junta central had decided that the córtes convoked by them on the 22d of May should be divided into two houses, the one formed by the deputies popularly elected, and the other by the church and nobility. Just before its dissolution[1] it modified its former decree relative to American representation, and for the speedy assembly of the córtes ordered that forty substitutes should be selected by lot from the number of American creoles resident in Spain, out of which number twenty-six were to be finally elected to the córtes, also by lot. This decree was not published, however, and the regency being in no greater haste to assemble the córtes than the junta central had been, published one on the 14th of February, 1810, ordering the election of American deputies to be proceeded with, and extending their number to representation of each district,[2] instead of each dominion. But this increase was virtually no nearer an approach to equality in representation than the first concession had been, since the number of Spanish deputies was proportionately increased, by allowing a member for each fifty thousand souls. In fact, though both the junta central and the regency acknowledged equality of rights, they could not admit creoles to be represented in congress in the same ratio as the inhabitants of the peninsula. The unjust disparity again caused dissatisfaction in the colonies, which was still further excited by an order of the 28th of June limiting the total number of American representatives to twenty-eight, without designating how many should pertain to each province. The consequence was that in some districts no elections were held, while in other cases the for-
- ↑ On the 31st of January 1810, Alaman, Hist. Mej., i. 334. The regency was installed on the 2d of February. Gaz. de Mex., 1810, i. 380.
- ↑ 'Estos diputados seran uno por cada capital cabeza de partido de estas diferentes provincias.' Id., 419. The decree was published in Mexico on the 16th of May following, and no less than 17 deputies elected, representing Mexico, Guadalajara, Valladolid, Puebla, Veracruz, Mérida, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Tabasco, Querétaro, Tlascala, Nuevo Leon, Oajaca, Sonora, Durango, and Coahuila. They were all natives of the districts in which they were elected with one exception, and were nearly all ecclesiastics. For a list of their names see Alaman, Hist Mej., i. app. 49-50.
