The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-14
spanish America.


Spanish America.
Between the fanaticisms of the extreme
ultramontanes and the quarrels of the poll
ticians the populations of Spanish America
have rather an uncomfortable time of 1T.
The progress of liberal ideas has, however,
been on the whole satisfactory, and were it
not that immense masses of half caste and
Indian inhabitants are sunk in absolute
ignorance there might be some hope that
out of the bloody struggles constantly occur
ring would come political and religious
liberty. For ages the Church has been to
the poor Indians a protector always a
disinterested one, it is true, but still pro-
tector In the earlier days of Spanish con-
quest it threw round the native races the
protection of religion, and lifted the oppressed
and despised red man to an equality before
God with his proud and naughty conquerer.
In exchange for this protection the Church
exacted from the neophytes implicit obe-
dience, but in return gave them the promise
of the future life where the slave of this
world would sit in triumph among the
legions of Gods chosen children So long
as the political interest Of the State and of
the Catholic Church remained one this
powerful influence of the priesthood was an
advantage to both; but with the war of in
dependence this union of interest was broken
Whatever may be the theoretical advantages
of liberal government its practical useful
ness to people situated as were the mass of
the populations of the Spanish American
States at the outbreak of the war Of indie
pendence is open to serious question. In
making the spoliation of the South Ameri-
can Church one of the cardinal points of
their policy the liberals made serious blum
der and prepared the way for the calamities
that have since fallen on all the Spanish
American republics. 1t was this spirit of
hostility to the Catholic Church which
rendered the stable organization of govern
ment impossible. Had a different system
been adopted this same Church might have
been made one of the most useful agencies
in educating the mixed populations of the
South American republics up to the standard
of intelligent self-government But the lib
erals, in their haste to secure ideal perfection
of government, estranged the priesthood
and that vast mass of the population who
saw in the priest the agent of God and in
the Church their best and truest protector.
Political fanaticism aroused the sleeping de-
mon of religious discord, and the result has
been an unceasing warfare carried into every
relation of life and watering innumerable
battle-felds with the best blood of the
people. This introduction of religion into
political questions has been an unmixed
evil It has tended to make the Catholic
Church intensely reactionary, and so in
famed the minds Of the more ignorant por-
ton of the priesthood as to lead to the insti-
cation by them Of scenes such as lately dis
graced Salvador. The disorders of San
Miguel were happily arrested by the vigor-
Gus action of the government, and we learn
with satisfaction that the active participators
in them have suffered the extreme penalty
of death. 1t would seem, however that the
government did not feel itself strong enough
to deal out the same stern justice to the
priests implicated in the riots and massacres
at San Miguel. This is very much to be re-
GREETED, and shows sad lack of moral cour-
age on the part of the government of Sal
vador. The execution of one priest would
have had more deterrent effect than the
shooting of the fifty catspaws who only did
his bidding. 1t is evident that so long as
the clerical garb is permitted to shield evil
doors from punishment by the law outrages
like that at San Miguel will continue to
! occur.