Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-21
SPAIN md GIBRALTAR

SPAIN IND GIBRALTAR.
At nearly every session of the Spanish
cortes for the past ten or q dozen years
proposition has been submitted for the pur-
chase, or demanding tho surrender, of the
fortress of Gibraltar, by Great Britain to
Spain. For several years but little attention
was paid to the matter either in England or
Spain, for it was we'll understood that Great
Britain would never loosen her grip upon
the gateway to the Mediterranean without q
desperate struggle, which would exhaust her
entire resources. But during the past three
years the aggressive party in Spain seems to
have been gaining ground, and about six
months ago an Unexpectedly large vote was
obtained in favor of the motion for a de-
mand for the surrender of the fortress. This
measures are now in progress which will
still further strengthen the position.
1t seems to be understood that
sue has got possession of the port Of Tan
giers, on the opposite side of the Straits,
paying the emperor of Morocco certain
consideration for the privilege of maintain
ing fortress there. Extensive defensive.
works have already been constructed there,
and twenty Armstrong guns have been sent
from Gibraltar as part of the armament Of
the Notifications. These preparations have
been conducted vsGy quietly, and have pro-
crossed almost to completion without any
knowledge of the fact coming to the ears of
the Spanish government. AS consequence
there is great deal of alarm in both Official
and non-official circles, for this makes the
Mediterranean more than ever British
sea. Every vessel passing in or out of that
body Of water will be obliged to run the
gauntlet Of British grns-Gibraltar on the
Que side and Tangiers on the other-and in
case of hostilities could scarcely avoid a
complete and instant destruction.
The Importance Of Gibraltar to Great
Britain cannot be overestimated. She has
large interests in the East, and her possess
sion of the fortress adds greatly to her in
huence in the control of affairs, for, de-
prived of that vantage ground her dictation
would no longer be submitted to-. She has
Malta and Cyprus under her absolute do
minion; she controls the Suez canal, and has
recently received important grants in Asia
Minor. Gibraltar stands as an ever vigilant
sentinel on the outposts to guard these i'm
mense interests. Were that sentinel re-
| % ove d, her possessions would fall an easy
ORGY to the first conner, for she would be cut
off from the avenue through which she
could send relief. For over hundred and
sixty years the rock has been in possession
of the British, and but two attempts, both
of them disastrous to the assallants, have
been made to dislodge them. The most re-
markable seige in all history, perhaps, was
the three years. seige that extended from
1790 to 1888. The combined forces, both
land and naval, of France and
Spain, undertook the capture of the fortress,
which was defended by but seven thousand
men. The assailants numbered land force
of forty thousand men, and a f1otilla of forty
seven war ships of the line, besides over q
hundred smaller vessels. Over thousand
pieces of artillery of the heaviest calibrc
were brought to bear upon the garrison from
the land approach, while greater number
bombarded it from the sea. For three years
the small handful of men kept the enemy,
| more than ten times their number, at bay,
and when peace was declared it was found
that more than one-third of the attacking
force had been placed hors du combat, while
less than a thousand of the garrison were
unfit for duty. So remarkable seige and
SO valiant a defense is without parallel in
history, and illustrates the impregnability of
the famed fortress to outside attack. Only
| treason within can ever succeed in causing
| the capitulation of the garrison, no matter
how small, to legion of assailants.
With the right or wrong of the British COM
mand of the straits of Gibraltar we have
nothing to do. We cannot help admiring,
however, the admirable stroke of policy that
has led to the double security of this tenure.
The moment the situation was menaced
steps were taken to ward off danger, and the
already impregnable fortress was rendered
doubly so by the fortifcation of the promon-
tory upon the African coast. The work was
undertaken quietly and substantially COM
pleted before any other power was aware it
was in progress. Its first effect will be to
cause some buster in Spain, but the sober
second thought will convince that people of
the extreme hazardousness of attempting
hostilities under double advantages. Thus
has Great Britain given fresh illustration
Of the fact that the best way to avoid wars
is to be prepared for them. While the peo-
pie of Spain might have been tempted to
wage war for the possession of Gibraltar il
that fortress alone menaced them, they will
hesitate long before attempting it with q
second one about as formidable, within range
of British guns.
ONE of the uses of marked ballots has just
been put in practice in Chicago. For some
| time past it has been suspected that all the
government employees were not always true
to the party interests, and accordingly 8
search of the poll-books and ballots of the
past half dozen years has been made and
each clerk or official has been credited with
black marks for every time he bolted or spill
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