The Spanish Parliament is undergoing a financial crisis, which in
any other country would lead to a Ministerial if not to a national crisis; and even Madrid is not yet " out of the wood." The Fi- nance Minister has produced his budget, and has called upon the Cortes to pass it without discussing the amendments that had been notified. The object is to evade exposure of the miserable con- dition. in which the finances are ; and the proposal is scarcely a greater mockery of constitutional forms than the whole course of administration under Narvaez. The basis of political power in Spain is military power, so a mere violation of Parliamentary form is of no vast importance ; but when a Minister is obliged to dodge and evade a small and weak minority, in order to avoid showing so much of the truth as such a minority can extort, the thing so sedulously concealed must indeed be in a bad way ; and as mili-
apower, in modern times, is based upon the strong box, the ct of affairs is ominous for the present regime. The Pro- gresistas cannot agree upon their policy : in this country, 'ti- mans so placed would bide their time, until Ministers she d be driven to the expedient of increasing the taxes of the people.
Previous page
