This article brings to light the career of a Spanish aristocrat, Emilio Bessières y Ramírez de Arellano, who was accused of counterfeiting in 1910. In 1891, Bessières is elected as deputy in a rural district near Grenada in Andalusia. Even if he’s not reelected, he keeps all his authority thanks to the clientelist system. His trial shows the conflict between local and national interest groups in the construction of the contemporary Spanish State in the 19th century. On one hand, the central State shares with local powers the management of the public good. But, on the other hand, it tries to assume this function by itself. In the speech of the liberal elites, the cacique becomes an archaic figure, even if he’s really a « good » cacique.