27 October 1888

Leon 30-2°, Madrid

27 October 1888

Antonio Luna[1]

Dear Rizal,

I have before me your letter of the 22nd which I am answering.

I expected from you such an answer with reference to Llorente and Lete, but your opinion with regard to the management of the periodical, which will be a reality, starts me in the process of working for you – which is an easy thing – because I infer from your letter that if all our compatriots will compel you, stressing the duties to our country, we shall see in the not distant day the establishment of harmony that we lack and the desired formula to arrive at unity. How? With your management.

I am going to make you a summary, a synthesis of the attitude towards you. There are various factions here, divided [and] not friends. They can be reduced into two: those on the Carrera de San Geronimo and those on Leon Street. Outside of these are the others. Well then, all the rest – it can be said – are grouped around the first two. So that from those two points come the solutions of all the problems of the country. Well then. It is the general desire here that you come over to manage the periodical because they realize that you are the only one capable of uniting all of us. In either faction there is a desire that you come, and on election day there cannot be any possible fight, because what do four or five pledged votes signify? Here are those in the entire colony of whom we are sure, their opinions being already known:

Llorente

Dr. Vicencio del Rosario

Dr. Albert

Gomez

Luna

Aréjola

Cor de Cruz

Abreu

Salvador

Francisco

Figueroa

Villanueva

Sucgang

Puatú

Rivera

Jugo

Crame

Hernandez

Tuason (D.)

Tuason (M.)

Camus

Cajigas

Cunanan

Ravé

Yaure

Those opinions are unknown to me: Those who never attend:

Lete

Aguirre

Súnico

Govantes

Esquivel

: 1. Cañas

: 2. Pozas

: 3. Barretto

: 4. Abreu, G.

: 5. Rocha

As you can see by the list, there are 25 against 5 doubtful for I don’t know what they think of the matter but even of those, you could count on 3 who will favor you. I say nothing about the indifferent ones, because [no] one counts on them, but they do not allow themselves to be counted. I have before me letters from Barcelona in which I see more gains for you because there they are unanimously for you. Therefore, in view of this general clamor, in view of the fact that all in Barcelona, without exception, military men and civilians alike, want you for the management, and in view of the fact that almost all in Madrid want you to be manager, totaling some 50-60 members, almost all Philippines in Europe, what will you do? Are you going to remain indifferent? I don’t think so, nor do I expect it; that is to say, or more exactly, we do not think so nor do we expect it. If as you say you are always ready to serve your country, this is the occasion when she, through her sons, asks to make sacrifice. The unanimity that you wish is met and I am going to explain. You, in the opinion of everybody, are not seeking absolute unanimity, because this is absurd. Therefore, by the figure that you see, you have the unanimous election in your favor, that is to say, the moral unanimity of all without distinction, which is worth more.

Well now, I am going to clarify one point in your letter, for it needs it: “Had the management of your periodical been offered to me before, perhaps I would have accepted it, etc.” I don’t know if you refer to España en Filipinas, that disastrous experiment that resulted in our division. If you refer to this, I say nothing. However, if you mean the one that is being planned whose stockholders are in Manila and who leave completely to the Filipinos in Spain the choice of a manager, I am not sure what you mean to say, for now the only matter that is being discussed is the selection of a manager. At present, minds are carefully considering the matter in preparation for the election. I am going to explain further: I was in Barcelona (keep the secret) and there they told me of the need to look for a manager among all the Filipinos, I pointed out to them that in the opinion of the Filipino colony of Madrid he could be Rizal, and in the case he could not come to Spain, Llorente. Persons with whom you correspond told me that it would be very difficult for you to come over and so I decided to find out from you. I see that by imposing it upon you as a duty, you would come, for now there are no more reticences; we have been working since before so that you may come. More correctly, it is not a matter of working but everybody demands it of you.

The advantages if you come are the following: 1. You are the only one who is respected by all for your exceptional qualities (without adulation). Consequently, you will succeed in bringing all of us together and turning away the selfish ones, 2. If you will manage it, you have more advantage than Llorente, for in the Philippines you are known for your last work. That is to say, those over there must have found what they are looking for. 3. Some, very few, criticize Llorente as somewhat weak, but those same ones who will abstain from voting for Llorente (2 at the most) will vote for you.

Consequently, if you really want that we form a close bond of union without distinction, listen to the cries of the people who acclaim you. Therefore, I only want to get from you a reply and it is this: To know if you will accept immediately the management through voting, not absolute unanimity, but almost unanimous in the light of the data I have given. If we are not assured of your assent, we could be defeated, though having won. Here is the case: The elections returns show that 50 favor you against 5 for Lete or another one. You are advised and you decline. Lete or somebody else becomes manager. All the Filipinos without distinction want to avoid this, because if Lete succeeds to get hold of it, he will not give it up at any cost, as formerly, and again will recur the general animosity against him, which is already known, even more in Barcelona where he stayed. They hinted to me in Barcelona that they would give me a proxy to act for them. They also assure me of the general unanimous desire there that you come here.

Awaiting your reply, command your compatriot.

Antonio

P.S.

Almost the entire colony greet you. How are you getting along with your writing?

03-339 [Reformists]