10 March 1887

Madrid

Cautious about the novel – Dr. Pardo de Tavera – La Guardia – Quioquiap – A Filipino newspaper in Madrid: España en Filipinas – Its personnel – Graciano’s opposition – Attempt to sow dissidence among the Filipinos in Spain – All should regard themselves Filipinos, regardless of color.

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Madrid, 10 March 1887

Mr. Jose Rizal

Germany

My dear Friend,

I have before me your esteemed letter dated 21 February last in which you give me the pleasant surprise that you are completely occupied with the publication of your awaited novel on which I congratulate you heartily, rejoicing infinitely that you have found a way of printing it without further delay. You may rest assured that I have kept and will always keep the matter absolutely secret as I am the lone repository of the secret, if, as you assured me, you have communicated it only to me – a proof of friendship that I know how to value and appreciate duly. To no one, neither my fiancée nor to friend Paco, to no one absolutely, have I mentioned your novel. Its title seems to me attractive, mysterious, tempting, nothing vulgar, in a word, it is enough to excite curiosity. No one has asked me about your novel, with nobody, as I tell you, have I spoken about it, but should they ask me, I will remember to tell them that it is called Sampagas,[1] as you say and will come out at your pleasure, so that if the future depends upon my keeping the secret, you may count on me.

I don’t remember, or rather I don’t know, who is that friend Viola that you speak to me about, but I am glad that he finds your work good, as they do too in Barcelona, which confirms hopes. I don’t know if someone is going home towards the end of March nor did I find a surer means of making copies of it reach there than for someone to carry them in his luggage, a trusted person, and even this, for safety, he should carry a recommendation of safe-conduct so that at the customs he would not be blocked. According to what I understand that is done in those tropical countries, besides previous censorship. As to the rest, I hold the same opinion that it is desirable that some copies reach there before the work is known here. Now I remember that le docteur T. H. Pardo de Tavera is leaving for the Philippines from Marseille on the 13th of this month, but on one hand, it is late now to ask him to take charge of anything, and early perhaps to have the remittance ready if it is true as you say that the printing will not be finished until the middle of this month. On the other hand, it is doubtful (I doubt it, unless I’m refuted) that he will consent to undertake the double mission of importing books and performing the scientific work that the government has entrusted to him, aside from the fact that he is going there….and this by itself is a bundle of devils….[missing] and as you see it is not….[missing] and besides you are not in favor of embarrassing anybody, because it would be difficult to convince him that, that is not an embarrassment. In view of what I have heard, he wants to be absolutely free of any embarrassment, for it is said that he decided to spend a couple of quiet years in political trimming and then return to his Paris and enjoy, study, and write. Indeed how a convenient number of copies could be introduced there is a problem that needs to be studied.

