ortiz, to Mattera, , Oct. 14, 1884, published in La Tribuna Nacional, Oct. 15 1884, 1: 5.Google Scholar

⁶⁶ The government tried to prevent a complete rupture first by circulating a letter that outlined the circumstances of the Mattera case to all diplomats and then by initiating special negotiation with the Vatican Secretary of State through an intemediary, but it was to no avail, (Argentine Republic, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Memoria, 1885, 328–45).

⁶⁷ Oct. 14, 1884, 1: 1.

⁶⁸ Oct. 23, 1884, 1: 1.

⁶⁹ n. d., as reprinted in Solari, Juan Antonio, Eduardo Wilde y el laicismo argentino (Buenos Aires, 1948), p. 28.Google Scholar

⁷⁰ Wilde to Roca, Dec. 14, 1884, published in Roca, Museo, Documentos, 6, pp. 79–82.Google Scholar

⁷¹ Oct. 21, as reprinted in Auza, , Católicos y liberales, 2, 14/10–14/11.Google Scholar

⁷² Their action was impulsive for the money was restored to the federal budget a year later.

⁷³ Registro Nacional, No. 14.034 (Decree), Nov. 3, 1884, IX, 903–04.