Page:Civilization and barbarism (1868).djvu/29

 till 1829. The rural districts, passively obedient, knew neither "Unitarianism" nor "Federalism." If the Congress of 1826 had proclaimed a federation, the chiefs that then represented the federation would have cried unity; the opposition was against men, not against things, which were but a pretext.

In 1820, in the absence of the Governor of the Province, Don Manuel Dorrego, who had offended and gone to fight the Governor of Sante Fé, Don Martin Rodriguez was put in his place. The cabildo protested against this; the city was thrown into agitation, and Rodriguez had to flee to the country. He returned to the city with Juan Manuel Rosas, commander of the militia or country forces, called the Colorados (or red soldiers) of La Conchas—a man of a Buenos Ayres family, but who, rejecting education, had gone into the country to enjoy more license for his vices than the customs of the city would allow. By the help of Rosas, Rodriguez was reestablished. Happily, Rodriguez chose Rivadavia for his prime minister, and the country appeared to breathe a free breath under the wise and enlightened administration of this truly great man.

When the Revolution of Independence began, the grand fractions of the viceroyalty, now its separate States, proposed to separate and form private governments. When the struggle with Spain ended, this was