Let us go to another thing. Enclosed I send you a clipping from La Correspondencia in which Graciano gives an account of the Filipinos’ visit to Mr. La Guardia, just as in another article he announced prematurely a banquet in honor of the same gentlemen which surprised this gentleman and he requested Govantes to convince the colony that it ought to stop the banquet for the time being and not to make much noise; he did not support in the Cortes the bills owing to I know not what, though he said to Lete that he would support them at any cost and even in exchange of hurling furniture into the face of the party; those were his own words. The bills are well written and I shall have an opportunity to send you too another indecent letter of Quioquiap which has not been answered nor should it be answered. I decline to comment because you know by what to abide. Now comes the best: At last the colony has decided to have its own organ to publish a review, new, moderate, and complaisant, in which the interests of the country are defended, events are clarified, and errors corrected. There goes the first number, which could not be bigger for lack of funds….it is good, perhaps it may strike you too good-natured, but thus the work can begin and later hit whatever is at hand. What matters is that something has been done, that there is something to give some….beneficial. I advise you, so that the truth may be known, that the idea came from Graciano, Albert, Rosario, and Blanco, I believe, but the majority adhered to it, led by Govantes who, as you know, had thought of it when it was attempted to revive that article. The article Campaña emprendida is by Lete; La Prensa local by Julio; and the rest is all by Govantes. An article by Roxas and another by a fellow countryman could not be published for lack of space. On account of the size of the review it was even necessary to lop off some of the published articles to the regret of many, for in the haste, natural or a first trial, the lopping off was done so hastily that it seemed the devil had done it, some “expressive” paragraphs disappeared leaving the review, as I have said, with such little push and vigor that it is almost too weak. But, in short this can be changed; it can be continued in another way; and the worst that may happen is that the work may not take root; and they may not take advantage of the present good disposition of the colony. I shall copy later the eliminated paragraphs, in dictating where they should be so that you may have a complete idea of how the thing should be and how it turned out. At the outset, you were counted as a charter member and stockholder, giving according to your ability: Some contributed monthly 5 duros, others 3, another 2, and another on duro. But it has seemed desirable and so it was agreed upon not to ask countrymen who are out of the capital or the old ones until the first number could be sent to them with a circular invitation. Pardon me that for not having written you beforehand nor taken part in the work of organizing the staff of the review, etc., you have not been informed about it until now. I believe that you will soon be invited officially to take moral and material part in the support of the review. Because Govantes could not accept it, at a meeting, they decided to entrust its editorial direction to Lete and its management to Llorente and naturally those who wish to write are editors, especially assigned being Govantes for political news, Julio for the local press, Casal for foreign news, Roxas for the scientific section, La Serna for the literary section and I know not what, and yours truly for the court news, etc., etc. All can write editorials, though this task falls on Lete, so that there shall not lack any. You will read in the magazine the terms of publication and subscription. In view of the moderate tendencies of the organ, the older men have been encouraged to share its expenses with us and to do what they can. That is the attitude of Cañas, Pozas, Regidor, etc., and the “strangers” on their part also praise the effort and augur good luck for the review. May God will it so! Who knows what it can give in time, if all will unite and avoid clashes and internal, puerile differences? Because this is our ill-luck, and if in a given moment it seems that we are all united and agreed, later it turns out that everyone wants to impose his personal opinion and no one wants to sacrifice on the altar of harmony and the common good neither one iota of his personal ideas, and what is most dismal, nor his views and egoistic convenience, thus causing dissidence and the failure of every work or generous intention, which cannot fail to be so at bottom. Everyone looks at every enterprise that we undertake for the Philippine from a special and even contradictory point of view…Nothing of what I tell you will surprise you who know us all and have lived among us, and much less when you learn what is going on when the review is hardly born. You will be surprised that Graciano, so ready, is not a member of the editorial staff. Well, Graciano himself upon knowing the opinion of everyone that the review ought not to show tendencies of severe and open opposition to any of the existing institutions but rather will conduct a calm and peaceful campaign, but tenacious and continuous, Graciano himself, I say, recognized that he could not direct the review inasmuch as his name is already well known and looked upon with suspicion, and furthermore be recognized that the policy adopted for the review was convenient if it was to live and to be received by everyone without prejudice. But Graciano did not limit himself to this. He obstinately (contradicting us as you can understand, but we shall always miss his valuable cooperation) declared that he could not take part in our enterprise because in no way does he want to sacrifice either his ideas or his language that could not be changed. All efforts to convince him to give in a little were futile. He was asked not to take up politics (in order not to do violence to his convictions), he was offered the section of the Philippines press, of the gazette, of the literary section, of the scientific section, but in vain, he withdrew from us decidedly. We even told him that he could collaborate in any other way except writing political articles, which could be published in the magazine El Resumen that has opened to us its columns through a kind of subsidy consisting of our subscriptions to it and those we get from the Philippines. All in vain. But this is not the worst. I realize that I have been completely deceived in the opinion I have formed of Graciano. I never believed him a model worthy to be imitated in the colony. I knew his reprehensible defects….What cannot be forgiven, what I could never have believed, were it not evident to me, as it is evident to me, what will pain you as it pains the majority, is that Graciano has such despicable sentiments that is ready to impose himself upon everybody, even doing all the harm he ca do to us (including the Philippines), sacrificing everything on the altar of his most extraordinary pride and irritating self-love. Enraged, it is evident (for he gives no reason to all, nor has anything occurred except what I have already said on the question of the review), on seeing that the publication of a magazine (that he proposed) was being realized without his cooperation (the he himself declined to give, against our wishes, but which he perhaps thought was of absolute necessity in order that the magazine would prosper), on seeing that he was mistaken in