Page:A history of Chile.djvu/231

 ERA OF CONSTITUTION MAKING 211 received Freire's message and with it his resignation, then appointed Blanco Encalada as provisional di- rector, but after two months Encalada resigned in dis- gust and Freire was reinstated, not, however, until after the vice president, Don Augustin Eyzaguirre, had made a futile attempt to guide the ship of state for a short time. Congress decided to adopt the federal system, as op- posed to the junta system of the Santiago oligarchs, a system which had been attempted by the congresses of 1823 and 1824, but so far without giving satisfaction. It divided Chile into eight provinces, as the probable members of the future confederacy, Coquimbo, Acon- cagua, Santiago, Colchagua, Maule, Concepcion, Val- paraiso and Chilo6. It established provincial assem- blies in the provinces, whose business it should be to ratify the new constitution. It soon became apparent, however, that these assemblies were determined to pro- ceed upon the principle of self-interest and to usurp authority which did not rightfully belong to them. They interposed objections and gave opinions in ad- vance as to what should and what should not go into the constitution. The assembly of Concepcion met late in 1826, prepared a memorial to the general con- gress, strongly representing the total unfitness of the federal system for Chile, and favored the idea of a centralized form of government ; Chile was a nation, not a confederacy of states, it should, therefore, have one, not many assemblies. Later, on the 15th of March, 1827, they again addressed congress to the effect that their delegates were instructed to oppose every scheme for a federal system, as tending against national unity. Coquimbo followed with similar measures, when con- gress refused to listen to further petitions of the kind, as they were clearly in the line of usurpations of au-