The morning call., 1890-10-16
THE LUsIrANIAN 1MEnoGL1o.

It is comforting to those who mourn over
shortcomings of their own to take note of
the follies of others. Just now, the acts of
people which was highly civilized and in
teliigent when the United States did not ex-
list even as colonies may serve TO console us
for some of our own manifestations of un-
wisdom. Portugal teaches Us that we are
not the only nation which commits errors.
Three or four centuries ago Portugal was
a maritime power of some pretensons, and
as such, it fitted out expeditions which
effected landings on various points on the
coast of Africa. Wherever a Portuguese
landed, the imprint of his foot annexed the
country; he set up flagstaff and blew a
bugle blast, and presto the native dominion
vanished, and the Portuguese fort and bar
racOon regned in its stead. Presently other
nations passed that way, followed the exam
pie, and so in the fullness of time, the En-
gliSh and Germans, with one eye fixed on
the enlightenment of the heather, and the
other set on the opening of market for
hardware and cotton prints, penetrated the
Dark Continent by several channels, and
came in contact with the fort and barracoon
above mentioned. Against this intrusion,
Portugal, strong in her acquired rights, pro-
the shape of a formal notification to an En-
glish steamer that the river Zambesi, which
is about as large as the Mississippi, is not
open to navigation; at another the POrtu-
guese fort fired upon the English tres passerS
and forced them to retire.
All This might have &C urred through in-
discreet zeal; but when the facts were re-
ported atLisbon, the action Of the Portu-
guese people impaired national significance
to the incident. At first it was proposed to
send the British ambassador his passports
and throw down the gauntlet 10 England.
When it became apparent that Portugal
could net we'll fight Great Britain, it was
then resolved to place au embargo on trade
with the English. This step the people of
Lisbon felt sure would bring the naughty
marauder to his knees. They did not stop
to reckon that England takes four-ffths of
Portugal's exports, and that tie quantity of
British goods consumed by Portugal is so
small that the total extinction Of the trade
would involve no disturbance at Birming-
ham or Manchester. What the Portuguese
wanted was to strike blow at the tres
passer. and they cared not whether the blow
would hit them worse than him. Statesman
ard journalist Wed with each other in call
ing upon Lusitauia to give proof that her
ancient spirit still lived.
The story reads like a scene from an
opera tOuffe. Portugal goes into paroxysms
of rage because territory to which she never
had any valid title bids fair to be entered by
races which will establish commerce and
order therein. And to wreak her vengeance
on these disturbers of her ancient solitary
reign, she proposes to cut off the trade which
renders il profitable 10 make wine, to grow
the cork tree, and to mine copper pyrites in
her own dominians. Meanwhile. the agita-
ton caused by the new controversy has
reused the Portuguese to discuss the why
and wherefore OF their monarchy. and it is
possible that the little mother country may
improve The occasion by following the
example of its great Brazilian colony,
and amend the Constitution by abolshing
the throne. In these European countries it
is never possible to reckon what results
may flow from popular fOles.