Tomàs Caylà i Grau (1895–1936) was a Spanish publisher and a Carlist politician.
Family and youth
Tomàs d'Aquino Caylà i Grau was descendant to a well-off Catalan family. His grandfather, Tomás Caylá y Sardá (1810–1888), was member of the emerging Tarragona bourgeoisie. He fought for the liberal side against the Carlists in the First Carlist War (1833–1840) and was then mayor of Reus and a friend of General Prim.El Eco de Valls 09.08.1888, available here His father, Josep Caylà i Miracle (1856–1919), studied law in University of Barcelona; following 1881 graduation he settled in Valls, the capital of Alt Camp county in the Tarragona province.Joan Guinovart i Escarré, Tomàs Caylà, un home de la terra, Valls 1997, , 9788492147670, pp. 15-16 He became secretary and then co-ownerGuinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 19 of the newly created Banc de Valls,for details see Francesc Costas i Jové, El Banc de Valls (1881-1979). Esborrany històric amb records i comentaris personals, Valls 2002, growing to its director in 1914;Francesc Nadal Piqué, Jordi Martí Henneberg, Cambio agrario y paisaje vitivinícola en la Cataluña occidental durante el primer tercio del siglo xx, [in:] Ería: Revista cuatrimestral de geografía, 88 (2012), p. 180 he was also administrator of rural holdings belonging to the local Vaciana and Miguel families.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 15 Active in the local business milieu, he co-founded the local landholders’ organization Sindicato Agrícola de VallsNadal Piqué, Martí Henneberg 2012, p. 180; the organisation is also referred to as Federacion Agricola del Alt Camp, see Eduardo Montagut Contreras, Tomàs Caylà Grau, [in:] Historiaideologias blog 2011, available here and represented it on various fora,La Vanguardia 24.12.19, available here becoming also president of the local Asociación de Propietarios.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 20 In 1894 Josep married Teresa Grau i Torner (1865–1943).Guinovart i Escarré 1997, pp. 16, 23 The couple had 3 children; two sons died in their early infancy.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, pp. 15-16
Tomàs was brought up in fervently religious ambience; both his parents were profoundly Catholic. Josep Caylà served as president of the local Ateneu Católic and secretary of Germandat de Cristaires in the local parish, apart from performing other minor functions. Nothing is known of his political preferences apart that he was attached to traditional values; he nurtured the idea of society organized along religious lines and animated by the spirit of harmonious co-operation. Demonstrating vivid interest in social question, he was committed to his vision of social responsibilityGuinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 15 and promoted the idea when presiding over the proprietors’ association.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 20 He is credited for bringing the concept into life when dealing with local vineyard tenants affected by the phylloxera plague.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, pp. 15-16 During unrest triggered by massive strike in the Catalan electricity sector in 1919Francesc Rom Serra, Martí Rom, El Centre Obrer de Mont-roig del Camp (1911-1925), Barcelona 2003, , 9788496035348, p. 136 he was assassinated on the Valls street in what was probably an anarchist ambush.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 19, Jaime Tarrago, Tomas Caylà o la moral del Alzamiento, [in:] Fuerza Nueva 19.08.78, p. 10, available here
Following his earlier education in 1911 Tomàs moved to Barcelona, where he started to study law;Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 63 he graduated in derecho in 1916Pàtria 10.11.16, available here and commenced practicing in his native Valls,Tarrago 1978, p. 10 gaining anecdotal reputation for his honesty and dedication.Tarrago 1978, pp. 9-10 Inheriting fervently religious outlook he commenced activities in various lay Catholic organizations; he was co-founder and active member of the local Congregacio Mariana de la Verge de la CandelaTarrago 1978, p. 10 and helped to set up its review Estel Maria.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 63 Caylà has never married; as he explained to his mother, he intended to dedicate himself entirely to the cause of God served by means of Traditionalism.his mother is quoted as acknowledging his choice as follows: “mucho me satisfaría que Tomás contrajera matrimonio, pero si, corno él dice, manteniéndose soltero puede servir mejor a la causa, estoy muy contenta de que permanezca soltero”, quoted after Tarrago 1978, p. 10
Restoration and dictatorship
