The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-22


Carlists. With an empty exchequer and a
crushing debt, with people generally dis
affected, with an empty throne still begging an
OCCUPANT. with more than one strong party
| claiming that throne in the name of heaven
and Justice and at the peril of life and property
! for their respective chiefs, and with all the
horrors of cruel war staring them in the face,
who can say that Spain is what she ought to
be- or that the revolution has been a success
The failures of 1912, of 1920, of 1886, were
neither of them 80 conspicuous or so complete
as this of lS6S-63.
What is the cause Of this failure? This
question, confessedly, is beset with some diff
Guilty The cause is perhaps manifold. In our
Judgment, however, the failure of this and OF
all previous Spanish revolutions is to be traced
to one source The Church is now, as 1t has
been for many generations, the curse of Spain.
Many causes have conspired to make the Span
ish Church one of the most powerful national
organizations IN Europe. Biased by its early
history, it acquired force during the long strug-
gle which Spain maintained with the MOOrs.
When the Moors were expelled it reaped
large amount Of the honor and glory. 1t was
pampered and spoiled during that long period
when Spain ruled half the globe, and with
cruel sellshness sucked up the wealth of the
Indies. 1t acquired its special character-a
character which makes it the ally of abso-
lutism, legitimacy, Divine right and much
besides, which the spirit Of modern
freedom detests and abhors-during those
dark days Of the Inquisition, a period
when it was the privilege and pride of Spanish
monks in the Old World and the New to burn
Christian men and women. What the Spanish
Church then and by these means became,
the Spanish Church has ever continued to be
and now is-a tyrannous, cruel, non-pro-
gressive hating and hateful thing the ally
of tyrants, the enemy Of knowledge and
liberty. In Spain, as we have said, the
Church ia power-a power all the more dan
gerous, because Of it's peculiar afinities and
tendencies. From the commencement Of this
latest revolution fear Of the Church has tied
the hands and fettered the movements of the
revolutionary leaders. One or two bold steps
were taken, but it was always found conve-
nent by Prim, Serrano, Topete and the rest
not to push matters 80 far as to drive the
Church into open rebellion. The object was to
make the Church an ally. The ally was no
doubt useful, but events are proving that the
ally is so strong that she is likely to become
mistress Of the situation. 1t has been the
great fault of the revolution that it did not
dethrone the Church when it dethroned
Isabella, by despoiling it of its enormous
were strong enough to destroy the Church OF
they were not. II they were, they ought ia
have done it; for not having done so they
have spared foe in the guise Of an ally
which is defeating all their schemes and
writing failure on all their efforts. II they
| were not strong enough, then we must regard
the revolution as the work of only a section
of the people, and look forward to a better
time, when intelligence more generally diffuse'
will enable the Spanish people to see the tru
cause of all their misery. Not until th
Church is struck down and made helpless cal
we expect to see Spain taking her place amonl
the nations. Spanish revolutionists ought t.
have learned more from the experience o
Mexico and from recent doings in Italy. Al
the struggle is not yet ended we must no
despair Whether the Church ia still to b.
mistress of Spain is question Of more vita
Importance than who is to be king
|