First Term Power struggle Manuel and his brother, Antonino, gathered a
montonera of
gauchos in the interior of the province, with which they laid siege to the provincial capital. Confronted with this threat, Carranza delegated leadership to Pío Achával and left for
Tucumán Province to seek military support. Manuel managed to occupy the capital on 5 October 1851, convening the legislature on the same day. The representatives elected according to the results annulled by Carranza were sworn in, and they appointed Manuel Toboada provincial governor. Meanwhile, general Celedonio Gutiérrez answered Carranza's call for military aid, and assembled forces to reinstate him as governor. There were two small battles against the raised provincial army of Antonino Taboada, both ending in defeat for Gutiérrez's forces: on 10 December 1851, Antonino defeated Manuel Ibarra's forces in the Battle of Tronco Rabón; then in the Battle of Gramilla, he defeated Pío Achaval's militia on 17 January 1852.
Support for Urquiza During the confrontation between
Juan Manuel de Rosas and general
Justo José de Urquiza, Manuel initially showed his support for the former. A few days after taking office as governor, he sent a letter to Rosas, in which he explained the details of the revolt against Carranza, the causes of the uprising and the endorsement of Rosas as national leader. At the same time, he appointed Eduardo Lahitte as his representative in Buenos Aires. However, when the news of the
Battle of Caseros and Rosas' fall arrived on 3 February 1852, it caused a radical change in the political orientation of Taboada's government. Manuel and Antonino Taboada pronounced themselves in favour of Urquiza and on 13 March, consequently with the change of political orientation, a law was passed by which all of ex-governor Absalón Ibarra's assets were confiscated. The decision, rather than having been motivated by the economic significance of the assets, was driven by the fact that the heirs to them were allies of Carranza. In addition, Ibarra was accused of having arbitrarily administered the province's funds and of failing to render accounts. Ibarra's former home, located in what is now Avellaneda Street, became the Government Building, while his assets were placed at the disposal of the provincial executive. On 31 May 1852 Manuel travelled to
San Nicolás de los Arroyos, where he signed the
San Nicolás Agreement, which laid the foundations for organising the institutions of the republic and sanctioning the
National Constitution of 1853. Taboada was the youngest governor present. Urquiza appointed Miguel Rueda and
colonel Manuel Puch to mediate in the provinces of
Córdoba, Santiago del Estero,
Salta and Tucumán, with the aim of restoring peace in the region. The mission failed due to Gutiérrez's refusal to meet Manuel Taboada without prior recognition from his administration. Other attempts at mediation, promoted by the administrations of Salta and Jujuy, also failed. Even a new initiative, promoted by the governor of Santiago del Estero and involving general
Rudecindo Alvarado, was unsuccessful. Faced with this diplomatic stalemate, in June 1853, forces from Santiago del Estero invaded the province of Tucumán, in open violation of the ratified 1853 Constitution. In response, in early October, Gutiérrez counterattacked by invading Santiago del Estero through the
Río Hondo Department, advancing in two columns: one commanded by Manuel Ibarra and the other by José S. Coronel. After defeating Taboada's forces, Gutiérrez occupied the provincial capital with a contingent of three thousand men. The Taboada forces retreated south, and Manuel delegated command to Pedro P. Olaechea, who ruled interim from 4 October 1853 to March 1854. The climactic confrontation took place at the Battle of Tacanitas on 21 October. During the battle, the leader of the Tucumán forces, Tomás Lobo, challenged Manuel Taboada to a duel. The latter accepted, and in the ensuing melee he struck Lobo in the head with a sabre blow.
Border defence Due to the constant threats from the natives such as the
Gran Chaco people at the provincial borders, a defense plan was agreed upon jointly with the government of the
Córdoba Province. The reforms considerably improved the provincial army, which was placed under the command of the president of the legislature, Juan Francisco Borges, assisted by Antonino. Their main efforts were concentrated in the frontier of the
Gran Chaco region, where forts and military colonies were founded, among them the current cities of
Añatuya and
Suncho Corral.
Exploration of the Salado River Between 1855 and 1856, Manuel Taboada personally accompanied a series of exploratory expeditions to the Gran Chaco, delegating the provincial command to Borges in his absence. He was particularly interested in those oriented to demonstrate the navigability of the
Salado River, due to his and Antonino's project to canalize the Salado for easier transport of products and goods to Buenos Aires, through the
Paraná River. He cooperated with Thomas Page in his studies of the navigation of that waterway, with the firm Smith Hnos. & Cía. in 1856, and that same year he hired Esteban Rams y Rubert, who in November traversed the Salado River fully in 18 days. During his trip, he was accompanied by a contingent of troops commanded by general Antonino Taboada.
Economic policy In the first years of administration, military expenses were higher due to the conflict with Tucumán. Between 1852 and 1853, the total annual budget was $12,542 and $31,122, respectively, of which $5,053 and $19,039 were allocated for the army, that is, 40.3% and 61% of the total budget, respectively.
