The Portland daily press., 1897-08-13
MEMORIES OF CANovAs.
His Ways, Talk and Fixed Beliefs.

| MEMORIES OF CANOVAS.
DIS Ways, Talk and Fixed Beliefs.
'Ah Unsigned Contribution to New
York Sum-
- Hrst met Canovas del Castillo in
lusorld IN August, 1890. An interesting
discovery had been made few years be-
iofo of some private letters addressed by
ohe great Spanish dramatist of the seven
eeehon century, Lope de Vega, to his pa
'roh' The Duke of Sessa. in which unex-
pec1eo light was thrown upon the life
ana morals of the Spaniards of that time;
anu as the letters proved that Lope de
| vega, In spite of his genius, his profess
| sion as Catholic priest and his title of
member Of the Inquisition, was as pru-
ient and debased as the majority of his
contemporaries, the Spanish Academy,
follow the old Spanish habit of censor
snip against historical and political reve-
la1lons, decided that the valuable histori-
cal documents should never be published.
oenor Canovas, in his rich private Ii
prary, had complete copy of all these
papers, besides original manuscripts of
Cervantes and Calderon, which added
| important evidence to Lope's letters to
oessa 10 obtain from the prime minis
ter then in power, a permission to look
over these historical treasures, called
on him, armed with letter of introduce
tlon from the famous Spanish savant,
Don Marcelino Menendez Pelayo.
In 1885 an uncle of mine had been a
member of Senior Canovas's cabinet as
sub-secretary of the colonies. Another
uncle held at Madrid for longer time
the important office of counsellor of state
under Canovas's administration. My
father, strongly opposed to the conserva-
tive and pro-Spanish ideas of his two
near relatives, and Cuban revolutionist
all his life, longing for the freedom of his
country, was the first to propose to Cano-
vas, in 1875, the independence of Cuba by
purchase from Spain.
| With all these influences in my favor,
the proud "Don Antonio granted me an
| inter view in the most friendly terms I
will never forget the first impression
made on me by that gloomy old palace of
Alcala street from which the president
of the council of ministers ruled Spain
and it's colonies. From the outside it
looks like an ancient barraok of red
brick, and the two sturdy sentinels of the
| Civil Guard, armed with rifles and posted,
in full uniform, at the wide open door,
| triI ,kol f,,xk 10
pearance.
| When / assembled the long staircase and
reached the main floor, the uniformed
porters welcomed me with unexpected
marks of respect. One of them, opening
door, showed me into very large room,
crowded with persons of the most impress
sive appearance, their buttonholes full of
decorations. was astonished, believing
that by some mistake my humble
self had interrupted a meeting
| of the diplomatic body, but before
could make any explanation or apology
the same porter, who augmented my
wonder by bowling constantly, showed me
| to another room. l found myself in the
presence of the Count of Casa Miranda,
Canovas's influential secretary.
~ am glad" he said, pointing to the
l. ueAl TOUlu, tllttU you WCEO DOU CODlOuuU-
ed with that rabble.'
"Who are they / asked more aston
ished than ever.
'sThey are office-seekers, he answered.
! "And to what do owe the fact that
was not COMPOUNDED with them. If it is
| through your kindness"
The count looked at me from head to
| foot, and interrupted my sentence with a
hearty laugh.
| "My dear man," he replied, throwing
me into deeper confusion, "you are
dressed in the regular uniform Of a depu-
| ty at the Cortes.''
| did not know it, 1 was in evening
dress with black necktie, which is dis
| tinctive in Madrid of the members of
court habits saved me, therefore. great
annoyance before my first meeting with
the prime minister.
| When few moments later sent from
the counts office to Senior Canovas my
card and Menendez Pelayo's letter, was
shown to the prime ministers office
through the same "rabble," and at q
glance I recognized two faces very ia
miliar in Havana. Both men were after
offices again in Cuba, and both got them,
One of them made in less than year
81 ,000, 900 from his plunderings. The
other became famous. Appointed chief
of department Of taxes by Senior Cano-
| vas, MS duty was 10 f6CtlVe dill taxpayers
calling on him during certain hours. He
placed bog at one side of his door with
this notice: Before entering the office
of the chief of this department put IS in
here
had the opportunity that day of seeing
Senior Canovas in his more amiable as
poets as scholar and a historian. II
am glad he said to me, 10 have e, some ne
opportunity after these disagreeable calls
from office seekers to speak on some sub
jects dear to me. You can imagine how
/ am bothered by the fact that 90 per
cent. of the Spaniards pay the budget
and the remaining 80 per cent. live on
the budget"
Those who knew him we'll will not
| wonder at these words Canovas del Cas-
tillo was representative Spaniard, and
no Spaniard in private conversation fails
to recognize the plumbers of his people,
Bartrina, a poet of Barcelona, depicted
this characteristic of hi his oountrymen in
speaking against Germany be sure that
1