Washington sentinel., 1898-07-02
Retr,Outiou in spatu's Dowo fall

Now that the last remnants o.
the Spanish Empire. says the St
Louis Globe Despatch, are slipping
from the grasp OF the Government
at Madrid, it is interesting to take
a glance at the men whose enter
prise founded on this side of the
Atlantic the immense domain
which Spain once held in the
Americas. Such an empire. for
wealth and extent, was never be
fore known in the history OF the
world. The Empire OF Rome could
have been set down in a corner of
the Spanish Empire; the empire OF
Alexander was a bagatelle COM
pared to il. 1t was 0early twice
as large as the territory now ruled
by the Gar, and more than twice
the size of that governed from
Downing street.
The founders OF the Spanish
Empire in the New World we're all
military adventures; most had
learned their trade with the ablest
soldiers in fact, the only first class
general Spain ever produced, Con
salvo de CordoVa was a captain in
deed, a general whose abilities en-
title him to rank with the first mil
itary men Of any age or country.
The men who went from Spain to
conquer America were apt stu
dents at the feet OF GoDsalvo, but
the reputation which they acquired
on this side OF the Atlantic proba-
bly, far exceeds their merits, from
the fact that, instead OF organized
bodies ot soldiers, with arms and
armor equal to their own, they
found only naked Indians, with
weapons so poorly adapted either
for offence or defence that there
was practically, in many very large
districts Of country, no opposition
/ to the Spanish arms.
Whenever the Spaniards found
warlike native tribe they let it
severely alone, a fact which ex-
plaius the lack Of Spanish success
in extending their rule in North
America. De Soto. in his three
years OF wanderings in the central
valley. during the course Of which
he traversed regions as widely sep
arated as North Carolina and
Western Missouri, found the saw
ages so well armed and so ready
to fight that he attempted no per-
manent settlement, nor even tenn
porarY occupation.
After the experiences OF De Soto
and the other explorers OF Central
North America the Spaniards, as
one Of their historians quantity
states it, Concluded the country
was not worth having, being filled
with very fierce and savage men,"
a conclusion which was justified
by the facts. Even in the coun.
tries which they did conquer. how
ever, there remained large districts
inhabited by warliKe natives whom
the Spaniards never subdued.
The conquerors thus overran
the peaceful and unarmed and left
the stout hearted to themselves
No genius was required to corral
village OF unarmed savages and
massacre them like so many sheep,
and this is all the Spaniards did.
The immense superiority OF the
Spanish arms and equipments
made one Spaniard inVincible
against all the Indians who could
come against him, and this irwin
cibility fully accounts for the SUI
perstitIous fear felt by the savages,
who came to the conclusion that
the Spaniards were demons come
to destroy the world and it's inhab-
itants.
J The savage manner in which
they exercised their power has
often been told, but it is probabls
from the hints that are everywhere
to be found in the pages of the
Spanish historians and monks who
accompanied the expedition that
even yet the true story Of the
Spanish conquest has not beer
written. What is known is bac
enough. What is hinted at is ten.
fold worse.
We know that in Mexico Cortes
tortured Guatemotzin, the nativ,
prince, to compel him to give uI
hidden treasure, and that subse
quentlY, finding the captive in thu
way and cause Of danger. Corte
summarilY hanged him to a tree b.
the roadside like a dog. We know
that Pizarro, without the slightes
provocatTon, massacred IN cole
blood the unarmed attendants O
Atahualpa, the Inca sovereign, an,
ordered the Emperor himself to b.