the belief that the magazine could not be published without him, he has declared on it war to death. He said that it will be an affront to the Philippines, that he wants to kill it, and the he will kill it, that only three or four write for it, who do not know how to write because he had to direct us Julio, Lete, and even me (I have not written anything yet), and that he verified and corrected our writings. But that is nothing in comparison with the unspeakable means he uses to sow discord, to set one against another, in short, to create divisions, for he does not stop at trifles, and he does not consider whether those means are the vilest and the most cowardly that can be imagined, as they have been until now. He has joined Roxas…though pretending to be in agreement with us, like Graciano, he does not say that is our enemy and he has deceived poor Leon and through these two as instruments, he sows suspicion, spreads tales and gossip among the rest (Jugo, Albert, etc.) whom he discourages all he can every day. He plays the role of….who throws a stone and hides his hand. Leon wrote an article on judicial matters which was sent to the press after his language had been duly corrected. As soon as Govantes found it out, who thought that Leon should be given a work that would be easy for him, with great tact and with the excuse that I too have a violent language when dealing with Philippine questions, said that it seemed better that Leon should take charge of abstracting the Philippine press and that I should take charge of the court reports. Thus it was decided peacefully; but Graciano later put into Leon’s head and made him see, I believe, that he had suffered such a rebuff and that his article would become the object of such ridicule that he wrote to Julio asking him to return him his article because he did not want it to be the target of impudent criticisms of which those who consider themselves literary men, whose patriotism and good fellowship were not capable of correcting charitably the errors that they might find in it. The style of the letter was unmistakably Graciano’s and we no longer doubt that he inspired it and even drafted it. Julio, disturbed, asked Leon for explanations, telling him that his article was corrected and even sent to the press, and requesting him to tell him who had ridiculed it unashamedly. Leon did not want to give an explanation, Julio challenged him, friends were appointed to attend to the matter. Leon appointed to Spaniards – a colonel and another gentleman. Leon or his sponsors gave satisfactory explanation, saying the letter wanted to say that Leon’s article might stray and fall into the hands of strangers who might ridicule it, but it did not intend to directly or indirectly to offend Julio. The record was drafted by those gentlemen and already approved, when they were making a clean copy of it – I went out for a moment to write a letter – Graciano came along and rewrote the record and changed it in his own handwriting, leaving it thus: “Mr. Llorente having been mistaken as to the meaning of the letter of such a date, in stating it in writing as I do, is the best explanation that that letter contained nothing offensive to the said gentleman.” This is more or less Graciano’s amendment stated that I sad and criticized (though Graciano denied having meddled in anything). I scratched it out so that the whole record had to be rewritten which made Leon’s witnesses ridiculous. They said that they did not thing that Graciano would amend the copy but simply to put it in better form as it was done very briefly. Graciano still made Roxas write a letter to Lete asking him to call a meeting to adopt some definitive resolutions concerning the review but with the same intention, as it was afterward learned, of removing Lete from the editorial direction and throw out some bile at the meeting. The meeting was not held, because Govantes opposed it and with his prestige convinced the majority. This was after they had met I know not how many times and adopted resolutions and elected Lete editorial director by secret ballot no less and refused to accept the resignation that Lete presented afterwards. What certain passions like envy, misunderstood pride, and mutual distrust can do! Thus, there is no way by which we can ever understand one another or for anything that is worthwhile to prosper. I don’t understand this: Do these countrymen fear that the rest, besides them, may not be inspired by the ideals that everyone ought to pursue, that they may have twisted intentions or they lack patriotism, and that since they may lack ability in some matter, they may also lack the eagerness to succeed? Since it is certain that united we can do something good, can they not think of some convenient means to avoid any blunder in an enterprise without an attempt upon our union, without creating divisions that ruin that ruin or impede every understanding, every work? Or shall we never learn to do a worthwhile thing except to throw on against the other, distrust one another, or believe himself better than the others? Everybody considers himself capable of directing and commanding, but no one knows how to follow or no one wants to follow and this is not the saddest thing, but that, not content with not following or discontented for not being in command, they neither allow others to follow nor to command, as if they can command everybody in everything or as if following were exclusively the service duty or function only suitable for a flock of animals and not also of free ad noble cooperation of worthy persons in every honorable undertaking. Thus I can speak with so much more ease, as I have the least to do with the question of the review. I did not want to attend any of the organization meetings, distrusting that anything beneficial could be done. I warned them that I did not want any position on the staff of the review and I even expressed my wish not to be an official editor but only a collaborator when and if it was possible for me; but finally, compelled by the fear that my passive conduct might be construed as dissidence, at the request Govantes, I accepted the court section. But now that I see that an unworthy and cowardly war has been declared against the idea, now I want to show in a practical way that I will exert every possible effort so that it would not die, and now I intend to attend every meeting that is held and combat there every attempt against its realization. Graciano and Roxas have joined together despite having been formerly deeply divided and having hurt each other….For such purpose and respecting each other mutually, the two divided ones united, working until they succeeded to bring back Roxas to the good graces of Yorac. But Yorac left; Roxas and Graciano ate at Julio’s house, and new rivalries arose, and Graciano goes to Julio to confide the following: “Don’t trust Roxas; he has hurt Sanciangco. ‘Beware of those who do not want to treat me; Sanciangco already knows me.’” Upon knowing this, Roxas asserts that only Graciano can say such a thing; but it suits him for the present to make common cause with him and he has joined him. How are you, friend? Is it true that in the colony though small, there is everything as in a drugstore? Now we don’t miss anything in it: and the Philippines who needs everything can get from a depurative as well as poison, according to the case. I see that by telling you these things, I am prolonging my letter too much; but it has to be thus to expound the details and at the same time unbosom myself without leaving anything inside the body.

