Aragonese Regionalist Action Manifesto Addressed to the Aragonese and those who live in Aragon
Cataloguing Data
Period / Epoch
1918
Original title
Manifiesto de Acción Regionalista Aragonesa a los aragoneses y a los que viven en Aragón
Category
Policy proposal
Description
The document was published at the time when the Commonwealth of Cataluña was discussing a statute project for autonomy. The Aragonese were hoping to launch a similar process that would put Aragon amongst the nationalities whose political personality and self-government would be recognised by the Spanish government. The autonomous debate was open in the Spanish government, and in Aragon its three Provincial Councils were promoting the establishment of a Commonwealth of Aragon, following the model of Cataluña, which has been working since 1914. The objective was for Aragon to attain the same concessions given to Cataluña.
Original language
Spanish
Date
6 Dec 1918
Author(s)
Juan Moneva y Puyol, Genaro Poza e Ibáñez, Ricardo Horno Alcorta, Francisco de Rivas y Jordán de Urriés, José María Gayarre Lafuente, Mariano Baselga Jordán, Manuel Ardid y de Hacha, Francisco Bernad Partagás, Manuel Bescós Almudévar, Felipe Ripollés Vahamonde, Nicolás Santos de Otto, Vicente Vergara Sazatornil, Fernando de Juan y del Olmo, Miguel Sancho Izquierdo, José Romero Radigales, Antonio Albar y Mora, Jaime de Salas Merlé, Agustín Gros y Ruata, Pío Hernando Aceña, Antonio García Sánchez, Ángel Sanz Ibarz, Conde de Castellano, Mariano de Ena y Valenzuela, Julio Marquinez.
Aragonese regionalism must speed up and organise itself to achieve autonomy for Aragon, through need and through right, because of its personality. The Commonwealth of Aragon has to be like the great Council of the Kingdom (the Aragon government in the Middle Ages), against a system of centralised Provincial Councils that limit themselves to obeying Madrid and spend their budget according to the Government’s directives, which transmits its adverse effects. Complete administration of the country is sought, overcoming the inexcusable links with the Government. One attempts to attend to the proper needs of Aragon, economic, public works, territorial organisation (the regions), that will overcome limited provincial municipalism, that will update and revitalise Aragonese regional rights, that will make Zaragoza its capital and maintain cordial but minimum relations with the Spanish government. It is in favour of friendly relations with other people, especially Cataluña and Levante, but without being anybody’s colony or appendix. It restores Aragon’s proper personality and its wish to defend its interests against third parties.
It adds ten rules to the Aragonese Regionalist Action programme bringing together the aforementioned and other aspects such as the need to have their own Revenue department at every administrative level, a marked agrarian and industrial policy, the creation of an Aragonese Higher Education Centre and taking up government competencies.