[March 7-10 (?), 1823]
In this enlightened century when the March of freedom has opened
the eyes of the Intelligent world and desplayed to the People those
hidios chains which despotism, and its prime agent, and companion,
Superstition and fanaticism, forged in the benighted ages of
antiquity, to fetter their bodies for the venal purposes of Royal
agrandisement, voluptiousness and crimes and to degrade and hurl their
minds to that state of darkness embecility and corruption congenial
to the views of the enemies of rational liberty and Social happiness.
In this enlightened age I say it is unnecessary to ask in whom the
legitimat sovereign[ty] of a nation rests, even the very sycophants
of Tyrants agree that the People are the sovereigns and that all power
and all Gvt of right originates from them and is established for the
common good—and The only legal organ by which the soviren people
can express their will is by a free and independent national
representation in congress assembled—these principles being acknowledged let
us compare them with the present political state of this Empire and
examine the events of the day.
The independence of the Mexican Nation having been accomplished,
all that there remained to complete their happiness was the adoption
of the form of its Government and the consolidation of that form on
a firm basis by a Constitution. What steps were taken to effect this
object. The author of the plan of Iguala and treaty of Cordova
[Iturbide] recognizing the principle above stated that the people
were the Sovereigns like a true patriot made one of the bases of his
plan that the cortes of the nation meet and form the constitution,
accordingly the national representation met and were installed in this
city on the 24 Feby. 1822. They proceeded in their deliberations,
and collissions soon arose between them and the Generalissimo, who
finally wrenched from them by the imposing force of his troops
whose bayonets even threatened the lives of those who dared to speak
like men, and like freemen, his elleccion as Emperor.
Up to this period [February 24, 1822] Iturbide acted as the
liberator of a Nation, as the Heroe of Iguala ought to have acted,—
let us now follow him still further, Scarcely had Congress
commenced in the discharge of their Sacred duties entrusted to their
charge when collissions arose between them and the Generalissimo,
who finally wrenched from them by the force of the Bayonet his
eleccion as Emperor on the 19 May last—not content with this
violation of the sacred Sanctuary of the Peoples rights, he endeavored to
make Congress mere tools and engines of his will, by emprissoning
the most liberal [and] independent amongst them, thereby reducing
the force of the true patriots and hoping by this step to intimidate
the balance. In this hope he was deceived, notwithstanding the
terrific example of seeing their companions dragged from their beds
at midnight by armed soldiers and cast into Prison.
Notwithstanding the abuse which was poured upon them by the base hirelings of
the Govt through the medium of printed papers, and the hypocrital
allurements of Emperial bribes and patronage added to the opinion
of the Sycophants who composed the never to be forgotten Junta of
the 16 October on which a few men dared to usurp the rights of the
Sovereign people by declaring that Nacional representation should
be reduced to 60 members Notwithstanding all this, it was found
that the illumination of the age, the firmness of freedom had
penetrated even into the Hall of a Jesuits Chapel in the City of Mexico
and that the Deputies uninfluenced by the recollection that they were
sitting in a room where national freedom and justice had on[c]e been
bound by priest craft and Fanaticism, or by the threats or
allurements of Imperial power, only remembered that they were the
representatives of [the] injured and insulted sovereignty of the Mexican
nation and [as] such rejected the proposition to distroy
themselves, or to give to the emperor a veto on the constitution as he
demanded—the consequence of this was that in less than 6 hours after
this magnanimous vote was pronounced an Imperial decree was
communicated to them through the medium of a military force
dissolving them from the moment the decree was presented. This act
[of] despotism was viewed by all liberal and enlightened men with
the horror and execration it merited, but unfortunately the same
force which reared H. M. to the Imperial throne still sustained him
in consumating his usurpation, with out arms without military force
all that the friends of liberty could do was to weep in silence for the
insulted dignity, the lost liberty of the nation. The people were
assured by promises of a new Congress and relying on this promise
remained quiet, untill a portion of the army animated by that
genuine sense of honor and love of justice which characters the true
soldier as well the patriot, declared in favor of the national
representation, this spark of liberty which was thus emitted at Vera
Cruz on the 2d Decr soon kindled into a bright flame and spred with
astonishing rapidity over the whole Empire. The people arousd
from their lethargy understood the insult they had received by the
usurpation of their rights in the distruction of the Congress, and
rising in their own majesty claimed from the usurper a restitution
of them true to the principles of intrigue and corruption which
procured him the Imperial diadem, he dispatched commissioners
to the chiefs of the liberating army, and in the mean time used every
exertion to collect and marcil [marshal] his troops evidently with
the design of supporting his usurpation by force, there need[s] no
other proof that such was his intention than the proclamation of his
agent the Ecmo Capn Genl Andrade and a few more of his true
friends—finding however that there was too much virtue too much
patriotism and nobleness in the army, to enslave their country for
the agrandisement of one man, he has made a merit of necessity and
has convoked the extinguished Congress This Body were cited to
meet on Fry day the 7 March, 47 of the members being those who
composed the Junta Instituenta and 9 more(?) only met, and H. I. M.
attended by the Councillers and ministers entered the Congress
Hall at 12 o'clock and declared the Congress reinstated Mexicans
let us now pause and ask ourselves why only 47 members attended
when it is well known that 115 are in the city and whether it is to
be expected that the national representation will or can deliberate
freely and safely while the Emperor remains in this city.
In answer to the first question, why so few met is very plain—the
members who did not attend knew very well that the E. had no right
whatever to disperse them in the first instance, and consequently no
right to convoke them they know that the Congress constituente is
not nor never was dissolved, its sessions were impeded by arbitrary
power, and were therefore discontinued, and that so long as that
power exists they can not be resumed either with safety to the
members or advantage to the nation, like true patriots therefore they
determined not to give even the shadow of a sanction to [the] act of
power which dispersed them by obeying a call from the same
power to meet—for what can be expected from a man who has not
hesitated to trample on them heretofore and force them [to] promote
his own views and individual agrandisement in opposition to the true
interests of the nation ? Who has not only broken his sacred oaths
taken in presence of Almighty God, this same Congress and the nation
—who has imprissioned the deputies for no other cause than that of
possessing too much virtue for the purposes of despotism and who
kicked this same Congress out of doors and trampld on the national
dignity for refusing to give him power to make a Constitution
suitable to his own purposes of agrandisement and despotism? Who
has seized on private property on the highways, in private houses and
whereever he can find it—who has—but where shall we stop if all
his acts of usurpation are enumerated—Is it be to expected that
such a man will permit the national representation to deliberate
independently and freely and discuss his own acts of violence and
usurpation, and award that punishment due as well to him as to every
individual concerned in this gross violation of the nations rights?
No fellow citizens force the force of public opinion (which your
Emperor has always pretended to respect, but has in fact dispised)
has compelled [him] to convene the Congress, and the same acts and
intrigue which dissipated it before will do so again, the moment he
has the power— The deputies therefore who did not attend have
done their duty as becoms them, and the only way in which Congress
can or ought to meet [is] under the protection of the Army, and after
H. M. shall have been removed beyond the limits of the city and
deprived of all command or influence whatever then—untill they can
meet under these circumstances, they ought not to meet at all—-