The age-herald., 1898-01-18
THE INsOLENT SPANISH.
How They Regard Americans and Their
 Hatred of Them.

Gen Bradley F. Johnson in New York
 Journal.
 The conditions in Havana for months past have been such that an attack on the American consulate may be expected at any moment. The political status in Spain is acutely responded to by the Spaniards in Cuba. The hatred of Americans in one country is as intense as in the other, and 1t will break out on some occasion when least expected. The Spaniards in Cuba are like all colonials, more loyal to the mother country than their countrymen at home and the feeling deepest in the Spanish heart is pride of race in the ancient glory of Spain and in the old dominion of Spain over the high seas and over the world, and they feel and resent bitterly the warning position of Spain in modern times. Most of them disbelieve and deny that there is any decadence in Spanish prestige, and they generally consider the Americans as vulgar tradesmen, absorbed in pursuit of the dollar and utterly incapable of appre- ciating chivalry, courage and generosity.
 Their attitude toward the American is of contempt, the symbol of American as hog, his hind legs clad in the American flag. This is the universal cartoon and illustration of the American, hog. There fore, the impossibility of their entertaining the conception of the separation of Cuba or the Philippines from Spain. Gen. Wey- Ter was always unjustly denounced by the press of the United States. Gen. Weyler Is a Spaniard of the type of Cortez and Pl- zarro, and no Spaniard has been able to understand any other use for rebel but to kill him. The only good rebel Is rebel dead is the doctrine now, as 1t was under the Duke of Ava in Mexico or Peru. When the death of Canovas turned over the gov ernment of Spain to Sagasta and the lib- erals, it was not by any liberal sentiment in Spain, but because the liberal party had an organization and a leader, and the con- servative party had neither, and when Sa- gasta recalled Weyler and sent out Blanco with deusive promises of sef-government, labelled autonomy, his action met no re- sponse from the Spanish people. nor the Spaniards in Cuba. On the contrary, it has been keenly resented, for autonomy means granting rights to Cubans, and the Spanish theory is that Cubans have no rights, not even the right to live. With this accession to power of the liberal party comes the threat to the dynasty at Madrid, and be- hind Sagasta stalks the specter of the re- public. At the same time Don Carlos hangs on the slopes of the Pyranees black chain of disaster and reaction, the disorders In the Philippines are said to have been sup pressed but that is not true. The Phillip pines are more necessary to the Yankees of the east than Cuba to those of the west, and for two years Japanese emissar1es have been stirring Sedition and revolt all
 
 outputs of Asia. The result of the Chinese Japanese war made the Philippines sine qua non to Japan for two years. They have had emissaries in Cuba inspecting, reconnoitering, examining, and they nave fuller and more accurate maps of Cuba and of the positions of the Spanish troops, of the roads and Notifications, than Gen. Weyler ever had
 The pending appeal by the president or the United States to the charity of Ameri- cans for food for starving Spaniards and Cubans is felt as an insult all the more deeply because it cannot be declined nor resented, thus the feeling in Spain and in Havana intensifes hour by hour. The re- cent move of Germany to take a Chinese port and of Russia to seize Port Arthur, cannot fail to precipitate action by Japan and the next news we have from the east may any hour tell us of the occupation of Manila and the island of Lugon by Japanese fleet and a Japanese division of infantry. The receipt of that intelligence will touch off an explosion in Spain, the liberal party will shrivel up in the fire of popular. indignation, for 1t has temporized with rebellion in Cuba
 Weyler's war cry, meet war with war, will ring over Spain and he will establish Don Carlos on the throne of Phillip and Charles. The American minister will be driven from Madrid and General Lee will be beleaguered in the consulate at Havana by 40 900 wild Spaniards. Then it will be understood that the Indiana or the Maine, or both, ought to have been this last year anchored under the guns of the Moro. As for the recent move it seems to be trivial. La Discussion was broke up a year ago and Escebar, its brilliant editor, sent to Centa, whence he has recently been re- leased. It's proprietor, Coronado Escebar, got to New York, remained awhile and is now riding a horse on Gomez's staff, so there was nothing to disperse in the case of La Discussion. Fl Davco de la Mariner was the organ of the palace in Weylers time, and has only brought itself in collision with the volunteers by advo- eating Blanco's policy in autonomy. But the next move will be on Fitz Lee and the consulate. His assassination was fully dis cussed' more than a year ago, but the cav alrymen only laughed and wonder who will bell the cat, therfore an American fleet ought to be about Key West, and the Maine and Indana in Havana harbor. Now, not tomorrow or next week nor at the proper time, but now, now, now. If any thing happens to Fitz Lee this adminis- traton will pray the hills and the mount aims to cover 1t, for Lee is today the darling of the American people. The most loved man in the United States, and he will die in his tracks before he win ask for any American man-.of-war to protect him.