Going back to the review, I repeat that it has been well received, it seems. Julio says that important subscriptions are coming in. We are anxiously awaiting the impression it makes in the Philippines. In the colony, with the exception of Graciano, Roxas, and perhaps Leon and Jugo, all are very much encouraged and satisfied with the idea, though at the beginning there were divergent opinions. For my part, I applaud the review with all my strength, but I don’t want the succeeding issues to suffer from debility, from the notable passivity evident in the first number, which can never be prejudicial to us….ridiculous, or we can fall into disrepute should they call us political trimmers, since they do not suspect the same meekness that is observed, seeing in it the skin of sheep that covers a wolf, which can also happen. But the Spaniards seem to regard the magazine favorably, they congratulate us and they wish us well. Five or six papers that we have read answer our greetings and wish us prosperity, and one that I know until now, which is El Pabellon Nacional has immediately exchanged an issue with ours. Thus goes the thing. Now I am going to copy the most important paragraphs which have been dropped from Lete’s article with the corresponding sign on the places where they were interpolated.

And there is no law that authorizes to legislate through royal decrees; nor does the Spanish legislative branch, the King with the Cortes, have nor limited jurisdiction than the Monarchy, within which is the Philippines, because the representatives in Cortes do not represent the districts that elect them but the whole nation, because laws, whether general or special, can only emanate from parliament. And it is already time as well as wise to study the cause or peculiar reasons why they are attracted to those regions in order to try to substitute for them other more forceful ones to direct that human current toward the very fertile Philippine soil where the individual can devote himself to the cultivation of an immense variety of products. As this point is of supreme interest, inasmuch as the agricultural progress of a people indicates the measure of their culture and moral height, in the economic order this immigration at the same time signifies work, intelligence, production, and in the political order, ideas, institutions, ideas that proclaim the prestige of the Metropolis, according to Duva’s assertion, it being well understood that whatever pecuniary sacrifices are devoted to such a patriotic understating will be insignificant in comparison with the results that they will produce in the economic sphere and even more insignificant still compared with the sacrifices that some day the oversight of this forecast may cause in men and money….This fact is so undeniable that it can be rightly asserted that, if at the beginning of this century, in certain regions of America, there had existed a Spanish colony, today so large, those peoples would still be living under the protection of the flag that presided over their entrance into the concert of civilized nations, and thus undoubtedly to that valuable element would be due that the Spanish flag still waves in Cuba and in Morro Castle.

