The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-04


bineelf king If he had not power over the lives
and pr.pesty OF the people. Without tbs.
be would be nothing but limited monarch.
Accordingly, kings 10 this day in europe are hit
tive goven ents and leave no efforts uCexercised to
rduce all eo' rnments to the model Of despotsm
Or absolute Donarcbies. We should, however. be
rather inclined to suspect that instead Of becoming
Afterwards, Us cir. sumner stated, an instrument
OF the priests, the two parties. the King and the
priests coDlo1t coDspirrd against the people and
Effected its establishment together. No doubt the
klng deered It for the purposes Mr.. Sumner stated
bu, 1t IS probable he could not effect il without the
aid and G. nsent Of the priests Also no doubt the
priests oesired IT, as means OF esta olishing their
power ana OF putting down even the breath of OppO
sIlOn or centure; and they too could not effect il
without the aid and consent of the king The two
parties, therefore, n oil probability oospired togo
ther, a. they usually 10, AID its institution we may
believe was the effect of their mutual and joint
ois'on spG lost OF power That afterwards the
priests got II all in their own hands is natural; for
no king or potentate ever assisted them to power
without foiljbg himself under the power he had
aiOed in promoting.
There Ia yet another aspect or point Of view in
which SPAN presents large Geld for observation
ond refectcD, In ages past Spain has been the
country OF revolutions and the theatre of Political
in,reots and disturbances Theee revolutions have
lhgeed Teen abotiye CONVERSIONS, springiDg out Of
little and unworthy causes, having had no national
purposes, nor emanating from the united and en-
iiehfened viii of the people. Her political agita
tons have for the most part been the effect of
io'eien inuifaes and interference Yet it il chiefly
IN view OF 'hese domestic troubles and changes that
Spain has OF late engaged the public attention and
thereby MADE der existence to be known. Probably
but Tor tasse little squabbles and court in
uigues and military pronunciamentcs, Spain
would De ae little known or heard Of among
US in ihis day as the Empire of Morocco.
or the kingdom Of Abyssinia. Mr.. Sumner discuss
ed this subject in his lecture in clear and lucid
manner, and In few sentences succeeded in giving
n lSlGo he ia - -
Christina and her troublesome career. Politically
speaking. much was to be learned from Mr.. Sum
per's lecture: The history Of Spain and her great
fall is copious political lesson; it affords warn
sition to profit by the lessons Of the past. How
Spain lost her liberties, which, though not the
cause Of the Impeachment of her people, is the
cause why they cannot remedy the evil. was very
happily explained by Mr.. S. How the House
Of Representatives. of Spain lost its power,
though 1t still for some time remained in
name how the power and liberties OF the people
were gradually cut shortwhat efforts the Executive
made TO control the Cortes and how it succeeded
was shown with great clearness. Mr.. Sumner
traced some of the important facts of this history
frcm original documents in the Spanish archives.
He showed, by the course of events, that when the
repr Sentatives of the people allowed themselves to
be buled into an abandonment of their control over
the ArDv till, the country began to decline, and
from that day went down to utter ruin. No sooner
had the representatives voted the Army bill, before
plunged Spain into succession of foreign wars the
natural effects Of which were, in the of time,
crime, debt, oppressive taxation, and the downfall
OF INDUSTRY. To these causes Mr. Sumner attributes
the decadence OF Spain, which he sums up as fol-
lows: First, the absorption by the Executive branch
OF the government Of the powers Of the popular and
representative branch, which was consummated by
HIS obtaining the control over the Army bill; and
secondly, the policy Of the court and Of the laws,
which directly tended to make labor disgraceful;
and thirdly, TO great, oppressive and unequal taxa
ton.
No doubt Mr.. Sumner is correct in his views in
this respect as far as he goes. To 90 further, in
deco, would hardly have been possible in the
OF one lecture, and would have been incompatible
with the programme of the topics Mr. S. proposed
fos his exam nation They were large enough and
he handled them with the knowledge and ability Of
o scholar. We do not for moment suppose that
in the enumeration OF the causes he gives, it was
his intention 10 exclude al Others. There are, in
deed many causes which have Jointly operated in
the work OF reducing Spain to a condition, perhaps
worse, than if she had been by some great natural
CONFUSION suddenly blotted out from existence for
ever On the earth like the vast antediluyian people
OF old But Of all the causes united, the greatest
most certain. most effective, and which also was
the parent of many Of the minor helping causes,
wes demonstrably, VIC believe, that 70 which we
have adyertod.
The hopes OF Spain fer the future, IA represented
by Mr.. sumner, nay be comprised and summed up
In the lollOwng:-
/. In her municipal organization.
,. In her quick witted peasants just beginning to
have schools for their children.
.. I'm her industrial classes who arc now making
the msevcs felt and asserting the dignity of labor.
4. In her woHen-sgainst whom every ignorant
traveller has aimed his shaft Of rnaloo-but who. to
rare degree posses grace with dignity, and afec-
tlon with constancy great native talent patriotism,
self-sacrifce.
From what We have already observed, we need
not here remark that the reasons given by Mr..
Sumpcr grounds OF hone for the revival Of Spain
no m n M and ina hat Mr
Sumner gives as grounds OF hope appear 10 us only
as reaeons for amentstion. IL is lamcntable that
quick wittd peasantry, that an Industrious people
that fine and amiable women should be 70 unhapply
situated so badly governed reduced 20 the abyss
In which the people Of Spain are plunged. But VIC
are inclined to fear that wit and industry and
beauty which, no doubt, do adorn the misery III
SPAIN yet afford very little hope Of ever being able
to abate that misery or To do more than adorn and
rtDder il the more to be lamented. Virtue and ma
terial wolLbeDg with the working masses, the
power Of industry to command with ease and GER
tainty a comfortable existence such is We believe
the rt and greatest element in naonal prosperity.
We place virtue along with wcllbeng, because with
OUT IL, the utmost abundance, wealth with
out anv stint, can never ensure happiness TO any
one. without il, industry itself con have no exis-
toDCe in nation, Tor it IL part Of virtue to be in
,hlstlous. An industrious people are the wealth and
glory OF anatioD, and 40 long as people babi-
tually industrious, so long are they comparative
y and proportionately vftuous Both indus.
..
and destroyed when labor Il robbed and
plundercd by the indirect taxation Of harpies,
who every week make the aborer Of every degree
and Kind pay 10 them half the proceed of his indus
"! or hisToil in prices which 90 10 enrich and sg
praDdze the unseen plunderer. When the food OF
tho people is thus made an object Of gambling, and
ponbltrs seize upon II by the Instruments they hire
at bank counter passing IL from one TO the other
It'd each o. them Is gtted with fortune at the cost
Of the peope-wben those harpies can command the
mt9ns regularly 10 carry on these operations-ope
rstions by which they bleed every man, wo nan and
Call IN the community, and are literally enriched
with blood in heaps upon heaps, extracted from the
pcoPlt-when this Is done in nation, and the laws
conspre against the people to assist in destroying
them by creating those establishments which, for
profit ont OF the SPOIL hire out the means of pee-
iratlng tins iuin-no nation, however witty or in
dustfiOus the people, can long continue industrious
ara yiriuous. So we have seen Il in Spain by the
exec - 81 money made Of goldso We that IL Is
IN England by an excess OF money made Of paper.
II The wit CT the peassntry, the labor Of the work
ing classes, or the fine and lovely qualities Of the
women Afforded any hope whatever for the material