weapons other than those used on the battle-field; and some weeks later he caused to be published in Guadalajara, which had fallen into his power, a reply to the citation of the inquisition and its charges against him. In this proclamation he solemnly declares that he had never departed from the holy catholic faith; he rebuts the accusations of heresy by calling attention to flagrant contradictions in them;[1] points out the evils with which the people of New Spain were oppressed, and calls on them to burst their bonds and establish a congress that shall dictate beneficent and discriminating laws suited to the several requirements of the different districts.
But other measures, also, were adopted by Hidalgo which inspired confidence in the uprightness of his motives, and afforded palpable illustrations of the benefits to be derived from independence. He ordered the emancipation of slaves, under penalty of death to their owners; he released Indians and persons of all castes from the payment of tributes;[2] and on the
- ↑ 'Se me acusa de que niego la existencia del infierno, y un poco antes se me hace cargo de haber asentado que algun pontífice de los canonizados por santo está en este lugar. ¿Como, pues, concordar que un pontifice está en el infierno, negando la existencia de este.' And again: 'Se me imputa tambien el haber negado la autenticidad de los sagrados libros, y se me acusa de seguir los perversos dogmas de Lutero: si Lutero deduce sus errores de los libros que cree inspirados por Dios, ¿cómo el que niega esta inspiracion sostendrá los suyos deducidos de los mismos libros que tiene por fabulosos? Del mismo modo son todas las acusaciones.' Bustamante, Cuad. Hist., i. 439. This writer obtained an original copy of this document from the licentiate Maríano Otero, who assured him that it was one of very few which had been saved in the town of Tizapam in Jalisco. Hidalgo's reply was so convincing that the inquisition felt compelled to issue another edict in defense of the glaring contradictions contained in the first. In this it was stated that although the heresies imputed to Hidalgo were contradictory in themselves, they had not been developed in him at the same time, but in distinct epochs. Zerecero, Mem. Rev. Mex., 65. By the detractors of Hidalgo, his defence of his reputation is regarded as the admission of weakness. It was, however, a political necessity. Personally he cared nothing either for the inquisition or the bishops, but he well knew their power over the people, and it was in the highest degree important to refute their statements, especially as in August 1808 the inquisition had condemned as heretical the principle of the sovereignty of the people. Copy of edict in Diario de Mex., ix. 271-3, 275.
- ↑ See Ansorena's proclamation at Valladolid Oct. 19, 1810, issued in compliance with Hidalgo's orders. Hernandez y Dávalos, Col. Doc., ii. 169-70. On the 29th of Nov. Hidalgo published a decree commanding the manumission of slaves within ten days. This was confirmed by another of the 16th of Dec. Both these documents exist in the collection of Hernandez