(I do not want to omit, for being impartial, these insistent paragraphs on immigration, that it would not have occurred to me to speak about on account of my inability to reconcile my economic convictions with my political ones, and much less to sacrifice these to those. But I repeat that for being impartial and so that you may know what he had written I copy them. I am glad that, if not all, some paragraphs at least have been omitted on this subject. I am inclined to think that in insisting on them Lete wanted more to comply with than to follow known currents and schools of thought, to display economico-political knowledge in a word, to give a patriotic flavor to the article and a conservative tint to the tendencies, rather than the mixed meaning of a profession of faith that in the midst of everything, I do not know if that creed can come in.)

…The only thing that can be denied by those who are blinded by personal and egoistic interest and do not understand the danger of supporting the present state of things is the idea perhaps of continuing to enjoy the sole right of hoarding the lesser or greater aliquot part of the resources that the Indio devotes to vanity, superstition, or in obedience to the tributary laws in force in that country…And though we recognize truly that the opposition of many to the representation of the Philippines in the Cortes is unconscious, we cannot help but consider such opposition as impolitic and even criminal. To deny representation to the many millions of Spaniards overseas, when here we rebel in order to get it, there being parties that sanction among its principles means condemned by the law; and deny it also when those methods are not used because there is still no danger that they would resort to them with considerable strength, is to follow a policy that for its imprudence deserves a discouraging name; and if we do not reflect on it, it is because our fighting character does not give important to the contingency of a more or less future strife and our attention is drawn more to any that we learn from thinking peoples and let us not abandon to chance the solution of problems that, not because we shun to discuss them, they need not be posed in obedience to historical laws, and when their solution becomes pressing they are then in the worst condition. The lessons of the past ought to illumine the future and no government can boast of knowing the contingencies that the future holds, or still less if in those general conflagrations that periodically destroy the world, it will not have to repent for its lack of foresight. And inasmuch as colonies are an integral part of what is called nation, one cannot understand why there must exist beyond the limits of principles and abiding only by those of equity, neither can it be conceived why the rights and duties of the ruled should not be identical with those of the rest of the citizens.

These are the paragraphs that for the minuteness of the review, were suppressed in Lete’s article.

I began this endless letter four days ago, my good friend, but thinking of writing you long and diffusely, I started writing in very short moments and with the going and coming from one place to another, I still find myself almost in the middle of the letter, which did not turn out badly for me, for I have just received your esteemed letter of the 12, and I can and want to answer it here. But I am going to tell you beforehand that the second issue of our storied review has come out. I am also sending it to you so that you may read the articles of La Serna (foreign news review), of Govantes (political chronicle), of Lete (editorial), of Roxas (one entitled Historia general y juicio critico de las ciencias y artes en Filipinas, and do not know why it appears without the title, inasmuch as it appears with his byline, which he wishes all his articles to carry), of Antonio (letter that I do not know from whom), of Julio (local press), of Jugo (a request); news I don’t know from whom, and an eleventh hour reply of Lete to a stupid article in La Epoca of the 13th, that I am enclosing and which according to what they say, is written by the noted Recur. After what an organ so respectable and distinguished here as La Epoca (though conservative) says; when the governors general of the Philippines and the board of authorities, using their extraordinary powers, do not implement the orders of the government of the nation; when the treacherous and the vile weapon of the word filibusterismo is wielded so mercilessly and boldly without stopping even to use calumny in order to coerce the government and mislead and predispose the public opinion against the simple introduction of the Penal Code; when all this is seen, I say, it can already be inferred when and how the constitution, representation in Cortes, in short, the matter of individual rights, as the conservative La Epoca says, will be brought to us.

This is life everlasting, friend, and one must be convinced that in the life of all peoples no other law exists or has ever existed except the law of force which always imposes itself and ends up by convincing.

Force then is what is needed; much force.

Let us go to your last letter. So they have written you that the colony is divided into “genuine Filipinos and aristocrats”? That we no longer consider ourselves Filipinos but Indios, or Mestizos, or Castilas? I already imagine it! I can swear to you that I have expressed my fears, that almost I have assured the species that inasmuch as you still communicate with us, some unworthy countryman would not fail to write you in an effort to infuse in your mind fears, suspicions and misgivings in order to predispose you against the publication of our review, and what is worst, against certain persons (for here we are all well-known and even with vague hints each one can be identified).

