Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-10-08
SPAIN.


Spain isreprasensed to be in very crIti-
cal,eondition, by late cabal dispatches
From one end Of the peninsula to the other,
thssigeyal army has been beaten and become
wholly demorallged : and the entire navy
has gone over. to the Insurgents, and the
QQeen, the last Of the Bo urbous, has
been compelled to fee her province, TO CO;
cape the vengeance Of all ipsugent people.
Thislsoat least, a novel episode in S pan
ish history. and will probably be product
iveaofsene- or more Giiblas or Don Quixots,
ifis results in 10 further advancement of
Spanish civilization and National charac-
ter.gs The question Of Republic is fore
geaeueone lasion. Even most Of the lead
ing insurgents look upon that idea as yis-
ioaary.i We npst confess, ourselves, that
aReppollcan .form ~ government, which
has SO neatly proved Itself 8 failure with
the American people, who certainiy have
had decided advantages as well as expert
anee in its workings, would be very mad
eauate to this hcklo. bigoted and unstable
people. Tbs history Of Mexico, which is
the history OF SPAN il niniture, proves
this aszertfea. The same yacilatiug aud
unstable1eAafaoter and reckless disposition
that eharaetetlzes the one. fully describes
the other q II neither it is practicaoe to
establish a Republic in Spain can clearly.
be dedueed7fro the philosophical history
cTEhsfeeuntiy and It's dependencies, which
are g0Sepaad pg the same azed rules Of
ea4ise'anet effect III the, sts@ place. tsIis
vas not a. revolution, bias merely 81 Ia
sdFreceion, based ppoa some supposed
(whether It be real or otherwise grievance.
The idea Of liberty is very vague with q
people having tie manners customs audan-
stinets of the Spanish people, and such
out reaks are rather Of lawlessness than Ct
liberty In civilized countries, the tend
ancy is rather to obey unjust laws, but
whilst obeylng to insist upon thslr repeal
as matter Of r ght, and because 1t is bet
ter to remove grievances than to resist them,
with a doubtful chance; and it required a
greater reach of mind, as was exemplided
In The darker ages, to resist the system !ron
which a grievance emenates than to resist
the evil itse.f For, We find in the md
die ages, that would have borne and ap-
1>prepfiase relation TO the civil and eccIes-
asticaE history Of Spain now, that tumults
asd Instructions were incessant, and re-
: bellons we're rare. La Spain there never
! was a-rebelllon proper, though the people
are oftenlaSless and attempt to resist some
particular grievance, but never the sys-
TEN that preducod it; and we are remind-
ed of the great sdispositien Of that people
to prefer occasional disobedence to sys-
tematic liberty. And this, ir our opinion,
Is all that Spain has accomplished Low.
der leaders have IN an eminent degree.
every Characteristic of the nation, and
promise nothing more than brilliant law
lessness to accomplish special reform.
and then yield, ifpossible, 10 more mon
archiaf form Of government, which will
certainly be necessary to restrain PEG
pie who have had taste of Republicanisni
and have not had the capacity or fortitu3a
to undare it, Nos only this philosophical
reason, but, it would certainly be bad
precedent for despotic Europe to estab-
lish Republic on7so brief an instruction !;
especially whilst France, Prussia and Tia
" are holding their Doubtful Conferences
and il Is more than fair 10 presume that
Napolean the Hid has not made his late
CONCESSIONS to Victor Emanuel without
/. o consideration.