The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-20
AFF AIRS IN EUROPE.
state or Affairs In Spain,
From the LONDON Shrohlcic Ocs. ~
h.. -l.k xnrwo..a.a sha ofta~e 81

state OF Affairs in Spain.
From the London Chronicle Oct IT
Tbs .tsGgg,s which eDgrosses the attention OF be
great Euro u 90 Powers afford- ) pain "a addit al
aecurity sgsinst foreign interference vi;a aer n
ssltutio nal exp erimeHts. Eaglshmen IL pirtc sr,
are prepared to reg ard with cordial sy npashss ia
spprs baton the establishment OF any system Of gov
erRmenr combining freedom with order. Notwith
sandlsg the popular Suspicious which prevail In toe
Peninsula, Leeds and Mar, hester are by no neals
jealous Of tie embryo manufacturers Of Castle;
nor are The b0ndholdsrs the only class who, evaa
FOR se fish reasons. would rejoice in tho rege
1eratisn OF Spain. For the present, however,
il must be admitted that tosrs appears little
reason 90 snsiclpate . satisfactory 70 miastioa
Of TIA revolutionary crisis II would, psrases,
Be unjust TO blame the nation ut arss for he errors
Of it temporary rulkrs. The general feeling wn'cn
hss raised Espartero TO tire mead Of affairs s In some
degree justified by his well deserved reputation Tor
personal integrity; aud Spanish prime ministers
have ef.eD devoted themselves to the Increase OF
their private fol times, that on inc cooncn
who may be relied upon lot to tampsr with the pub
Lilo money ia Naturally REGARDED with uousuA
rsspeos and coDfdeI oe. The destiDies Of the
kinsdom could mos have been committed TO ho-
hester hands; yet inoorrupibity forms but Q
negative qualification in th0se who undertake the
government Of mankind. policy which oan-
net be influenced by any considerations Of personal
Interest, may nevertheless be- narrow, timtd, and
imprudent. II Ia worth rsmafking that few states
msa Of pre- eminent capacity are popularity cited ~
m0deas OF purity-Do. because great DO wers arc or
ainArly associated with lax morality, but because
secondary virtues attract comparatively little atten
ton wheh they are combined wit the rarer attr
butes Of wisd0m and resolution For the ssme rea-
eon, g~s at general u seldom praised for s,ldery
courage. Napoleon WAS probably "a fearless as
AUat but bis enloeis's bave no leisure to dwell on
the mere hardihOod u 30 consu inmate y commander.
Espar'ero who is himself remarkable for bravery
in the fe d is upright and well meaning IN council,
but ltb RIO he has unfortunately given little proof
OF moral courage or Of foresight
IA faadara or thu moyen,e0t ought to hAy6
understood that, after they had attained their su
sesntlal object, there was no need OF subsequent
formal revolution. Every Interior result which /. Is
low proposed to attain through the agency Of tae
Cosxs. might have been secured at once. When
Espaiteao and O'Donnell had wisely determined
to MANI tain the present Queen on her throne, 1t
only remained for theD TO take care that the rights
Of she patton should b protected against the fraud
aud violence which had been so often and 80 sue
oeasally resosted 20. All practicable securities FOR
liberty we're already recognized in the theory OF tho
thought necessary to strengthen popular element
there would have been little difficulty in sweeping
away the more reosut notifications made Ia the
earlier constitutions 6ioce the death OF Fordi-
aaad the country has had no reason to complain OF
any deficiency in the formal guarantees for free
den. Practical despotism and misrule have existed
only In defiance of the law; and tho judg1ent OF
thsss Spanish politicians who regard liberal phrases
a. the teets and safeguards Of T. eedom must be All
but incurably perverted.
Il is true that the new government may have had
good reasons for deferring to the popular wishes.
Tho oenntry has been Pnndered and degraded by
NE same iDtriguers who have corrupted or silsn ed
tho representatives Of the people; and an hones.