The letter you have received is another trick (to sow dissension that is blamed on others) of a despicable being whose only prestige before this consisted of aptitudes and efforts used to favor of the cause that we all defend, but has been completely discredited, having revealed treacherous sentiments in assailing the unity and good harmony of all by resorting to the most infamous means. What they have written you is a falsehood, a coarse calumny. There is not division here whatsoever, unless it be on the part of two or three who believe themselves the genuine Filipinos and who obstinately and against the efforts of everyone have separated from the majority in order to do it all the harm possible and to make its laudable and noble efforts fail in the most cowardly and cringing manner.

After reading my letter you will know by what to abide, for now and always my guide has been, is, and will be, impartiality and frankness.; and then your conscience will dictate to you the conduct that you ought to adopt and what you ought to do with the letter and its author and inspirer. All of us, I believe, are convinced that we do not have, nor must we bear, any other name except that of Filipinos, which is the name of our common Mother. Who makes classifications, who establishes differences? If I knew who is doing such a thing, I would try to convince him, or I would call him stupid. For my part, I don’t have to prove with words, because my work demonstrated it sufficiently and has demonstrated it always, which is my manner of being. You know me well and you know my opinion, manifested more than once, and my attitude towards the matter is open to all. As you deplore not having in your veins all the blood that could serve as a common bond, I deplore and I have always said so that mine could serve as a reason for not being counted among the genuine Filipinos. Among no one else but them I ought and I wish to be counted, so that all that part or quantity that may confuse me with the ungenuine Filipinos hurts and mortifies me. I have always preached union and I have practiced it myself so that I am in a position to challenge any one to prove that I have inclined more towards one side than to the other, and though it does not seem to me right to speak of certain things that may be taken as foolish bragging, it seems to me that this occasion is proper to say candidly that never have unworthy appreciation, differences, and distinctions prevented me from acting equally toward all nor did they restrain me in the least in helping Graciano when I found him in need, in visiting and being concerned about Villaluz when he got sick, in defending Figueroa and turning against Graciano when a question arose involving Yorac, in assisting Ventura also, and in accepting from you yourself pecuniary and other favors when I needed them, in short, in regarding all equally and giving them equal attention and consideration, feeling satisfied in seeing myself wherever my countrymen are and enjoying being able to stay with them in a foreign land: “We are not of this country.” Further I will tell you: I have more satisfaction in seeing a brown countryman and I am more attracted toward him than when I see another countryman who is not like him, because the other one reminds me instantly of our common origin while the other does not bear so manifestly the stamp of our blessed cradle. With the same candor I tell you that I cannot avoid certain mortification when, finding myself in public among fellow countrymen or in any other public function in which they can stare at us, I observe that they can take me for an intruder among them for not showing the trait or the most visible and peculiar phsyiognymy of the land, the national color.

Already an editor of El Resuman noted that the name of the magazine marked the separation of the Philippines from Spain and the thought that could very well be called simply Filipinas. I thought so also and I even proposed that it be called Revista Hispano-Filipina, since its purpose is to unite both nationalities, but the thing was already agreed upon at the meeting they held, and though my proposal was known before the first number was printed, it did not seem to offer any advantage nor did it respond better than the proposed title to the tendencies and purpose of the publication. As to the rest, I ought to tell you that though I am not aware that it has not been expressly agreed upon, It seems that at least for the present the review should not appear as genuinely and purely Filipino either in it tendencies or in its editing, but rather it should have the appearance of any magazine here that is devoted specially to….There must be in the mind of all that no attempt should be made to place the Spanish idea against the Filipino idea or to give reason to suspicious persons to see or believe to see the Filipino idea against the Spanish idea. España en Filipinas after all, as it sounds, seems that its primordial and laudable meaning should be taken as indicating “the policy of Spain in the Philippines as it is and how it should be.”

Until the next, dear friend. This time I have said enough and perhaps even too much. I shall be glad if L….will keep your novel a secret as I do.

Yours,

Cauit

01-204 [Family]