The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-29

lists-The Abolition OF Slavery and
the Republican Prospect I'm Europe.
We print this morning cable despatch,
special to the HERALD, which shows that the
Carlists in the Northern provinces OF Spoin
are not only maintaining their ground, but
gaining victories over the government forces.
According to our despatch there has been a
severe engagement in the Northeast The
| government troops retreated, much de-
moralized; Gronollers was captured by
Sabals, one of the Carlist chiefs. The small
garrison surrendered. In Tarragona, as if to
show how completely Spain is wanting in
unity of sentiment and unity of purpose, we
are told that Communist demonstrations were
being made. In Barcelona there had been
some fighting in the streets, and six persons
are known to have been killed We do not
much wonder that the great Powers refuse to
recognize the Republic, although the Republic
is just as likely to be successful as any
other form of government in unhappy
Spain. Almost all our recent reports
have been discouraging. We shall be
glad to learn that some of these reports are i'll
evidence, we must take them as we find them.
With the Cortes dissolved and with general
election on hand, it is in the last degree
desirable that the members of tho Cabinet
should stand by each other. The last act of
the Cortes before dissolution, although i'm
perfect, did honor to the republican cause
The bill, which was passed by q unanimous
vote, abolishing slavery in Porto Rico,
provides for immediate emancipation.
Pity that the bill was not more
thorough. Immediate emancipation is more
name than reality for we find that
the so-called emancipated slaves are to be
compelled to serve, for three years, their
present masters or other residents of the
island, and that for five years to come they are
to be denied the rights and privileges of
| Spanish citizens How much money in the
shape of indemnity it is proposed TO pay the
slave-owners we are not informed; but, what
ever it is, the bill provides that it shall be
charged exclusively to the account of the
Porto Rico budget. With the passing of this
abolition bill the dissolution of the Cortes
was unanimously voted, and the House broke
up amid the widest excitement in the Hall of
Assembly and in the streets.
That the Spanish Republic has taken, in
this abolition movement step in the right
direction, we cannot refuse to admit Slavery
has been, for generations, standing disgrace
| to Spain. 1t is now many years since Great
| Britain set her good example, and since, in
a variety of ways, she was placed under bonds
| to hasten abolition and to make an end of
| territory. So long as slavery was an institu-
ton, privileged and protected in the United
States, Spain had show of reason for main
tanning the relic of barbarism in Cuba and
| Porto Rico. Since our civil war, however,
and especially since the close of that war,
when slavery was crushed out by the might
and the majesty of the freedom-loving people
of the North, that dimsy excuse for refusing
to do justice to the unfortunate slave has been
wanting, and from the time of Isabella each
| successive government has had something to
soy about abolition. To the Republic,
however, belongs the honor of having
spoken and acted with effect. 1t
is always o source of pleasure to
us to be able to speak kindly and encour-
agingly of the republican cause in Europe
We have been watching Spain with attention
and interest. We are pleased with what the
Republic has done in this matter of slavery SO
far as it goes but we must be allowed to say
and that it has not done enough. Its action is
imperfect, because emancipation ought to have
been immediate and unqualified, and because
the indemnity, instead of being charged exclu-
sively to the budget of Porto Rico, ought to
have been provided for out of the national
Treasury. Its action is incomplete the Re-
public has not done enough; for every reason
which calls for abolition in Porto Rico calls for
abolition in Cuba. When the British govern
ment decided, in 1888, to make an end of
slavery throughout the Empire proper the
indemnity, amounting to twenty millions Of
pounds sterling, was paid out Of the national
Treasury, and the joy produced by eman-
cipation was not marred by any invidious or
vexatious exceptions. We have no good
reason to believe that the decision come
to by the Cortes is completely salts
factory to the Spanish people and
we may take it for granted that, while it
will be felt by the Cubans to be an open
insult and regarded by them as justification
of their policy of resistance, it will goad the
inhabitants of Porto Rico into open revolt.
The insult to Cuba is plain and unqualified,
and Porto Rico is told that if she will have
emancipation she must pay for the privi-
lege and abide by all the consequences 1t was
not so that we emancipated the slaves of the
South; and the present chiefs of the Spanish
Republic ought to have benefited somewhat
more from the lessons and experience of the
past