The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-08-04
GkeQttelli9eneer
,rhc snanI,h War Explained.


,p,or the Philadelphia LedgCr.)
For many weeks past a large proper
,inn oi lhc news by Atlantic cable hai
',ccn % cnrrossCd by news Of the Mree'Sidet
c,nIlrct going on in Spain. The dis,
,,Irhrs are necessarily in very cOndenseC
inrm and many of the names OF place
mentioned arc unfamiliar to American
rr.Irrs, and these TWO embarrassment
LriDp complicated by an insurrectioT
,mnnr the Republicans themselves, o
we'll US by the Carllst war, readers oil th
news are likely to lie as much confused a
enlightened, unless they know the geogra
phy Of tho country, and peruse tho dis
aicLes with care. Indeed, every reader
whether fully informed or not, will d
well il he or she refers 10 good map o
spain from day 10 day as the contic
makes progress. There Is no better ex
rrcise In geography than TO examine al
atlas whilst reading the news concerning
jistant pIaces; II fixes the relative sltuR-
,lnns OF places In the mind In q sort o.
mental picture.
THUS, with the map before US, let ui
l,ok nj Inc localities In Spain which are
now disturbed by the Carlist war on the
nng hand, and the revolt OF the "irrecon'
riMhlr" or "communisLic" Republican re-
vail on the other. The Carlist limo ol
onrra,iOus il confined 10 q narrow strip oi
rauDlry on the southern slopes oil the
pVrpn1ees. adjacent To the French frontier
and extend from tho Bay OF Biscay nearly
tnlhe Mediterranean. Scattered banus ol
CarIists, some Of them quite inconsider'
allie in number, and some reported 10 be
m force Of len 10 fifteen thousand, have
uycrruu this narrow belt, II embraces
the old basque provinces" (Biscay,
AIaya, GuipuscOa and Navarrrc,) and the
northern portions Of the old provinces oi
Arraron and Catalonia. Carllst bands
have appeared everywhere within the ter
rilury thus described, and have been gen.
orally successful, bui they do not hold
even that small fraction Of the territory
nl Snaiu without contest. In fact, they
hayo 10 fight for every square mile in
their possession. BilbOs, Vittoria, Puig'
rcrtla, Iguaada and Pampeluna, OF which
newspaper readers now hear so much
are nil embraced within il The base ol
oncraIiOns Of Don Carlos Is in the vicinity
nI PampCluna, qnito near tho French
frontier and in a line almost due south
ni the French town Of Bayonne, on the
hay of BsCay, and It will bo noticed that
personally lie keeps quite close to the
frontier. The most distant place To which
hII psrtisans have penetrated is the little
town of IgualAda, which is in the centre
Of Catalonia, about Inrty miles northwest
ward from the important city Of Bsrcelo'
na, on tue Mediterranean.
This description will, 10 connection
with good atlas, show that the Carlist
war Is confined to very uncomfortable
portion of the territory OF Spain, II is
am exceedingly mountainous region, IN
habilcd for tho most part by a peculiar
ponulstion, who have been well described
as entertaining "iAnatioal loyalty" 70
tho direct branch Of the Spanish Bourbon
royal family, and a portion Of the terri
tory inhcriis the traditions Of tho ancient
kingdoms of NaVsrre and ArragOn. The
Iasques and 0atalAns, besides, are well
known 10 be peculiar people.
On the other hand, the revolt Of the
"irreconcilables' or "communistic" lie.
pnbIcans extends over q long line Of the
sea coast Of Spain, and embraces all the
important cities Of tho kingdom except
Madrid, and even that city would be In
yOved in Il, II II wGrc not for the pres
cnCe there of powerful Government
Inrce. Beginning at Barcelona on the
Mediterranean coast, taking In Valencia
Alicante, Carlagena, AlmGria and Malaga
thence penetrating the interior 10 Seville.
aud reaching the Atlantic coast at Cadiz,
Seville is the third city Of the kingdom,
Valencia the fourth, and Malaga tho
fifth. Alicante and Almeris are seaport
towns Of about twenty-five thousand to
thirty thousand Inhabitants. Carlhagena
nlso seaport Is less considerable
although as ancient as the days Of uanni'
bal. Ii will thus bo seen that the revolt
nl the Communists, unlike the Carlist wal
in the sparsely settled mountain regions
isa revolt of cities and seaports involving
largo populations. II Is formidable and
threatening 10 the pcrmanence Ol The
spanish Republic for two reasons: II Is
war within the household ol the mon
whose necessities require the fullest unity,
concord and concentration, and It paraly-
scs the power of the Government In the
localilics which should he most available
Ia ill the ranks OF It's army against the
Carlsls. This revolt is supposed by
some To 5c diversion In favor ol
the Carlsts, but tho opinion is hardly
trnabIc The city populations Of
Spain, like those of France are "madly"
republican Is, as they un-
dcrsIAnl republicanism, liCenLlOus liberty
IOr themselves; and despOLiC restraints on
MI others. While they cannot understand
or will not willingly submit to the Repnb'
lie Of Law and Order, they hate the line
Of Bourbon Rings with deadly malignityl
and hence cannO be allies ol the Carlisls
They are playing the same patriCidAl
part in Spain-killing their country
that the Partisan Communists" did when
France was wriLhing in the deadly throes
ol the German war. It all looks as II tho
Spanish people are not yet ready for a re
publican government. II Is, in TACT, a!
lar as the existing race OF French ant
Spanish republicans arc concerned, illus
lFsling the point OF tho French epigram
tue Republic is impossible while any
Republicans exist"