The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-10

So II - to-day TIE 8p4nf4A nCreye1EnS
pretended TO have the greatest solIcitude
fer the religious. political. sorial and
economical welfare 81 their wards in
Amersca- Jet underneath this they con-
nlvcd AZ and even permitted the most
frsghffuI abuses
In the first half os the sixteenth century.
to satisfy the con- plants OF bishops ard
good meH OF influence who had been scam
daisxed hy the stories which had corne
from rne West Indies, not from adventrr-
ers or merchants. but from the monks
themselves, they passed a series Of laws
fcrbidding tne eusssyernens OF the Indians,
ard making such action felony: and yet.
after the passage o. that law tire records
show that nearly every Spanish Official.
from the YIcsroy Francisco de Toledo IN
i5ss. DOWN 10 the smallest judges and mill
tsry commanders. actually confirmed the
title OF the Save owners to the wretched
Indians whom they held rs their chaEseis.
TIE records also show tha. these officials.
in spite OF the law ard their caths tSobey
IL. went slave hunting themselves and
made handsome fortunes stealing natives
In one island TO sell them in another.
Thus che records also show that the Ba-
hama islands, about issa. A. D.. had Ae-
90 population. In 1880 there were not -
Spanish soldiers and slave hunters. or been
taken and sold in the slave markets OF
the New World Las Casas says that In
the first part OF the century thirty islands
were entirely depopuiated IN this manner.
Friar Mark de Xalhcsa. OF the Order OF
ST. Francis general OF all the monks OF
the said order In Peru, writes, among
other things, that the Spaniards were lin
the habit Of feeding their hounds upon the
babes OF the natives
The Crown Was Guilty.
Sometimes the SPANISH monarch would
Issue a decree directing the viceroy or
governor to introduce reforms or to pun
ism persons guilty OF described mssdeeds.
These. when received. were simply In
scribed. respected but not executed. and
then put into a pigeon-hose. This Is told
By conservative and loyal Spanish his
toriau. Antonio Ferrer del Rio,s in his
History OF the Reign 81 Charles Ill"
The number OF laws passed for the gov
eminent Of the Indies would, If put to-
serher. I'LL eight or ten volumes. Each
was entitled decree 70 improve the con-
dition at one time OF Carfbs. at another
time OF negroes. at another time OF their
own people and each is In itself an indict-
ment OF practices which it purported 10
end and 70 punish. 1t should be said In
justice that the Spanish people knew lit
lie or nothing OF these shocking episodes
They were then. as now. the most ignor-
ant people In Europe, and had little or no
means OF learning anything outside of
their own village In the country or their
ward or district in the city, but everything
down to the smallest detail was known to
the court. from the king and prime min
lister down to the smallest politician.
They were accomplsces and abettors in
all these wrongs They realized from them
enormous fortunes. In the sixteenth, sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries they
had what may be called a regular tariff
for appointments. The position of captain
general, or encouragement, or secretary.
or Judge was valued at so many thousand
ounces OF gold, or other sums, and these
We're usually paid before the commission
was issued. When an office-holder made
more money by greater cruelty or corrup-
ton than the Office was supposed TO yield
he was notified that the government was
displeased with his actions.
II then, as was generally the case, he
RENTED q handsome percentage OF his
!ll-gotten extra gains, he was allowed TO
remain Gndisturbed. but If he did not he
was promptly removed and a new man.
equally hungry for gold. was sent TO ill
his place.
1t was In this century that the Cuban
bloodhound appeared. and. under the
training OF his Spanish masters, was de-
veloped into so bloodihirsry a beast that
his name became synonym OF cruelty
language.
That there was no change for the better
through the long years. appears from the
report OF two Spanish gentlemen. Don
Jorge Juan and Don Antonio Ulioa. writ
ten I'm 1ifs. and translated into English
and published In Boston in 1851. They
specify the abuses In great detail and call
up some which only Spaniard could de-
wise. In many cases they state that idiots
deformed persons other unfortunate crea-
lures and Indian women were Obliged to
pay tribute. and also 10 work the whole
year round under the lash In order to meet
the Unjust demands Of the corregidores.
Women about TO become mothers were
compelled to labor all day In the hot sun,
and when. through their condition. they
faltered or rested. they were beaten with
powerful cavalry whips or the more terri
BILE Spanish riding whip until they tainted.
In some districts they went so far as to
convert the churches into factories
Yet this very system was bringing about
It's own cure. Under even a Turkish gov
eminent the Spanish lands in the new
world would have been prosperous and the
people happy, so fertile Is the soil! and so
inexhaustibIe the natural resources. but
the Spanish system made every human
being a pauper except the official classes.
and these sent their wealth home as fast
as they could put IL in portable form
This condition OF affairS hau deep at
traction for the sea royers and buccaneers,
who soon began 10 prey upon the richly
laden argosles that piled the Spanish
main II also gave false opinion OF the
wealth OF the lands to other nations. To
nearly every European the West Indies
were almost masses Of precious metal and
thus grew the desire among other coun-
tries 10 deprive Spain OF these possessions.
The islands were lest by Spain slowly,
but nevertheless surely. Jamaica was dis
covered Ivy Columbus I'm May, 1924, who
called it st. Jago: in 1855 1t was captured
under orders from Oliver Cromwell. The
Bahamas were settled by EngIishmen af
ter the Spaniards had depoDuiated them.
Antigua and Barbuda were taken and set
tied by the English in isss- Montserrat
has had an evsntfui history. having be-
longed 20 Spain. been taken By England,
conquered by France. and finally regained
by England in lisa
The Virgin isles, now the property OF
Great Britain and Denmark, were taken
In 1896 Trinidad was captured by the
british in 11g7; Tobago was taken by the
English under Spanish protest, captured
by the French and regained by England
In lisa. Barbados belonged TO Spain,
which took from II all !ts natives but
never settled II. So Crest Britain colon