SpaAiard may naturally be willing to bear With the
indsoretionsof any Cortes which 10 independent Of
proRigate court and OF It's satellites. Tho error
Of the Ministry consists in their revolutionary
concession Of q constituent assembly. Statesmen
and generals who have undertaken to seize 50.
preme power for the benefit Of the country. have
no right to abdioste the responsibility Of sub
stisuting q government for that which they
have 0veIthr0wn. The question between mo-
narohy and q republic is one on which every
man claiming to be poiti al leader ought 70 have
dsinitively made up his mind. The Duke Of VIC.
soria has declared his o~n adhesion to the dy
nasty which he long since helped to establish
and it would be worse than anomalous proceed
ing to make the crown virtually elective by asking
. representative assembly to confirm or reject tho
sovereign who, at this moment, nominally regos.
Ehe Cortes which Is about to meet ia summoned
in the name Of the Queen, who will, it is re-
L already Known that the ultraibersls are pre-
pared 20 urge the expediency Of recommending or
compelling an abdicatioD. wiser man than
Espastero met, with conclusive logic, similar
pcetensioa on the part Of legislative body.
t ouehs,n said q member Of Cromwelps first pa' :.
Nsmeas, " that we were q .ree House Of Commons"
you axe so,' replied the Protector, Gas long as
you ssyse~by mstS
undes the proyisoes q J cPsHAesagsIno os, not
sisassanding the jus. unpo 5ulsrity OF the Queen;
but they will not the less hsve van.ouy tnro wn
she narchy into the cruciole, 10 the hope at the
best, that IL may come out unchanged. II q mere
alteration 10 ia, electoral and ,miristrative system
vas INTENDED, there was NO need OF substituting
constituent powers for ordinary legislative fuuc.
tons; for any schem- of hat nature wouk be RI
ther q change IN the law than new constitution.
Ii appears. however, { at the President Of the
Council ana his colleagues shrink from undertaking
he task Of framing measure to be laid before the
tortes. With q pedantry which Is the more irrita-
A,nw l.. N
fuses 20 interfere with the functions which sup
p0Sed 80 belong to the OF the peoples
and he usk Of 2roriding for tss future Welfare Of
Spain - to be left to volunteers and dcragogwes, toho
hG0e from their constituents but that
:Dhtch thy share Nth the Ministers Themselves The
Duke Of Victoria hiss himself been returned By doz-
ciea districts that lie might venture to as
sumo, IA q member OF Cortes, the rivht snich he
disolAims IS the heal o. the government But
when the leader OF a revolutionary movement Is too
modest % dfer suggestions to the Assembly which
10 calls together, 1t would be useless to sho y that
1a nisur derstancs the me aiming even of his O gn
miserable scruples. Precisely the same error was
though with far more excuse, committed by Necker
IN 1889 The purist minister trusted to dis popua-
tlty TO Influence the Constituent Assembly whca he
was az aid to guide 70 c,otrOl More daring hands
Immediately seized tie helm which tue stsersnaa
lad abandoned; but they directed their course to
port WHICH had new er been contemplated At the
outset OF the voyage. Couat de Ia Marks
Memoirs contain curious records of Mrabesus
indignant contempt for the imbe,iisy Of tire vrtuous
Genevese. With que st anabe honesty perhaps, but
with true instinct for COVE snt the great leader
OF the opposition was CONSTANTS endeavoring, in
private TO impress the If the crown With the
necessity Of taking the initiative 10 constructing the
new constitutional system. The Ffench monavchy
might perhaps have been saved If Mrabeau n b. en-
IN tho place Of Necker. Wien the popularity of
Espay tero declines, O'DoDnell some other vgor-
GUS riva may possibly snatch from lin tie reins
which he fears TO tigntn. Even when tue work Of
sns oosssltuer. assembly Is done, II viil still be
quessi01 how TIE hoaesty Of the rulers, the obs
uieDcc OF the people, Is to ne secu ed; and the de-
csion will be in toe ban0s, of the most ot,o
dsK constitutional Journalist but of the most vigorous
and SeSciuts leader.
II is not impossible, however, that tue revolution
may Lad 10 good resu Is. Ar a, dionai paper con.
situtio3 will do little for Spain; b1t the present
movement Ii essentially sound sad honeV, even
where 1t IS wanting in wisdom. A protest against
CrristdnA eod Sar'orus il in Itself proof taas the
ustion retains its self respect. Corruption and ty