New-York tribune., 1897-08-10
C4NOTAS DEL CASTILLO.

Spain has lost her best representative Great
or men in some respects than Canovas del Cas-
tilO was she may have, though one scarce
knows where To look for them. She has not
one so well embodyng her national spirit. In
both its strength and its frailty. The prOudest
Of all nations. with caste distinctions developed
10 an extreme degree, it has ceen her lot TO he
led in many great affairs by men of humble
origin, to have her empire extended by plough
boys like Pizarro and swlneherds Ike Cortez.
So this man. the son OF humble commonerS,
rose to look down upon hereditary mobiles, to
give peremptory Orders-which were obeyed-to
King and Queen. and TO decline as unworthy
of his dignity the highest hOnors grateful
Court could offer. He could make and unmake
dynastss and rule King and Kingdom with
imperious force: he was great scholar and
great orator And yet he was afraid of his own
valet and one of his chief joys was to hear his
halting verses praised as noble poems. Withal.
he was a great man, as Spain is still great
PATTON and he understood that nation so we'll
and was trusted by it so implicitly that his re-
mOval at this trying time seems a wellnigh ir-
reparable loss
He was murdered by an Anarchist. There
could be no more bitter irony than that such
man as Canovas should be put out Of the way
by such a one as Coli, or whatever be the as
sassin's name For while the one represented
n nation the other represents nothing but indi-
vidual or adventitOus malice 1t Is idle to
speak of revolution In connection with this
crime CanOvas was not slain in response 10
popular demand. No considerable body of
Spaniards desired his death. Sagasta. Sal
meron. CASTELAR,, Margall. even Don Carlos.
would have shrunk with inexpressible loathing
nri,1
"a reflection Of public sentiment" as some are
wckedly suggesting. 1t was not "a political
act as the perpetratOr impudenty asserts. II
was not even an act OF vengeance, for there can
be no vengeance for Justice and 10 rational
man imagiDcs Canovas's treatment Of the Bar.
celona and other Spanish Anarchists TO have
been other than just. The cock-and-bull sto-
ries about the tortures inflicted upon Anar-
chist prisoners have been proved baseless This
murder was the sct OF n criminal pure and
simple. whose only followers and sympathzers
ere other criminals. CanOvas represented Spain;
Golli represents nothing but crime.
We have said that Spanish leaders Of all par
ties regard the murder with detestaton. The
same must for humanitys sake and for Cuba's
sake be believed Of the nsurgent chiefs IN
Cuba. The expressions OF rejoicing that are
attributed 10 some Cuban leaders and sympa-
thizers In this country must be lbels or else
their reputcd authors desire TO destroy the
Cuban cause and 10 read themselves out Of the
pale OF humanity. Cuba is fighting against
Spain. But assassination is not war. II Is
mere crime. If Cubans approved this deed
they would be approving Anarchy; and if they
did that they would rally against them and 10
the support of Spain every friend OF law and
order ia all the world Moreover, crime profits
10 man. II is vain 10 suppose that The death
Of Canovas means instant success Of the Cuban
arms. Some say Sagasta will succeed him and
will grant independence to Cuba. But it was