The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-01-14
ABOUT SPAIN.
GRANDEE SPIRIT, COLONIAL
POLICY AND AGRICULTURE.
Some Rambling Thoughts.
BY "NEMO."
(Copyrighted.)

are read in five hundred thousand
homes, scattered in every State OF the
Union. In this county they will be
found week by week In the columns of
this paper only, as we have made ar
rangements with the author for their
exclusive publication.)
Allow me to continue and conclude
a necessarily brief consideration of
Spain as a decaying nation. In last
weeks "Thoughts", the assertion was
practically made that nation must
have some ideal before it beyond the
forcing of creed Or the piling OF wealth.
In both OF these directions Spain has
been at fault. Three further enervating
causes have been at work undermining
It's national strength.
| THE GaASDEE SPIRIT For centuries
after the destruction of the Roman
Empire by the Goths and Vandals, the
human intellect was almost benumb mbed.
Until the Renaissance and the Reform
alton pail of darkness was over all :;
the mobiles being almost as unframed
as their serfs, and the serfs being utter
ly crushed by those OF nobler blood.
Humanity in Europe lay like a giant
chilled by the cold. But since that
time stimulation OF thought has caused
the great heart cf the world to throb
witkincreasing power, till the life of a
common humanity thrills, in large
measure, even those most separated by
birth and wealth. Each age has had
peculiar characteristics ours is the
peoples Age" But against the ten
dency of the people to think and act,
hope and accomplish, the proud and
stubborn spirit of Spanish grandeeism
has stood forth with ferceness. Yet
just as Canute by his word could not
hold the sea in subjection nor Mrs.
Partington Sweep back the waves with
her broom, so no dynasty CIR power, even
hoar with age and crusted with heroic
deeds, can withstand successfully, by
narrow-minded repression, the rising
tide of human aspiration. If it turn a
deaf ear to the cry Of the poor for life
and liberty, for education, for hope,
the Cry will not die out but its pleading
tone VIII be turned In the fierce and
fateful growl Of a cornered beast. Thus
has 1t been with Spain. Far more Or
ganized and dangerous than Nihilism
in Russia, is Anarchism in Spain. The
Kingdom is so thoroughly honey comb
ed with the sentiment of lawless
breaking down of the government, that
the men in power try constantly to
divert public thought from home affairs,
and are glad of anything in foreign
lands that will form safe outlet for the
combatiye spirit. They are under the
hopeless necessity of watching and
guarding against the home population
as thoroughly as they would have to
watch an invading army. I believe /
am safe IN saying, not even excepting
Russia, that no other nation III Europe
but Spain is in this anomalous condi-
ton. It stands revealed before the
world as nation that has not controIl-
ed the growth of hope and thought, but
withstoOd it instead with the eneyita-
bic disaster coming nearer every day.
COLONIAL Policy I fear if we look
back at the conquests of three Or iour
centuries age, when constant tldings OF
new continents, wealth, ETC., fired men 5
adventurous souls, the skirts of no ma
ton will he found entirely free from
exceptions, in spots, like Rhode Island
under Williams, Pennsylvania under
Penn, and Maryland under Calvert,
cruelty and illlberality have almost uni
versally accompanied the work OF estab-
fishing a new colony. But gentler
times have brought gentler methods
and various nations seem now to Vie
with each other in the iberality and
excellence of their colonial policies
Take England for instance. Its illiberal
treatment of it's most valuable posses
sion, now the United States, has entire
ly passed away /; so that at the present
it is practically true that many small
POSSESSIONS IN various parts are better
ruled, better prospered, and stronger as
dependencies than they would be as
separate and Independent governments
The policy Of England and other nations
who try to rival her in colonizlng activ-
ity, is to look only for indirect results
from good government. Internal de-
velopment is aimed at with the conf
dent hope that the resulting prosperity
will react favorably to the home coun-
try by reason of increasing trade, etc
but Spain's policy has remained un-
changed while other nations have
, marched onward. Her colonies have
always been regarded as tair prey to be
stripped of everything valuable tha,