Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-10

the prize of his ambition within his
grasp. He asked high terms, that OF
admiral, vice-royalty of all lands he
should discover, and tenth OF all gain
made by trade or conquest. All these
conditions were rejected and nothing
was done. In January, 1902, Columbus
started for France to seek for friends in
that monarchy who would assist him in
his enterprises. And here, gentle
reader, is one of the little things that
would seem to upset in a small degree
the pretensions of Queen Isabel to
unqualified credit for the discovery
of the Hesperides of the west. 1t ap-
pears that up to this time, both Ferdi-
nand and Isabel had refused for one rea-
son or another, all propositions of
Columbus. At length, as history tells
US, on the earnest entreaty of Luis de
Santanzel, receiver of the ecclesiastical
revenues of the crown of Arragon, Isa-
bella was induced to determine on the
expedition. Being on his way to
France, about six or eight miles from
Granada, a messenger was sent after
him, and on his return an agreement
"between him and their Catholic maj
estes was signed and sealed" Regard
ing the generosity of Queen Isabel in
pawning her Jewels to defray the ex-
penses of the expedition, whether in
the language of Prescott, the historian,
it was "happy instinct or intuition"
it should be observed that this gener-
osity was qualified by the condition "if
the funds in the treasury should be
found inadequate" History does not
show whether the funds were made
quate or not, but it does state that
the town of Palos was ordered
to find Columbus two ships, and the
town did not have any crown jewels in
pawn as security for the outlay. In this
connection, and at this time, it may
be proper to state that the historian,
Prescott, from whom Mrs. Coronel prob
ably gets some of her facts, that Pres
colt also says that the efforts of Queen
Isabel for the introduction of the in
QUESTION into CASTLE, and for the pro-
scription of the Jews ''are outstanding
evidences of what can only be called
bigotry." This much for Queen Isa-
bePs claim to statue at the Columbian
exposition on the ground that. she was
copartner with Columbus in his efforts
to discover what we will call Amer
lea, "the land of the free and home
of the brave," if we obey the laws of
God, honor, justice and humanity.
Queen IsabePs kindness or philanthro-
py in preventing slavery at the sugges-
ton or sel6shness of Columbus can
hardly be sufficient to give any kind of
an apotheosis to her memory or charac-
ter, as she afterwards in her royal ca
pacity overlooked or connived at the
wholesale slaughter or slavery of
hundreds OF thousands of inof-
fensive aborigines in the vari-
GUS lands that became tributary
to Spanish dominion after the discovery
of the new continent. Cortes' subjec-
ton of Mexico and the results that fol-
lowed need not now be mentioned. To
give Columbus the credit or immortal
dishonor of originating the system of
encomiendas or repartimientos, and per-
petuating this system in the face OF the
power of the Spanish monarchy, is
manifestly unjust to an immortal name,
and by implication, at least, re-
fleets but little honor on the
heart or head of her whose
memory is sought to be resurrected and
perpetuated by means OF statue on the
grounds of the Columbian exposition.
AS woman of splendid womanly vir-
tues, associated with royalty when roy
atty produced but little worthy of exam
pie or emulation, she is certainly enti-
tied to high honor, and on these grounds
might be accorded statue, and all
women who are working for such an
object would be entitled to high
honor. As a copartner of Columbus,
or in any way taking precedence of him,
whose name will grow brighter and
brighter as decade follows decade. and
make more luminous the firmanent of
history where immortal names have
blazed for twice two thousand rolling
wears. God forbid