The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-21
IncreasIng trouble in Spain.

A ministerial crisis has taken place in
Madrid. The Minister of War has withdrawn
from the Cabinet The Captains General Of
Madrid and Barcelona have resigned. The
friends of the exiled Duke and Duchess Of
Montpensier continue to protest against the
royal decree which banished them to Lisbon.
Llberalists of all shades seem inclined to CO.
alesce, at least temporarily for the sake of their
common object-the overthrow of Queen Isa-
bella and Of the reactionary party that sus-
tains her. The picture of the internal condi-
ton OF Spain was not painted in exaggerated
colors by General Prim in his proclamation of
August, 1867 agriculture is suffering; all
trades are stagnant. The press and the Par
lament are condemned to silence, and blush
suffuses every honest Spaniard's brow when he
looks upward to the throne or down upon
his degraded countrymen." This picture is
now as true as it was last year. Even if a
European war should not arise this fall and
suddenly change the destinies of Spain, it
would not be surprising if the same result
should be effected by the Spanish people them
selves to the war cry of /" Yea la Li5ertad
and the National Sovereignty" Whether i'm
mediately successful or not, revolutionary
outbreak is not unlikely to occur and the
throne of Isabella is more insecure than ever.
A patriotic Spaniard cannot forget the an
cient glories of his country. He remembers
that in the tenth century, under the caliphate
at Cordova, in agriculture, commerce, sciences
and art it was in the most flourishing
condition, and that in the fifteenth CEN
fury, under the reign of FERDINAND
of Arragon and Isabella of CASTLE, the
conquest of Naples and the discovery and occu-
patton of America raised the kingdom of
Spain to front rank among the powers of the
earth. He traces with sadness the gradual
decline of his country to its present deplorable
position. He knows, however, that it's popu-
lation is beginning again to increase, and that
its exuberant fertility, and its fortunate varie-
ties Of climate, and its prodigious undeveloped
mineral resources, and the inherited Roman
pride and perseverance and Moorish passion
ateness of the Spanish people and their adapta-
biity to civil institutions of Teutonic origin,
are all favorable to its entering with success
on the career of modern civilization. There
fore it is not strange that he should revolt
against governments which may justly be stig-
matized as ''executioners Of their country and
q scandal to civilization" It Is natural that
he should long for an effectual cure of the pa
ralysis of national production and for other
radical reforms that, in the language of one of
the Spanish revolutionary leaders, shall
speedily transform our degraded, depopulated
land into fourishing state" Whatever may
be the issue of the troubles in which the Spanish
government is involved al home, our own gov
eminent should lose no time in putting an end
to certain consequences of the insolent inter-
ference of Spain in South America. When the
United States were engaged in civil war Ma
poleon invaded Mexico and Spain went to war
with Peru and Chile. Napoleon's invasion of
Mexico, however, came to grief, and in 1866
Spain ceased hostlities against its ancient
South American colonies. Nevertheless, the
Spanish government has Obstinately refused to
conclude treaty Of peace, and American man.
ufacturers and merchants are still subjected to
the inconvenient restrictions laid upon our
commerce on account of our neutrality during
the war; These restrictions should at once be
removed.