The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-10
The Eject Of the Death of Canovas
UDon Cuba.

as the Duke of TETUAN Is said to have tele-
graphed to London, that the murder of
Senior CANovAs DEL CASTILLO has no po-
litical Significance. There seems to be no
doubt that the deed was done by an An
archist, that is to say, an enemy no less of
republican than Of monarchical forms Of
government. The crime, therefore, was not
committed with q view Of furthering the
wishes OF the Cuban revolutionists who de.
sire to establish a republic. Nevertheless
the Cubans are justified in believing that
Indirectly the assassination of CANovAs will
hasten the triumph OF the Cuban cause.
Whatever weakens the Bourbon mon
archy at Madrid must necessarily impair
the resources at the disposal of the Spanish
authorities In Havana. That for nearly a
quarter Of a century CANovAs has been the
prop and bulwark Of the dynasty reigning
In Spain, has been recognized on all sides,
and with especial d~istinctness by its Car
list and republican opponents. 1t was he,
more h any other politician, who in 1874
organized the coup dctnt by which the
monarchy was re6rected on the ruins Of the
short-lived republic; 1t was he who fur
nished the means, although MARTINEZ
CAMPos got the credit, Of quelling the dan
gerous uprising Of the Carlists in the north
ern provinces; 1t was he who guided, ad.
monished, and supported the young and
hayward ALFONSO XII. through the
troubles of his brief reign; it was he
who stood forth the champion of the
widowed Queen, CHRISTINA, and averted
the civil wars which always before in
Spain had shaken q feminine regency; it
was he who consolidated the friends of
royalty by facing himself in favor of his
rival, SAGAsTA it was he, finally, who
bafled all the plots of Spanish republi.
cans until GORILLA died of sheer despair.
In a word, the services which he rendered
to the son and grandson of ISABELLA II.
were far greater even than those rendered
by CAvoUR to VICToR EMMANUEL or by Bis
MARcK to WILLIAM L., and 1t was from a
proud consciousness of Unreasonable de-
sert that the son ofa washerwoman refused
a dukedom at the hands of q sovereign
whom he had made. He was right in
thinking that no rank or title could add to
his personal Importance he had reason to
believe himself that extremely rare phe-
nomenon, the indispensable man for since
1874, whether in office or in opposition, he
had been the true pilot Of the monarchy,
the real soul of the State.
Among the stanch adherents Of CANovAs
there is non who would presume to think
himself qualified to fill the vacant place,
while as for the Dissident Conservative,
ROMERO RovELo, though he is self-con.
fdent enough, neither the Liberals nor the
friends of the dead Premier would accept
him. 1t seems inevitable that the choice
OF the Regent should fall upon the veteran
w%ire-puller and ostensible Liberal, SAaAsTA,
and there is no doubt that the murdered
statesman, could he have ~foreseen his fate,
would have advised such a selection, as he
did on the death of ALFONSO XII. Then
SAGAsTA managed to govern, notwithstand-
ing the large majority of Conservatives in
the popular branch of the Cortes, but that
was because CANovAs was faithful to his
secret compact. and ruled his party with an
iron hand. There Is no one now who
could exercise such control over the
Conservatives, between whom and the
Liberals there Is at present a bitter enmity:
consequently, SAGAsTA, should he accept
the office of Prime Minister, will have to
dissolve the Cortes, and order another gen.
eral election. In Spain, Of course, it is easy
enough for the men from the constituencies
in power to secure the return of a majority
made up OF their supporters, but until the
new Parliament shall actually meet, SA-
GAsTA cannot obtain the approval of those
large reforms for Cuba which he is said to
favor. All that he can do, therefore, for
the moment in the way of Cancellation is to
promise that he will go much further, as
a0On aa thn C0ncfifrffaD .on,,tt. lii l.
embody his intentions In law, than did
even Minister MAURA in the scheme which,
unluckily for Spain, was abandoned for
that of Minister ABARzUzA.
No one knows better than SAeAsrA that
Spanish promises, even should they take
the form of treaties. as they did at
Zanjon, would have no currency in
Cuba, and he will soon discover, II he ia
not already convinced, that even the
embodiment In law of the most liberal
concessions Of autonomy, though these
should go as far as those made by England
to Canada, would no longer propitiate the
Cuban revolutionists. The Cubans will &C.
cept nothing but a recognition OF their
Independence, because they believe that no
arrangement short Of 1t would be faithfully
carried out. SAGAsTA, In a word, will find
himself in a blind alley, from which no
escape to the right or left is possible
there will be nothing for him to do but to
withdraw the Spanish army and to &C.
knowledge that the Cubans are free and
independent. Should this be done promptly
and graciously it might be possible for the
new Prime Minister to secure a commercial
treaty which would give the farmers of
Galicia and the manufacturers of Catalonia
access to the Cuban market under excep.
tionally favorable terms. This, and an
agreement on the part of the patriots in
the island to assume a portion of the 80.
called Cuban debt, is the utmost that Spain
can hope for.
Although, however, SAGAsTA will return
to power too late to change materially a
situation for which he cannot be held re.
spousIble, he Is likely to take certain i'm.
mediate steps which will be viewed with
satisfaction by the friends of Cuba in this
country. He will undoubtedly recall the
butcher WEYLER from Havana, and he Ia
unlikely to permit Senior DUpuy nv 7 o~,z