“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

Urquiza’s efforts to placate his rivals in Buenos Aires failed. Mitre and his allies
continued to lead the charge to break with the Confederation in the early 1850s. By the end
of 1853, Buenos Aires had declared its de facto independence. Ironically given the growing
conflict between Buenos Aires and the interior provinces, Mitre largely accepted the 1853
constitutional framework that established a strong executive. Mitre’s goal was not ultimately
to gain independence for his home province. Rather, Mitre intended to secure its
predominance within the national framework. Mitre perceived that a powerful executive
from Buenos Aires could direct a transformation from warring provinces to a modern,
centralized polity. Urquiza’s rival system of autonomous provinces bound together through
personal relationships represented the principal roadblock to Mitre’s vision. The stage was
set for a decade-long clash between Urquiza’s interior confederation and Mitre’s Buenos
Aires as they maneuvered to forge their competing sovereign visions. 184
Mitre and his porteño allies drew upon an increasingly vibrant economy to sustain
their efforts. With the British and French naval blockades lifted, Buenos Aires emerged as a
major export center to European markets. With trade booming, customs revenues flowed
into porteño coffers. As Buenos Aires thrived, the Confederation languished. Urquiza
labored to bypass Buenos Aires and encourage overseas commercial traffic to ports along
the Uruguay and Paraná rivers through favorable tariff regimes. The Confederation’s
modest efforts, however, paled in comparison to Buenos Aires’ growing economic might.
They equally failed to meet the Confederation’s expenses. Throughout the 1850s, the
Confederation struggled to remain solvent. A merchant in Paraná neatly summed up the
Confederation’s finances in 1857, writing that “there are no funds in the treasury and we do
184 Adelman, Republic of Capital, 209-15.
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