Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-21
RECIPROCITY WITH SPAIN
THE NEW SPANISH MINISTER
INTERVIEWER.
spanish Diplomatists Thoroughly I'M
Dned with the Importance of the Sub
Jeet-Ihe Political Excitement Not of
Serious Characteristic New Minis
ter's Autobiography.
v Y0rt HeraEd. yannaru y.


/ ject-The Political Excitement Not of
Serious Characteristic New Minis
ter's autobiography.
Neao Yort Herald, January 70.
At late hour last night five Spanish
! gentlemen sat in the cafe at the Windsor
Hotel, chatting with Senior Juan de va
lera, the newly appointed Spanish Minis
ter, who arrived here Yesterday on the
steamship Cephalonia. Tail. of medium
build, with thick gray hair, brown eyes
ana striklngly intelligent cOuntenance,
the new Minister looked somewhat more
than his fifty years when seen at a dis
tance, but at a nearer approach it was
found that the Illusion was only on the
surface, and that, in reality, he was
younger than his years would Indicate.
Il am glad to see yOu," said the Minis
ter, after cOurteOuSlv welcoming the re-
porter. snow tell me what you want to
know from me, as l am thoroughly frank
and do not agree with Talleyrand that
speech was invented to conceal thought.
THE NEW COMMERCIAL TREATY.
"The new commercial treaty? Well,
the statement that l would receive in
structions to complete that business at
Washington Is correct, as. III fact | am
empowered to do my best to come to a
satisfactory settlement with the Ameri-
can government. Spain. Cuba and
America will be benefited by re-
moving these restrictions in the way
OF trade. The removal of the ten
per cent. ad val0rem duty by America and
OF the tariffs by Spain will hurt nobody
and will bring prosperity to Cuba and
Porto Rico. The American merchants
Will be benefited as well as the Spanish
merchants, and, as a matter of fact, 1
know that they desire this treaty to be
passed. Every prominent Spanish Min
lister thinks that there should be COM
mercial reciprocity between this country
and America. AS to the treaty between
England and Spain, it is a trifling matter
as compared with the other one. as the
chief tariff is on wines, and does not at
feet the entire community. When or how
this business will be finished, [ do not
know. All depends upon what is done at
Washington. am merely here to do my
best in the matter"
THE CONDITION CT SPAIN.
"There is considerable political turmoil
in Spain at present, is there not. sir?v
asked the reporter.
mot as much as outsiders would fancy.
True, the great question is as to whether
the COrtes will be dissolved or not, and
whether the present minority will remain
in power or give place to Senior Sagasta's
party But the mistake people make is
in suppOsing that the Spain of to-day is the
spain OF nifty years ago. She is not. So it
Is misleading to suppose that our political
men are extremists, while they are, in
reality, very much alike as regards GEN
eral principles. 1t is almost entirely a
question of personality. Some want to
gain their ends one way and some an
other, but the ends are pretty much the
same King Alfonso is very liberal. and
has the good of his people at heart. That
fuss about his visit to Germany has been
grossly exaggerated. There was really
no political question involved, and it was
merely an act of courtesy. The people
did not care fig about his being made
Colonel of the Uhlans. On the contrary,
his visit to Germany made him more pop
ular than ever. There were a few allu-
sions made to it in the COrtes, but they
did not signify anything"
lou have heard about the threatened
cuban revolution, SenGrP asked the re-
porter.
"Oh! in Spain we did not hear much
about 1t, and there was no attention paid
to it. The Cubans have no need to revolt.
They are represented i'll our Cortes and
can gain as much political power as the
Spaniards. Cuba itself must flourish. es-
pecially after this commercial treaty, and
her tobacco and sugar will always have
their standard value. So, with a flourish
ing country and their own deputies at
Madrid, | do not see why the Cubans
should not be satisfied. Why, a Cuban
may rise to be Prime Minister in SPAIN"
POSSIBLE POLITICAL CRISIS.
Chow soon do you look for a political
crisis in Spain?" asked the reporter.
at may happen at any moment. On
the one hand the King, who is thoroughly
parliamentary, may give the COrtes all
the life they want, and then probably the
present government would remain at the
helm; or on the other, he may dissolve
them, and then possibly Senior Sagasta's
party would take the reins of government.
But l am diplomatist, you know, and
must not discuss politics with you, even
If had much news to give you. | 90 to
ashlngton tomorrow morning, and you
may rely on it that the public shall know
as soon as ever the terms of this treaty
have been arranged"
'What do you think Of what YOU have
seen Of America. SenOr?"
'Well, / am amazed at your BROOKLYN
Bridge and your elevated railroads, and
l only hope that the people will like me as
well as l like them"
THE NEW MINISTER.
Senior Juan de Valera was born at
Cabra, in the province of CordOYa. Spain.
In May, 1877, he entered the diplomatic
service and was appointed attache at the
Embassy to Naples. He has been Secre-
tary of Legation at Rio Janeiro and Min
ister to the German Confederation at
Frankfort. On July 26, 1860, he was
raised to the rank of Envoy Extraordi- |
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the |
first class, which is the same as that of |
Minister to the United States, and became
soon after the representative of his gov
ernment at Lisbon. In 1868 he was Un- |
der Secretary of Foreign Affairs. A
Liberal in politics, Senior Valera has |
given stanch aid to his party |
through the Contemporaries, a Jour !
nal of which he was editor, and |
which exercised wide influence during |
the Narvaez Ministry. He has been |
elected to Congress several times, and is |
now life Senator. He is a member of /
the Academy, a body composed of forty |
writer's, and is considered one of the best |
Spanish authors and critics. Many of his /
works have been translated into several |
languages, and not a few have been pub |
llshed as feuilletons in the Paris Journal |
deS DebatS. SenOr de Valera speaks Eng |
lish with difficulty, though he is able to |
read 1t with ease. He is, however, an |
able French scholar.
Senior +. Dupuy de LONE, who has been /
in charge of the Spanish Legation at |
Washington since the death of Senior Bar |
ca, will, it is understood, soon be trans |
ferred as Minister to another country