Washington sentinel., 1898-05-21
The Decay of SPAN.

"A correspondent last week was
qui e indignant with US, says the
London Spectator, tor saying that
there must be in the Spanish char.
acter, otherwise a very strong one,
some root of inefficiency; but how
else can he explain the continuous
decline of Spain9 Greece was con-
quered three separate times--hrst,
by the Macedonian clansmen fused
together by two men Of military
genius; secondly, by the discip-
lined strength OF Rome; and
thirdly, after a wonderful revival
in the Eastern Empire, by a war
like Tartar horde which had turned
tribute of children into a most
efficient standing army. Rome
was conquered alter two hundred
years Of battle by the incessant in
vasions of half barbarous white
tribes, who were individually big
ger and braver than the free
Romans, who were probably as a
whole more numerous, and who
found invaluable allies in the
crushed and miserable population
OF white slaves that performed the
manual labor Of the empire. The
Tartars, whose realm was once
wider than that of Rome, and who
seemed for few years about to
master the world, were "warred
down" by the Slavs in a struggle
which lasted nearly as long as that
by which the )arbarians subju-
gated their Roman foes. Spain,
however, the next claimant to
worldwide empire, was never con-
quered. She was defeated once at
sea by Elizabeth's fierce privateers,
but she was never conquered, and
in 1880 she was by far the greatest
Power in the world, owning all she
owns now plus Portugal. the Mil.
anese, Naples, including Sicily,
the Low Countries, and the whole
OF the two Americas south of the
saith parallel, a dominion to which
neither that Of Great Britain, nor
Russia, nor the United States can,
in some respects, and especially in
respect Of potential wealth yielding
power, fairly be compared. The
Empire, too, rested on strong toun-
dations. 1t lasted in Naples for
two hundred years. The people
of the Low Countries only threw
it off by an effort that was like a
martyrdom, while the Spanish as
tendency in America was so
deeply rooted that to this hour the
creed, the language, and the civ
ilizatlon Of every land that be-
longed to Spain remain essen.
TALLY Spanish. Nevertheless, some
change, real or apparent, did pass
over Spaniards, and from 1000, the
history OF their country has been
one OF continuous misfortune and
slow decay. WhyP There are
men among us who attribute it all
to Catholicism, as Macaulay was
inclined to do; but France, while
she was Catholic, persecutingly
Catholic, did not decline in that
way, and we do not see any good
reason why the Spanish Church
should enfeeble the Spanish people
any more than the Russian Church
does. There are historians who
say that the valor Of the people de-
creased; but Napoleon's marshals
did not think so, the guerillas
often fought as if Cortez had been
leading them, and in the still more
recent American wars the Royal
lists often accomplished prodigies
OF valor. Individually the Span
lard, by the consent of all who
know him, is as brave as anybody
else.
The American Spaniards did not
rebel out Of any self-developed
perverse hatred OF Spain, but be-
cause they were unable to bear her
treatment. The Spaniards them
selves say the cause is a kind oi
accident, the perpetual recurrence
of inefficient Governments; but
they had the power to make and
undo their Governments like every
other race. Why did they not
create one which. up to the limit
OF the national strength, could at
least succeed, which, for example,
could give them fully organized
army, strong feet, treasury as
effective, say, as that OF far poorer
Prussia9 Spain ought to have alb.
sorbed Portugal long since, and tc
have been a wealthy nation o.
thirtY-fve millions, with col onie:
in Asia, Africa and America, with
the trade OF the Mediterranean il
her hands. and with a country a,