No CrossRef data available.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2015
During the second half of the nineteenth century Argentina was transformed from a sparsely populated, backward, and disunited community of provinces into a nation along European lines. The demands for economic development, a larger and better educated population, and the centralization of the state on a constitutional and legal basis were the greatest problems its leaders would have to face. Chief among constitutional hurdles was the hostility between the forces demanding autonomy for the province of Buenos Aires led by Adolfo Alsina (Partido Autonomista) and those representing national unity (Partido Nacionalista) following Bartolomé Mitre, the first president of a united Argentina (1862-68).
The author wishes to acknowledge the indispensable aid of David P. Jensen, Librarian of Greensboro College.
1 de Díaz, Elvira Aldao, Reminisciencias sobre Aristóbulo del Valle (Buenos Aires: Jacabo Peuser, 1928), pp. 102–103.Google Scholar
2 For general biographies of Roca see de Vedia, Mariano y Mitre, , Roca en el escenario político (Buenos Aires: “Coni”, 1939)Google Scholar and El General Roca y su época (Buenos Aires: Ed. Patria Grande, 1962); del Pont, Augusto Marco, Roca y su tiempo (Buenos Aires: L.J. Rosso, 1931)Google Scholar; Arce, Jose, Roca 1843–1914: Su vida—su obra (2 vols.; Buenos Aires: Ministerio de Educación y Justica, 1960)Google Scholar; Newton, Jorge, El General Roca Conquistador del desierto (Buenos Aires: Claridad, 1966)Google Scholar; Lugones, Leopoldo, Roca (Buenos Aires: “Coni”, 1938).Google Scholar For his early life, Martin, Salvador San, Julio A. Roca Su tiempo, su obra en Patagonia (Buenos Aires: Lumen, 1965)Google Scholar; Lupo, Remigio, La conquista del desierto (Buenos Aires: Freeland, 1968)Google Scholar; Sanucci, Lia E.M., La renovación presidencial de 1880 (Buenos Aires: Univ. Nac. de la Plata, 1959)Google Scholar, and what appears to be a definitive study of his early military career, Sánchez, Aurora Mónica, Julio Argentino Roca (Buenos Aires: Circulo Militar, 1969)Google Scholar. Many papers and messages can be found in the continuing publications of the Museo Roca.
3 Amadeo, Octavio R., Vidas argentinas (6th ed.; Buenos Aires: Bernabé, 1940), p. 21.Google Scholar
4 The best general source on Pellegrini, remains Pellegrini Obras precedidas de un ensayo biográfico, ed. by Astengo, Agustín Rivero (5 vols.; Buenos Aires: “Coni”, 1941)Google Scholar. Other works include Newton, Jorge, Carlos Pellegrini El estadista sin miedo (Buenos Aires: Claridad, 1965)Google Scholar; Labougle, Alfredo, Carlos Pellegrini (Buenos Aires: “El Ateneo,” 1957)Google Scholar, and a booklet by Carcano, Miguel Angel, La presidencia de Carlos Pellegrini (Buenos Aires: Ed. Universitaria, 1968)Google Scholar. One volume editions of his papers and speeches are available as Carlos Pellegrini Escritos y discursos, ed. by de Muro, Domingo (Buenos Aires: M. García, 1910)Google Scholar and Carlos Pellegrini Discursos y escritos, ed. by Bustillo, José María (Buenos Aires: Ed. Estrada, 1959).Google Scholar
5 In this context see Pellegrini, to Roca, January 31, 1880, printed in Publicaciones del Museo Roca Documentos (Buenos Aires: Secretaria de Estado de Culto y Educación, 1967), 6, pp. 9–11.Google Scholar
6 Congreso Nacional Diario de sesiones de la cámara de senadores, 1881; June 7. Hereinafter cited as Senadores.
7 Ibid., June 18.
8 Ibid., August 31 and September 16.
9 Printed in Pellegrini Obras, II, pp. 105-106. Pellegrini’s credentials read like those of a diplomat empowered to negotiate a treaty.