Organization of the provincial government During the first years of his mandate, Manuel Taboada faced the arduous task of organising the province of Santiago del Estero institutionally, in a context of instability marked by attacks from indigenous communities and hostilities from neighbouring provinces. On 13 October 1854, Taboada called forth elections to determine representatives to a constitutional convention, scheduled to meet in December of the same year. It established electoral requirements, the delimitation of electoral sections and other formal aspects. However, the process was postponed for almost two years. It was not until 19 May 1856 that a new constitutional election was called. In June, the governor appointed a commission to elaborate the preliminary draft of the provincial constitution, made up of Pedro Ramón Alcorta, Juan Francisco Borges, Luciano Gorostiaga, Domingo E. Navarro and Manuel Palacio. Once the commission was formed, the first provincial constitution was drafted, which was submitted to the
National Congress and approved in August of the same year. Finally, on 25 May 1857, the new constitution was ratified province-wide. On 23 November 1857, Manuel Taboada transferred power to Juan Francisco Borges, who was elected that same day by the House of Representatives as the first constitutional governor of Santiago del Estero for a two-year term. Borges, however, remained a political subordinate. He was on the verge of allying with Buenos Aires during the
civil war of 1859, but the Confederation's victory at the
Battle of Cepeda thwarted that possibility. The following year, Santiago Derqui and Juan Esteban Pedernera won the provincial elections against Mariano Fragueiro and Antonino Taboada.
New conflicts Subsequent to the elections, Pedro Ramón Alcorta was chosen as the new governor. However, being closely related to Manuel Taboada, the latter demanded a ministerial position in his government, a demand that Alcorta did not comply with. As a result of this, the ex-governor organized a coup against the newly elected provincial leader, who was forced to seek refuge in Tucumán. Alcorta requested an intervention of the national government in the province, which was led by the Tucumán governor Salustiano Zavalía, appointed by President
Santiago Derqui. Zavalía managed to negotiate the recognition of Alcorta as legitimate governor by Manuel Taboada in exchange for the dismissal of the previous ministers in favor of Manuel as Minister of Government and Antonino as Commander of Arms. Nevertheless, the conflict between the two individuals did not cease, and Alcorta asked the national government once again for help, requesting a new intervention and greater military aid. On 6 July 1861, the vice-president
Juan Esteban Pedernera decreed a new federal intervention in Santiago del Estero Province, appointing the former governor of
Catamarca Province, general Octaviano Navarro, as intervener. He fought José María del Campo in Tucumán with his military contingent and, after winning, headed towards Santiago del Estero, occupying the city in November 1861. However, his occupation was interrupted by the news of the victory of the
centralist leader
Bartolomé Mitre in the
Battle of Pavón against the
federalist government of Urquiza, which allowed the Taboada forces, after Navarro's retreat, to defeat the federalists of Gutiérrez in the Battle of Ceibal. Pedro Gallo continued as governor of Santiago del Estero from 24 November 1861 until 24 April 1862, when his term ended. According to the House of Representatives, Manuel Taboada was appointed successor.
Third Term , whom the Taboada family aided in suffocating the federalist rebellions in the north. Manuel Taboada took office on June 8, 1862, beginning his third mandate and the first constitutional one. He appointed Amancio González Durán as General Minister, Martín Herrera as Chief of Police, Miguel Silvetti as
Treasurer and general Antonino Taboada as Chief of Frontier and General Commander of Arms of the province. As Secretary, he appointed Eusebio Gómez.
Alliance with Mitre and military operations Taboada ensured the election of a liberal government in the Catamarca Province, under the leadership of Ramón Rosa Correa. He also supported the policy of the governor Bartolomé Mitre in the northern provinces against the federalists. Due to this political and military pressure exerted by Taboada, among other allies of Mitre, he secured his appointment as president in 1862 with unanimous provincial support. In particular, the friendship forged with the new national leader, as well as the geographical situation and military power, made the Taboada brothers function as his representatives and main supporters in northern Argentina. Correspondingly, the national government granted a subsidy of $1000 per month to reinforce the provincial budget and military expenses.
Canalization of the Salado River of Manuel Taboada. Based on the previous navigation projects of the Salado River, it was proposed to divert and channel it through its old course. Since the volatility of the region and the constant conflicts did not provide the necessary security for foreign investments, a commission was formed under the charge of Gregorio Santillán and Remigio Carol to collect the necessary funds. In total, $420 were raised. On 1 December 1862, Esteban Rams y Rubert began a second expedition along the river, this time accompanied by the British Consul
Thomas Joseph Hutchinson. The following year, on 25 December 1863, the works of canalization, clearing and cleaning of the old bed of the Salado River were inaugurated in Bracho Viejo, with a number of affluent individuals in attendance.
End of the mandate In February 1864, the first reform to the Provincial Constitution of 1856 was ratified. Among other modifications, the governor's term of office was extended from two to three years. On 8 June 1864 Manuel Taboada left the government to his cousin Absalón Ibarra, who appointed him as one of his ministers. He continued to participate in the war against the remaining federal units, among others, in the Battle of Pozo de Vargas, against Felipe Varela.
Fourth Term In December 1867 he again assumed the position of governor. He showed his support for the presidential candidacy of Rufino de Elizalde, endorsed by Mitre. However, only Santiago Province and
Corrientes Provinceseconded him, while the majority supported
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. Consequently, the relationship with the new president remained sour, particularly after the decision by the national government to divert a railway project away from Santiago Province and towards Tucumán instead. In December 1870, Manuel Taboada appointed Alejandro Montes as governor, but due to his decision to act independently of the Taboada family, he was deposed and succeeded by Luis Frías in June 1871. Manuel Taboada died in Santiago del Estero on 7 September 1871. Four years later, his cousin Ibarra and his brother Antonino had to leave the province because of an armed revolt supported by President
Nicolás Avellaneda. == References ==