The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-01

The Spanish Revolution and Its EneCss u
South America and Cuba.
The effect Of revolutions nowadays may bs
compared to that Of an earthquake. Indeed,
revolution shocks only such people as are
IKE 10 those from whose midst the trembling
starts South America and Cuba bear strik-
ing likeness to their mother country, Spain; 90
do the United States to Great Britain. There
is, however, this difference that after having
cut loose from our mother country we forced
her and all mankind to treat us as . full
grown nation quite willing to respect others
rights and able to make them respect our
own. Neither South America nor Central
America has ever been able to do this; and
it is a question whether Cuba ever will be able
to claim mans estate in the family Of nations.
Certainly none Of the South American repub-
lies has yet been able to maintain such estate,
though all have claimed it more loudly than
this, the only full-grown republic of the world
One Of the strongest proofs Of this truth may be
found in the still unsettled war between Spain
and the west coast republics of South America.
The stubbornness with which Spain refused to
acknowledge the independence of her colonies
showed clearly that the first chance would be
seized by her to regain control over them.
This she has been trying with the above mem
toned republics, and she has failed, as was
just that she should. But now the shock Of
revolution which parted her and her finest
colonies is felt at home. Whence comes it
How far will it reach2 No one can tell for
sure. All that we can say is that the power
of Spain had better be gathered for use at
people abroad wear yoke which subjects at
home are struggling successfully to break.
Such must be the end of this revolution. The
war against Peru, Chile and their allies,
Bolivia and Ecuador, must be ended at once,
and the Cuban as well as Porto Rican fond
ness for the political mode Of life followed in
this neighboring republic must be gratided. II
not done those two gems of the Antilles will
slip into the quiet hands Of Q people able and
willing to set them where they belong-in the
diadem that crowns the brow of this liberty
loving republic.
We need not pry into the causes that have
given the final shape to this Spanish revolution.
If we trust the best sources Of knowledge the
whole affair is an earnest and hearty move to
overthrow the French moneyed aristocracy
which, under the government of Isabella H.,
has been for some time sucking the life-blood
Of Spain. This same aristocracy wheedled
the Queens government into the outrageous
seizure Of the Chincha Islands and the Pacific
Ocean campaigns. They did the same in the
Mexican Intervention case, under the lead Of
General Prim. The very men who are now at
the head of this Spanish revolution tried to
save their country from falling into these
errors. They failed; but now they seem de-
termined to succeed. They mean to drive
from power those men who would let Spain bs
the tool of France, both at home and abroad.
Hence the success Of the revolution will
insure peace to the South American republics,
a relaxation of the reins 80 tightly held over
Cuba and Porto Rico, and complete change
in the American policy of Spain.