10 Ferns, H.S., Britain and Argentina in the Nineteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1960), p. 403.Google Scholar
11 Law No. 1737. Roca gave the Argentine Minister in London, Manuel R. García, authority to sign the contract on October 24; signing took place in Paris on December 2. The text of the contract is printed in Deuda argentina Copilación de leyes, decretos, resoluciones, notas y contratos sobre deuda pública, ed. by Peña, José B. (2 vols.; Buenos Aires: Juan A. Alsina, 1907), 1, pp. 432–434.Google Scholar
12 For an interesting account of one of these banquets which catches the atmosphere of the era and the man see McGann, Thomas F., Argentina, the United States, and the Inter-American System (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1957), pp. 112–114.Google Scholar
13 Balestra, Juan, El Noventa, una evolución política argentina (2nd ed.; Buenos Aires, J. Roldán, 1935), p. 64.Google Scholar
14 A fascinating account of these events can be found in Cárcano, Ramón, Mis primeros 80 años (Buenos Aires: Ed. Sudamericana, 1943), pp. 143–177.Google Scholar Cárcano was close to Juárez during all these days and ultimately wrote his resignation. In a long public letter to the President, dated August 3, Cárcano explained his own resignation and counselled compromise and conciliation. La Prensa, August 6,1890.
15 Deposition by Aristóbulo del Valle, printed in Peralta, Wilfrido R. and Blanco, A., Historia de la Unión Cívica Radical (Buenos Aires: G. Pesce, 1917), p. 120.Google Scholar
16 Sommariva, Luis H., Historia de las intervenciones en las provincias (2 vols.; Buenos Aires. “El Ateneo,” 1931), 2, p. 159.Google Scholar
17 No two accounts of these transactions and events are identical. Due to press censorship and other problems La Prensa was not able to get out a daily, but the issue of July 30 carries a day by day resumé of the events of the preceeding week. See also ibid., August 5–7. Other accounts include the works of Peralta and Blanco, Cárcano, De Vedia y Mitre and Sommariva already cited. Cf. Mazo, Gabriel del, El Radicalismo: Ensayo sobre su historia y doctrina (Buenos Aires: Raigal, 1951)Google Scholar; Bianco, José, La doctrina radical (Buenos Aires: L.J. Rosso, 1927)Google Scholar; Snow, Peter G., Argentine Radicalism (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1965)Google Scholar; Astengo, Agustín Rivero, Juárez Celman 1844–1909 (Buenos Aires: Guillermo Kraft, 1944)Google Scholar; Sommi, Luis V., La Revolución del 90 (Buenos Aires: Ed. Pueblos de America, 1957)Google Scholar; De Vedia, y Mitre, , La Revolución del 90 (Buenos Aires: L.J. Rosso, 1929).Google Scholar A more detached account of the British Minister is paraphrased in Ferns, H.S., Britain and Argentina, pp. 454–456.Google Scholar
18 Excerpt from letter of Juárez to Agustín González, n.d., printed in Mazo, Del, El Radicalismo, note, pp. 60–61.Google Scholar
19 Astengo, Rivero, Juárez Celman, p. 499.Google Scholar Roca, Pellegrini, and Cárcano had all pub-lished official statements in April of 1890 that they did not intend to run. This had failed to placate the critics of the regime. The texts of all three declarations are printed in Cárcano, , Mis primeros 80 años, pp. 118–119.Google Scholar
20 Astengo, Rivero, Juárez Celman, p. 573.Google Scholar
21 In a speech given to university students at a meeting of July 12, 1891, “La ciencia del gobierno y el acuerdo político,” printed in Mitré, Bartolomé, Obras completas (17 vols., Buenos Aires: Guillermo Kraft, 1938–60), 17, pp. 366–373.Google Scholar
22 De Vedia, y Mitre, , El General Roca, p. 145.Google Scholar
23 Argentine accounts run the gamut from the assertion that none of these men had anything to do with the nomination to the dogmatic statement that one or the other originated the idea, but the truth remains obscured. Certainly, any one of the three was capable of devising such a plan. The editors of La Prensa thought most of the pressure was coming from Roca and Mitre. See the issues of January 1, 5, 7–9, 18, 27; February 5 and 11, 1892. Roque’s letter of withdrawal, dated February 18, is printed in La Prensa, February 19.
