The sun., 1897-06-04
The Ministerial Crisis in Spain.

Spain, Schor CANoVAS DEL CASTILLO, nav
ing resigned, we may take for granted that
the Queen Regent will invite Senior
SAGAsTA, the veteran leader OF the Lib.
erals, to form n Cabinet. Should he con-
sent to teke office at this juncturc, the pres
ent Cortes, which contains large majority
OF Conservatives, will have to be dissolved,
and tie new general election that will tol-
low will have the normal result OF return
Ing preponderance OF members favorable
to the party in power. The new Premier
will then have In his hands all the ncedful
constitutional machinery for tho prosecu'
tion of his plans concerning Cuba.
What are those plansi SAaAsTAs ulti-
mate design, to which recourse may bo
madc, should pncifcatory measures fail,
has, as yet, been revealed to no one; nor
could it wisely be disclosed beforehand II
sale or abandonment of the island were con-
templated. In spite, however. of any ex.
plicit assurances on tho subject, there is q
widespread though vague impression that
the return of the Liberal leader to Office at
Madrid may have consequences not disslm-
liar to those which followed the superscs.
sion of Lord NoRTn's Cabinet by the Rock
ingham Ministry in 1882. 1t is probable,
indeed, that SAsAsTA. whatever may be
the secret scope of his intentions, will
begin with some such an overture as was
made by Great Britain in June, 1870, when
she sent to the Colonies with conciliatory
proposals Admiral Lord HOWE, a magnani-
NOUS and trustworthy man known to be
friendly to the Americans. In Marshal
MARTINEZ CAMpos the Spaniards have
such a man. and the Liberals may persuade
him to proceed once more to Havana for
the purpose Of applying political reforms in
the garrisoned cities and towns and in
those sections OF the open country which
the Spaniards profess to occupy. What
reformsi Not those which Seflor CANovAs
last winter communicated to Secretary
OLNEY and promised to enforce without
awaiting the sanction of the Legislature.
Those reforms have been repudiated by the
Cortes, which has just been prorogued and
the sole reforms now embodied in law and
constitutionally applicable to Cuba arc
those constituting the AbarZuza project,
the nadequacy of which provoked the pres.
eat rebellion.
1t is true that SAGAsTA, like his predeces-
sor, may transcend his constitutional
powers and proclaim concessions more ex-
tensive than those formulated by Minister
ABARZUZA, believing that the new Cortes
can be prevailed upon to sanction them.
and to pass an act of indemnity to relieve
the Premier from the penalties Of a stretch
of executive authority. Suppose, however,
that such extensive concessions should be
offered by SAGAsTA, and that MARTINEZ
CAMPos should go to Havana for the pur-
pose of convincing the Cubans that the
offer was made in good faith What guar
antee would the islanders have that the
pledge would not be broken the mo.
ment they should have thrown down their
arms, by the Conservatives, who are certain,
soon or late, to regain power at Madrid
Unquestionably, MARTINEZ CAMPos acted
in good faith when he negotiated the treaty
of Zanjon; yet for seventeen years the
Cubans vainly awaited the execution OF
that treaty, and eventually in despair re
CURED once more to insurrection. 1t is i'm
possible for the Spaniards to cheat the
islanders again; the latter will receive
Marshal CAMPoS as the American colonists
received Lord HOWE; they will respect the
emissary, but reject the overture.
1t is too late to beguile the Cubans will
talk about autonomy. What they mean t.
have is independence. This they will max,
plain to MARTINEZ CAMPos. whom SAG AsTl
may despatch to Cuba, not from any rea
hope of effecting pacificatlon, but in orde
to propitate public sentiment in Spain
When he is able to say to Spaniards that h
has spared no effort to recall the Cubans t.
their allegiance, the new Prime Ministe
will have to face the question whethe
Spain shall accept for Cuba. as she accepte,
for Florida, n fair equivalent in money
or whether she shall lose the island
as she lost her possessions on tn
American mainland, without receiving
peseta in return for all the blood and treas
ure wasted in the efforts to retain then
Whether the fair equivalent in money fo
the costly and purely nominal control {
Cuba now exercised by Spain shall com
directly from the United States, or sha
take the form OF bonds issued by the Cuba
authorities and guaranteed by our Govern
ment, should be, one would think, matte
of indifference to sensible men. The pu
chase money, however, may he proffered |
the way least likely to offend Castilian su
capabilities.
1t will be interesting to note whether II
new Madrid Government retains Sen,
DUPUY DE LONE in the post of SPANS
Minister at Washington. Should Il
present envoy be succeeded by man
strong Liberal prepossessions and of avows
hostility to the excesses perpetratcd in Cui
under the Weyler regime, the change wi
be. of course, accepted as favorable ONE
The supcrsession, too. Of Governor. .Gencr
WEYLER by such aCom,nandcras MARTINI
CAMpOs will have, at least, the effect
assuring to Cuban prisoners, to non-col
batants, ami TO nurses in hospitals h
humane treatment to which they arc c
titled by the laws of civilized warfare.
MIR. Calhoun, the Presidents Spcci