New-York tribune., 1898-12-16
SPAIN AND HER BURDEN.

Spain. II Is announced will pay the January
coupons on her Cuban debt The news is TO be
credited and TO be most heartily welcomed
That Is the debt which the Spanish Government
strove 10 get rid Of by saddling 1t upon either
Cuba or the United States. When II was finally
evident that ii could not thus be disposed Of
there were reports that Spain would repudiate
1t altogether. We did not credit these at the
t1me and shall not do so unless they are abso-
lutely proved 10 be true-as we do not believe
they will be. On the contrary we are glad to
regard the promised payment Of the January
coupons as an official acknowledgment Of
Spain's full responsibility for the debt and an
earnest Of her intention to discharge it without
defalcatlon or discount Reputation is not
compatible with Spanish honor.
There Is no disputing that the burden Of IN
debtedness laid upon Spain is q heavy one
There are, however. two things to be noted
concerning 1t. One is that it was all acquired
by herself voluntarily for her own supposed
benefit. 1t was not imposed upon by her by a
ruthless conqueror, as one of 81, 600 100000 was
Imposed upon France by Germany In 1871.
Therefore she has only herself TO blame for It..
The other is that at the utmost her debt is not
unprecedented in size nor so large as to pre-
u.
Ats exact amount is not at this writing ascer-
tainable. We suppose, however, that, including
her Cuban and Philippine debts, and not deduct
3Dg the S20OOO,00O the United States proposes to
pay her, It does not exceed 81, 1915. 100000 That
Is an enormous sum- Reckoning the population
of Spain AT 1S,OO0,OOO-a low estimate, since il
was more than 1850, 900 eleven years agO--that
ls an Indebtedness of about S1O4 a head. Our
dabt m l1x Ioro no
ang $3.50, 600; but owing to our larger pOpu.
1ation II propOrtionately smaller amount
ang to about Ssl head. But look at the debt of
France to-day. II Is no less than Sc go 600 900
or three and third times as large as that OF
Spain, and. despite her much larger population
It is also proportonately much larger thar
SPANS debt, amounting to no less than S162 q
Aead-more than 80 per cent larger than the
Spanish debt. Yet France Is not complaining
ef enforced bankruptcy. She is. on the con
cary, one Of the richest and most prosperou.
nations IN the world.
True France once sounded-or some OF he
statesmen soundod-the same note Of despai
that has been sounded in behalf Of Spain. Blu
the note Of hope and of ambition was dominan
over H. Jules Favre declared that Prussia
"coldly and Systematically pursues her task o
~annih.,atlg us. France has now no Illusion
cleft For her II Is now a question Of existence.
That is as much as the most pesslmistic Span
hrd has said In the present crisis. But Favr
added: "Fnnce needed, perhaps, to pass through
- supreme trial-she will issue from 1t trans
~ngured." The prophecy was splendidly full
Aued VIII not some authoritative Spanisl
statesman make the same prophecy in behal. o
Spain today and lead his countrymen to full
Altnent NJ it7 Standards and Frenchmen are O
the same race. They have the same genial eli
mate fertile soil. rich natural resources and com
mandiDg situation toward the commerce OF tn
world What France has DONE that Spain cal
%. II she will Spain has not been crushed a
France was crushed. She has not to bear tn
nedens France has borne IL she will only dc