A suitable anecdote can accurately trace the profile of a character, in this case that of Enric Prat de la Riba (1870-1917). Josep M. Ainaud explained it to me.
The already president of the Commonwealth summoned the historian and archaeologist Agustí Duran i Sanpere to commission him to install the telephone in Cervera. Surprised and bewildered, he flaunted his ignorance. The statesman’s reply was definitive: his status as a native would help him overcome the resistance entrenched there after rejecting this innovation; and assured him that the wise engineer Terradas would teach him what he needed to know about this technology.
This is how the telephone arrived not only in Cervera, but Duran i Sanpere also participated in getting it distributed throughout Catalonia.
Prat de la Riba was more than a politician: he was a statesman at a crucial moment. And in today’s times, confirmed by some sterile quarrels that grip politicians of such a low level, his forgotten figure deserves to be evoked.
His human nature contributed decisively to the remarkable success of his leadership, despite the fact that it was short, and even weakened, by illness. He died at the age of 47.
He deployed a huge task when he built the structures of an entire country. To say that it started from nothing is not an exaggeration. The list of institutions created was enormous.
His personal style facilitated good outcomes. He was positive, in favor of adding. He knew how to listen to the point that the petitioners he received left the meetings satisfied. He was not irascible, controlled his emotions and hated making noise. He focused all his energy on remaining decisive and simplifying problems. Being respectful did not prevent him from firmly defending the countless goals he had set himself.
When Alfonso XIII expressed to him his desire to frequent the city more, he suggested that he become a neighbor of Barcelona; Cambó tried to make the idea effective, without succeeding.
Another anecdote reflects the style of elegantly incorporating valuable people. When he showed an outsider the newly restored palace for the Commonwealth, President Prat de la Riba described the official who worked in an office like this: “And here, the poet López-Picó, who helps us build Catalonia “.
