History
In order to find a venue where the desire of the Propaganda Movement towards achieving assimilation can be expressed, La Solidaridad was established. The first issue of the La Solidaridad came out on February 15, 1889. Published fortnightly, it served as the principal organ of the reform movement for six years.
In general, its funds came from the Comite de Propaganda in the Philippines. Rizal was first offered the position of its editorship. However, he declined because he was very busy annotating Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas in London. In the end, Graciano López Jaena showed an interest in becoming the editor.
On April 25, 1889, La Solidaridad published the letter entitled "The aspirations of the Filipinos" which was written by the Asociación Hispano-Filipina de Madrid (English: Hispanic Filipino Association of Madrid). It pursued desires for:
- Representation in the Cortes
- Abolition of censure
- An expressed and definite prohibition of the existing practises of exiling residents by purely administrative order, and without a writ of execution from the courts of justice.
On December 15, 1889, Marcelo H. del Pilar replaced Graciano López Jaena as the editor of the La Solidaridad. Under his editorship, the aims of the newspaper expanded and drew the attention on politicians and even Spanish ministers. Using propaganda, it pursued desires for:
- That the Philippines be a province of Spain
- Representation in the Cortes
- Filipino priests instead of Spanish friars--Augustinians, Dominicans, and Franciscans--in parishes and remote sitios
- Freedom of assembly and speech
- Equal rights before the law (for both Filipino and Spanish plaintiffs)
After years of publication from 1889 to 1895, La Solidaridad had begun to run out of funds. It ceased publication on November 15, 1895, with 7 volumes and 160 issues. In del Pilar's farewell editorial, he said :
| “ | We are persuaded that no sacrifices are too little to win the rights and the liberty of a nation that is oppressed by slavery. | ” |
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