Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1896-09-05
SPAIN NEEDS MONEY.

The frantic appeals st present being
made by Premier Canovss and bis gov
eminent to Ssgssss and the Opposition
in Spain. for the support which is re-
Rarded as essential to the maintenance
OF the empires integrity, are suggestive
as well ss interesting. With the arrival
OF the new consignment OF troops in
Cuba for the fall campaign, it is admit
ted that the cost of the army devoted to
the crushing of the rebellion will be
$4,000, 900 per month. With the treas
ury bankrupt, with an appalling nation
al debt on hand, and with credit
threatened abroad by obligations over
due, the government has found
itself compelled to appeal-snd it
has not appealed in vsin-for the aboli-
ton of obstructive tactics and for the
support Of its enemy, the liberal party,
in its financial plans.
Being thus united on q question OF
acute national concern, We fed Spain,
regardless of party feeling, intent upon
securing such millions az may be neces-
ssry not alone to face the enormous ex.
penses in Cuba, but to place the nation
on q basis to meet possible emergencies,
probable conflicts" This phrase of Can
ovss means, If it means anything, that
the government still regards war with
the United States as q not remote out
come Of the Cuban question. Only on
this ground could he secure the co-opers-
ton OF the opposition. While we are
less pessimistic than the Premier, q
cursory glance at SPANS commerce with
US. as shown by the latest official re-
ports, may not be untimely. Her imports
could doubtless be largely supplied from
other sources, but the matter of exports
TO the United States, to be suppressed
by wsr, must be of considerable interest
TO her in her present impoverished and
depressed condition.
Consular reports for the three months
ending March 81, 1896. show total ex-
ports valued at 1868, 662.5S. This sum
represents seventeen districts, as against
three declaring no exports to the United
States. The loss of this market must be
o serious blow to Spain, as she could
not replace it elsewhere, and restitution
would follow increased stagnstion in
many psrts of the country already drain
ed of its young manhood bv military
service.
Without going into details, We may
refer specifically to the export Of wines.
Tor the reason that Spain stands third
among the wine-producinR countries Of
the world-being preceded by France
and Italy alone, and IN the order named. |
In nine of the seventeen districts quot. |
ed wine constitutes q more or less i'm
portant item Of the export trade, and in |
two the sole item. But it is not only |
because of our imports of Spanish wine
that we refer to this item. Spain has
maintained her great wine industry and |
made great progress in vine culture
only by the aid derived from the United
States. She has been sorely afflicted
with the rsvages of the phylloxers, and
the consular reports just issued, under
date OF the current month. show that
the vines thus destroyed are constantly
replaced, in new government land, by
American vince, known to possess great
resisting quality.
Therefore it is plain that, with the
arrival of events expected by Canovae.
the cessation of exports to the United
States would be supplemented by the
cessation Of one import which alone
would strike fatal blow at one OF the
most important industries OF that coun-
try-s country already well-nigh para
lyzed by poverty.