In 1919 young local activists led by Caylà founded a Valls-based weekly titled Joventut. Spanning across modest 4 pagesPere Altés i Serra, La premsa local en el meu record, [in:] Quaderns de Vilaniu, 24 (1993), p. 68 and appearing with the sub-heading Per la fe i per la pátria,Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 30 the periodical was issued in Valls and partially other comarcas of the Tarragona province; its circulation remains unknown. Contemporary scholar classified its political line as conservative,Laura Vives Solanes, La premsa de la ciutat de Valls al segle XX, [in:] Quaderns de Villaniu 42 (2002), p. 173; Joventut is not listed among Carlist periodicals in Eduardo González Calleja, La prensa carlista y falangista durante la Segunda República y la Guerra Civil (1931-1937), [in:] El Argonauta español 9 (2012) another present-day biographer underlines that it was based on ideas of Christian humanism and justice.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 25 Caylà and the co-founders explained their political identity in a clear-cut manifesto, declaring themselves to be first Catholics,guided by Rerum Novarum and convinced that politics serves religion, never the opposite, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 30 then Spaniards,determined to serve Spain's greatness and prosperity, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 30 then Catalans,dedicated to Catalan spirituality, regional rights, language, character, modo d’esser; they supported “autonomia integral” and believed that either Catalonia is Catholic or there is no Catalonia, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 31 then Traditionalists“allistats sots les banderes d’un partit de noble história, que ha sapigut formar els seus homes en la oposició i que avui té de lluitar més que amb sos naturals emics”, quoted after Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 31 and finally legitimists.who support the Carlist dynasty and stay loyal subjects of Don Jaume de Borbó, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 31-2. The entire declaration of identity, including its very sequence, almost ideally reflected the traditional Carlist ideario: “Dios, Patria, Fueros, Rey” Caylà emerged as the moving spirit, manager, chief author and organizer of the weekly, which remained sort of his personal tribune for the next 17 years.he also collaborated with El Correo Catalan and La Cronica de Valls, Contreras 2011 He contributed under his own name or using various pen-names, most commonly "C.V."standing for “Carlí Vallenc”, The Valls Carlist and "Almogáver";Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 29 his contemporaries admired him for writing ease.Altés i Serra 1993, p. 69
Freshly graduated, launching his law career and active in the local Circol Jaumista, in 1920 Caylà ran on the Carlist ticket in elections to the municipal council, but was reprimanded by the party leader of the province, Joaquín Avellá, who made public that Caylà had not been nominated by the party. Local Carlists responded by claiming that Avellá only intended to favour the candidacy of his own brother, a member of the Conservative Party.Joventut 03.02.20, available here Caylà could not get elected.La Crónica de Valls 14.02.20, available here However, in 1922 he ran again and was elected regidor as one of the most popular candidates.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 169, Vicenç Gascón Altés, Francesc Vallès Serra, La dictadura de Primo de Rivera en la perspectiva de Valls, [in:] Quaderns de Vilaniu 27 (1995), p. 68 His career did not last long; the coming of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship in 1923 spelled replacement of elected bodies with the appointees;Gascón Altés, Vallès Serra 1995, p. 48 Joventut could have only lambasted the new regime for its corrupted political machinery.Gascón Altés, Vallès Serra 1995, pp. 48-49 Things went from bad to worse in 1924, when Caylà and the young Jaimistas attempted to stage Festa dels Veterans and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Carlist takeover of the province; the regime reacted by closing circulos, suspending Joventut for 2 weeks and detaining Caylà,Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 35 who spent 5 days in Tarragona prison and was ordered a month of exile in Lleida.El Sol 07.07.24, available here, also Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 35 Also during the years to come Joventut refused to endorse attempts to institutionalize the regimelike Union Patriotica, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 36 and rebuked its inefficiency and disregard for genuine representation, in result suffering 5 fines, 2 suspensions and 2 detentions.Vallverdú 2008, p. 15, Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 47, Gascón Altés, Vallès Serra 1995, p. 59
Joventut was euphoric about Primo's fall.Gascón Altés, Vallès Serra 1995, p. 67 During Dictablanda Caylà was administratively reinstated as member of the local councilduring dictablanda the Valls Ajuntement was re-constructed by incorporating 11 top taxpayers and 10 regidors most voted in 1917, 20 and 22 elections, Gascón Altés, Vallès Serra 1995, p. 68 and actively resumed his public activities, like staging the Carlist Fiesta de los Mártires de la Tradición celebrations in 1930.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 36 Since Spanish politics seemed dominated by bewilderment, he advocated Catholic principles as general guidance and prayer, sacraments and mass as 3 ordinary day duties.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, pp. 68, 72 In terms of political solutions he championed spiritual role of Vatican and papal teaching,Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 83 which translated into his hostile stance towards Liberalism.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 76 Though loyal to the Carlist king Jaime III, unlike most Carlists he was not vocal as a monarchist. Demonstrating some accidentalism and what was already becoming his typical conciliatory and non-belligerent tone, he rather advocated common work for Spain, be it a kingdom or a republic, far more important having been a new constitution, centered on traditional values.Guinovart i Escarré 1997, p. 275
Republic