The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-14
A SPANISH VIEW OF US
DE LOME'S CRITICISM OF OUR MEN,
WOMEN AND GOVERNMENT.
He Found No Good and Much That
ministrntion of the Republic.


World from Madrid to Madrid written by
Senior Enrique Dupuy de Lone the Spanish
minister in Washington. The history of
the book is not given in the correspondence.
but it is understood that il was written
four years ago. after Senior Dupuy de LONE
had visited this country as SPANS commits
sioner TO the worlds fair.
AS literary work the book is of no i'm
portance. but that part of it which refers
to the United States will be interesting TO
American readers. who will be surprised TO
learn that the views upon our country OF
the present minister of Spain were not,
when the book was written. at all fattering
to the people of the United States.
Beginning with his landing at San Fran
cisco. Senior Dupuy chat is his real name,
although the people of this country persist
in calling him De Lome) says:
I'VE had been told on board the steamer
all that is usually said concerning United
States officials. They are scoundrels and
thieves. To strictly comply with the Gus
tom-house regulations will be of no avail
70 you. If you carry anything for which
duties must be paid, offer s. to the officers
in attendance. Do the same thing even in
case you have TO pay nothing, so that they
| may not bother you. Each passenger re-
houses. and all added These officials are
the meanest and most miserable fellows to
| be found among politicians
| Here is his picture of the American citi-
| zen:
I'VE have all heard of the American
| as he is usually described, with a revolver
and Nevada; scalped by Indians or scalping
md 70 i'm rha VII ri
wind of business politics; struggling to
satisfy his unquenchable thirst for gold in
| telligent and active, with Unborn mercantile
| feelings and having no idea of art outside
that which is geometrically modelled. A
| great Patriot, he almost invariably robs his
| country whenever he is called to its service.
These men evidently not the North
| Americans who converted a colony into a
great nation, whose enterprising genius has
| attracted the admiration of the world with
| their great cities and railroads and schools.
They are not the Stewards and Astors and
| Peabodys, but they are the BeecherS and
| Tiltons, the Belknaps and BabcockS, the
| New York aldermen. the Indian agents, the
men of the whisky, ring, the innumerable
| thieves and despicable publicans, who cast
a shadow upon the future of the American
| Union.
| AMERICAN WOMEN.
/
American woman is even more interesting.
| I'VE all know what women in the United
States is. She is adventurous and bold. She
travels alone with full liberty, protected
more by fear of the law than by the respect
which she inspires. She is a spendthrift
| elegant and wears the most risque fashions
knowing well that everything becomes her.
She is genteel; her feet are small; her hair
| is beautiful
us she a woman who loves home? i do
not know. 1 have seen American women
| living at the hotels in California in Paris
| all over Europe; always eXtravagant
spending more money than their husbands.
| OF whom they do not know much-money
| earned God knows how or where.
Before marriage, as said before, they
they marry how do they behave? Who Who
| can tell? People have been inclined to be-
| ieve that they make model wives. L do
| not think that they are the worst in the
| world; but there are indications which do
| not commend them much; for instance, the
| mysterious history of a certain witch who
| now owns palace on Fifth avenue, and
| whose fortune, of which she now makes
| an insolent show, was amassed by prevent
ing the increase of population in the great
| Republic; the personals in New York
| paper; the excursions on steamboats, which
| follow the publication of these personals !;
| their trips to Europe and the lives thew
lead in Paris
Summing up the character of American
men and women, the Spanish minister
says:
Are all men and women in the United
States like this? Maybe not L do not
know them 10 be SO; but let there be no
misunderstanding upon this subject. We
| are tired of seeing and knowing persons
who later prove TO be raScalS; OF hearing
Americans abuse their own countrymen
and all the more when they happen to be
| highly placed; of shaking hands with per-
sens who ought to wear manacles instead
| of gloves were We to believe what those
who know them say.
1t is yet to be learned whether the Amer
lean commonwealth can continue as 1t is
be able to exist when it has to confront
the social problems which now attract Eu-
ropes attention? Will the United States
be able long TO retain the cohesion from
which the federal Constitution derives al
its force, having, as the Nation has, a
government lacking unity and strength, as
well as a corrupt administration to saw
nothing of race antagonism and opposing
interests of the various States? Will the
petition when wages are lowered abroad!
| Will the Western agricultural States sub.
NIT to the economic servitude imposed upon
them by Northern manufacturers? In my
opinion all these problems will present
themselves in the United States before
long.
HIS VIEW OF THE FUTURE.
"As soon as the present industrial move.
ment ceases and the United States gets or
a level with other nations, when profits be.
come less, will the taxpayers consent to be
ruled as they now are? Will they consent
to pay large sums of money for the main
tenance of an army which does not exist
of navy the condition of whose vessels is
such that none of them would be able to re.
turn TO the United States from a trip to
China; of an administration whose mem.
bers provide abundant material for investi
cation in the criminal courts?
| so many opposing interests cannot Ions
remain united. Time will bring about IN,
| formation of three nations-in the East
| as CASTELAR, said. democracy leads to unit,
and to the strengthening of the centra
| power, dictatorS Will eventually becom,
necessary in these three republics From
| dictatorship to monarchy there is but one
step, which will easily be taken by the aus
| generals. professors and doctors n,
one would more willingly than they ASSUME
| the title of Duke of Connecticut or Mar
| quis of Minnesota.
| Il will not attempt to describe an Amer
| lean city. with its numbered streets anC
| straight avenues, cutting one another a.
| right angles; with its immense buildings
the architecture of which would drive Her
| rera and Bramante to despair, although i
| may delight men who began life cheWins
tobacco with their feet stretched upon
pine table at a miners hut, and who en-,
now resting upon California laurel tabl,
| in marble palace
| In these free countries liberty is fol
hotel keepers. for stage drivers. for traiI
conductors, for Pullman car negro porters
not for the unfortunate being whose lot /:
to foot the bill.
This book of the Spanish minister is sait
to have gained a tremendous sale since tn.
| relations of the United States and Spair
became strained and the authors prophec,