No. 7.
Mr. Osborn
to Mr. Evarts.
Buenos Ayres, January 17, 1880. (Received February 21.)
Sir: The political situation, to all outward appearance, remains unchanged, save and except that the President has concentrated most of [Page 10] the regular army—eleven regiments—in this city, and the political clubs in favor of Governor Tejedor now on Sundays and feast-days parade the streets in uniform, armed with Remingtons.
The provincial legislature of this province, a majority of which is opposed to the governor as a presidential candidate, refused to vote the budget for the present year, and thereupon the governor issued a decree ordering that the old budget for 1879 be continued in effect until the chamber thought proper to sanction the new one.
In view of this decree of the executive, on the 16th instant the chamber of deputies voted a proclamation, or circular, to the people of the province, citing Art. 98, sees. 1 and 2, of the constitution, which declare that the power to decree the taxes necessary for the public administration, and to fix every year the budget or estimate of disbursements and revenues, belongs to the legislature; and declaring that under no circumstances can the executive exercise these functions, and that the decree referred to is a manifest usurpation of the rights of the legislature, granted for the protection of the people.
This breach, which has culminated on the question of the budget, between the governor and the legislature, it is claimed by political friends of the governor is a part of the programme of the Roca party to humiliate the governor and his administration, and to serve as a pretext for the intervention of the national government by placing the province under martial law until after the elections for congressmen, which take place the 1st of next month; and the leading political organ of Governor Tejedor, “La Nacion,” the editor and proprietor of which is Ex-President Mitre, declares that the President was so pledged, and that the eleven regiments of the line were brought from the frontier and concentrated in this city for that purpose.
In view of the facts that the great majority of this province is in favor of Governor Tejedor, and that the clubs or volunteers of the city are armed and equipped for any emergency, I do not believe the President will take any steps towards intervention, but rather he will yield this province without a contest, even by voting, and rely entirely for success on the other provinces.
Should this city escape trouble, and a peaceable election be held on the 1st of February, then the whole matter will depend upon the next Congress, and the party which controls Congress will declare its candidate President.
Should the candidate declared President by Congress be either Roca or Tejedor, I still believe there may be serious trouble; but the only information which has relieved the gloomy outlook within the past day or so is that brought by dispatches from Ex-President Sarmiento, who is still in the upper provinces, to his friends here, that he had secured three provinces to his support, which, if true, will probably give him the balance of power and secure his election.
I have, &c.,