Excerpt from A Programme of Public Works and Finance for the Argentine Republic

They contain declarations and Opinions which may perhaps be considered too determinate but assuming as I do the entire responsibility for what I state, I gather that I owe to my fellow citizens the most absolute sincerity in the manifestation of my ideas. Be these ideas good or bad, I have no others, and doubtless by defects in my education or by reasons of temperament I have not yet learned to disguise them.

For years I have supported with resignation rude and, I think, unjustifiable attacks, without being able to speak clearly in my own defence. I have been the subject of bitter censure in relation to acts that were not mine, of which by a singular mark of irony I have been the first victim and as ills never come singly it was a foregone conclusion that I should be the enemy of the Provinces, accused of desiring to take all the money of the Country to the desert territories which are unin habited even by birds. I had to suffer all in silence and with patience.

The opportunity of setting forth my defence has now arrived, and I hope I may be excused if I am un able to resist the temptation of availing myself of it. It is not my intention to wound the susceptibilities ofand to turn aside unjust censures. Therefore I could not admit unfounded reproaches for the sake of con siderations of a private character, as only public affairs entered into the question. Friendships, old or new, have nothing to do with the responsibilities which Government imposes or with differences of opinion in doctrinal matters of high public interest; and in so replying to a hypothetical charge, I am only following well-known and well-recognized examples.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.