Chapter 669 - 311: Reform Disputes (Part 3)

These parliamentarians don’t understand, but Prime Minister Canovas sees it very clearly.

The only ones who can mobilize such public opinion forces in all of Spain are the Cabinet Government and King Carlo himself.

The Cabinet Government has not taken any action during this period, which can only prove that the one stirring public opinion is King Carlo.

Although Carlo has not expressed his attitude towards administrative reform, this act of mobilizing public opinion to help the Progressive Party has effectively conveyed his stance indirectly.

Prime Minister Canovas is not Prim; he holds no military power, nor does he have Prim’s extensive influence and status.

Moreover, since Prime Minister Canovas was promoted by Carlo himself, he has no power to resist Carlo.

What’s more, Prime Minister Canovas himself also believes that administrative reform is a good thing, but as Prime Minister, he cannot express his attitude too bluntly, otherwise it might cause a large group of people to echo him and lose their own critical thinking and judgment.

When several Conservative Party members led by Alva found Prime Minister Canovas, he had just finished his work.

After hearing various opinions from these parliamentarians about the drawbacks of administrative reform and their request for him to express a corresponding attitude in the name of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Canovas smiled and decisively rejected their request: "In my view, administrative reform is not entirely a good thing for Spain, but the benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks.

If we can overcome some problems brought by administrative reform, we will gain far more benefits than problems.

Regardless of whether you genuinely oppose administrative reform or not, it is impossible to change the choice of public opinion.

Go back, and you will see the results at the next Lower House vote. In the meantime, I hope you thoroughly investigate the public opinion in Spain and stand on the side of the Spanish people."

"Your Excellency, if you also support opposing administrative reform, we still have a chance to stop the reform from taking place.

Do you really want to see the disappearance of historic names like Catalonia, Basque, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia in our reform?" Some Conservative Party parliamentarians, unwilling to see the reform take place, suggested to Prime Minister Canovas.

Prime Minister Canovas’s smile froze, and he looked at the parliamentarian, saying after a while: "First, I personally support the reform of administrative divisions. Perhaps some regions’ names will disappear as a result, but for all Spaniards, such a sacrifice is worth it.

We will have more reasonable administrative divisions, and the saved political resources can be invested in other sectors, isn’t that a good thing?

Besides, even if I oppose the reform now, it cannot prevent it from happening.

I suggest you investigate Spanish public opinion more; hasn’t the Royal Daily already listed the opinions of thousands of interviewed Spaniards? Do you intend to go against the public opinion of the Spaniards?"

When mentioning the word "Royal" from Royal Daily, Prime Minister Canovas deliberately emphasized his tone.

This somewhat deliberate shift in tone immediately made these parliamentarians realize.

They finally understood why Prime Minister Canovas was unwilling to oppose the reform; it turns out the King is behind the reform.

Thoroughly dispelling doubts in their hearts, these Conservative Party parliamentarians could only bid farewell to Prime Minister Canovas and abandon their last hope of stopping the reform.

At this point, Carlo is just like Prime Minister Prim once was, having both influence and status, while also holding Spain’s military power.

If it really is a reform Carlo wants to push, then no one can oppose it. These Conservative Party parliamentarians are less likely to change Carlo’s view, so they can only comply, after all, ants can’t shake a big tree.