Daniel Infante, mayor of Rosario (1912-1913). A paradoxical Spanish socialist

Abstract

Julián Daniel Infante (1863-1930) was a Spanish immigrant who became naturalized as an Argentine citizen. The governor of Santa Fe province, Manuel Menchaca, designated him mayor of Rosario town on November 20th 1912. He governed till April 8th 1913, for four hard months and a half. The local newspaper ‘La Capital’ defined him as ‘a synthesis of all contradictions’. He was a socialist and a republican, a former member of the ‘Liga del Sur’ and had a friendship with Radical Party supporters. He was Spanish and Argentinian, and he was a high-class citizen but supported the cause of working class rights. As a mayor, he helped workers who went on strike action. Besides that, he supported the local autonomy of Rosario and proposed high taxes for high-class people and low taxes for the working-classes, just in order to improve their standard of living. Even though he failed and resigned as a mayor, it is fruitful to study Infante’s policy, because it has valuable keys to understand the period and its people.