commander-in-chief. Governor Sarmiento felt convinced that he judged aright in sanctioning it, but the national government, ignorant till long after of the actual occurrences connected with this series of operations, failed to do justice to the director of this complicated and obstinate warfare, until information was received of the decisive affair at Causete. Clavero was set at liberty. At this day, government sees its mistake. In speaking of this transaction, Colonel Sarmiento again quotes Webster in his able speech about martial law and its occasional necessity, and in his "Life of Abraham Lincoln," dwells with much force upon that statesman's action in circumstances not wholly unlike those in which he then took part. He wrote several articles at the time upon the question of state rights which arose out of all these circumstances, which were afterwards published in the "Nacional" at Buenos Ayres, and still later reproduced in a pamphlet entitled "The State of Siege according to Dr. Rawson," who was Secretary of State.[1]
The future of San Juan became secure upon the disappearance of El Chacho, who had plundered it more than once during his residence in the neighborhood and since the organization of its mining wealth had set it on the road to wealth. The National Government again applied to Congress for authority to appoint the Governor of San Juan to the diplomatic mission to the United States.
- ↑ At this moment, 1868, a change of cabinet has thrown Dr. Rawson out of this position, and Colonel Sarmiento has been appointed Secretary of State by the present administration, but he declines to take the place in this last hour of its existence.