24 Decree printed in Pellegrini Obras, V, pp. 339–340. Details in La Prensa, April 3, 1892.
23 Pellegrini Obras, V, p. 274.
26 For a concise outline of the Arreglo Romero see Williams, John H., Argentine International Trade under Inconvertible Paper Money 1880–1900 (Cambridge, Mass.; Harvard University Press, 1920), p. 128.Google Scholar
27 La Prensa, July 1 and 2, 1893.
28 Accounts by various witnesses published in newspapers make no mention of this; however, the next morning an unnamed mutual friend contacted del Valle for Pellegrini and offered him the chance to form a government. La Prensa, July 3 and 4. Years later, in the last speech he ever gave, Pellegrini described how he made this suggestion to Luis Saenz Peña. Congresso Nacional Diario de sesiones de la cámara de diputados, 1906; June 11. Hereinafter cited as Diputados.
29 La Prensa, August 5, 1893; Sommariva, , Intervenciones, 2, p. 217.Google Scholar
30 Manifesto, first published August 10, 1893, printed in Pellegrini Obras, III, pp. 237–245; Mazo, Del, El Radicalismo, p. 76 Google Scholar; Bianco, , La doctrina radical, p. 61 Google Scholar; Sommariva, , Intervenciones, 2, pp. 216–218 Google Scholar; Valle, Aristobulo del, Discursos politicos (Buenos Aires: Vaccaro, 1922), pp. 265–277.Google Scholar LaPrensa, July 30, 31 and August 1, 1893.
31 A phrase used by Pellegrini’s close friend, Groussac, Paul, in Los que pasaban (2nd ed.; Buenos Aires: Ed. Sudamericana, 1939), p. 329.Google Scholar
32 Bosch, Mariano G., Historia del partido radical, La U.C.R. 1891–1930 (Buenos Aires: Ed. del Autor, 1931), p. 66.Google Scholar Mazo, Del, El Radicalismo, p. 77.Google Scholar By August 11, the editors of La Prensa maintained, the government was entirely in the hands of Pellegrini. Del Valle defended his tenure and position in a formal statement, printed in La Prensa, August 15, 1893.
33 Sommariva, , Intervenciones, 2, pp. 221–229.Google Scholar
34 Under Law No. 252 of 1868, the provisional president of the Senate was next in line for the presidency after the Vice-president. Roca held this post.
35 De Vedia, y Mitre, , General Roca, p. 152 Google Scholar and Roca en el escenario político, p. 42.
36 The first debate, along with all pertinent documents and background, can be found in Senadores, 1895; July 6. See also ibid., December 3 and 5; Senadores, 1896; June 23 and November 12, 14,17 and 26.
37 de Díaz, Aldao, Reminisciencias, pp. 105–109.Google Scholar
38 Printed in Pellegrini Obras, III, pp. 277–310.
39 Law No. 3871. As a result of the success of the measure Roca was given a medal by the financial community engraved with a bust of the General. He received it on January 4, 1900 and sent it the same day to Pellegrini with the following note. “Mi querido Pellegrini: Esos signos corresponden a los que ganan las batallas en el campo real de la acción. Guarde, pues, esa medalla con mi busto como testimonio de su brillante triunfo parlamentario con motivo de la ley sobre la moneda y como recuerdo de su amigo y compañero.” Printed in Pellegrini Obras, II, p. 545.
40 For an evaluation of Pellegrini’s prestige at about this time penned by a British diplomat see Whitaker, Arthur P., The United States and Argentina (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1954), p. 57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41 All documents, including a detailed statement of the national debt, may be found in Senadores, 1901; June 11.
42 National Archives. Despatches from the United States Ministers to Argentina 1811–1906, Lord, William P. to Hay, John, telegram of July 5, 1901 Google Scholar; detailed report, July 11. La Prensa, June 17, 19, 27–29; July 1, 3 and 9. See also Groussac, , Los que pasaban, pp. 353–355.Google Scholar
43 Senadores, 1901; June 18. Disputados, 1901; July 8.