Arriaga (Dr. Manuel de)

Dr. Manuel de Arriaga has his illustrious name linked to the history of Madeira, for having represented this archipelago in the parliament during the legislative session from 1882 to 1884. After the death of the deputy for the Funchal district, our distinguished compatriot Dr. Luiz de Freitas Branco, an election was held to fill the vacancy on November 5, 1882, and the councilor Anselmo José Braancamp was elected, who did not obtain the absolute majority of votes, leading to a repeat of the electoral act on November 26 of the same year. Dr. Manuel de Arriaga was then elected.

On April 28, 1911, he was again chosen by the people of Madeira as their representative in the courts, but having been elected President of the Republic on August 24 of that year, he vacated the position of deputy.

Dr. Manuel de Arriaga was one of the deputies for Madeira who advocated the interests of his constituents in the national representation with the greatest dedication, selflessness, and even more remarkable eloquence, delivering speeches that became famous in the annals of parliamentary eloquence.

At the invitation of his fellow party members and friends from Madeira, the distinguished lawyer visited this island for the first time on September 8, 1883, and received one of the most enthusiastic and brilliant receptions that have been prepared in Funchal for its most illustrious visitors. He toured the parishes bordering the city and the parishes of the municipalities of Sant'Ana and Machico, and everywhere he was the target of the most delirious demonstrations of appreciation and sympathy from his personal and political friends. He left Madeira on September 15, 1883, amidst the most affectionate and touching farewell.

In 1884, he visited Madeira again, accompanied by the illustrious professor Dr. Consiglieri Pedroso, and he was in this island for the last time in 1885.

Dr. Arriaga obtained a large number of votes in the elections for deputy held in 1884, but he did not succeed in being elected due to the way the electoral act unfolded in some assemblies, with the armed forces stationed in Ribeira Brava even opening fire on the people on June 29, resulting in some deaths and injuries.

Several republicans were prosecuted because of the events in Ribeira Brava, and they were defended by Drs. Arriaga and José de Castro in the trial that took place in the district of Ponta do Sol in April 1885. Of the twenty-eight defendants who appeared to answer, twenty-two were acquitted and six were convicted, but these were simply for having assaulted the overseer of the late Russel Gordon.

Dr. Arriaga was born in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial, in 1841, and died in Lisbon on March 5, 1917.