The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-21
AMERICA AND SPAIN.
Their Attitude Toward Each Other
for 100 Years.

Spain to square up for insults and inJu-
ries, and await SPANS pleasure as to
when payment shall be made.
Nowhere. however. is there printed
history of our complicated and trouble
some relations with the most treacherous
of European nations a comprehensive
account of these dealings can be had only
after a laborious search of histories,
treaties diplomatic documents and state
papers.
Three times already within 100 years
have Castilian diplomacy and Castilian
cash settled Spanish outrages upon Amer
lea, and thus ended incidents which no
other nation in the world would have
closed except by issue of the sword. Be
sides these three instances in which war
was narrowly avoided by the payment of
indemnities, there have been cash pay
ments in many minor cases for unwar-
ranted seizures upon the high seas or for
injuries done to American citizens upon
Spanish soil
Spain paid sian indemnity. as provided
for in our treaty with her in 1919, for re-
prisals upon our commerce before the
question of the navigation of the NIissis-
sippi was settled.
Spain paid us, by cedng Florida, an in
demnity of $5,0OO.oOO for reprisals. upon our
commerce in Spanish ports during our
short-lived trouble with France two or
three years after the signing of the treaty
of 1895.
Spain paid us 900 indemnity for the
execution without due course of law of
the Americans on the Virginius in 1873.
| In all these cases war would have re-
suited had not Spain paid the price for
having injured our citizens.
In dozens of other minor cases Spain
has paid us indemnites
And now, as an influential newspaper in
Madrid says. Spain would be glad to
know that the hand of a Spanard had
sent the Maine to the bottom of Havana
harbor, and adds: The matter would
be settled by our punishment of the cul-
prits and the payment of an indemnity
What is it to us to have to pay 12,000, 900
or 1500O,00O pesetas ($2 900, 900 or 1909, 600
more. after we have given away so much
money!"
The same tactics of profusely polite de-
lay with which Spain played upon US 100
years ago she has used in every crisis
since, including the present. Spain was
the same weak nation at the close of the
American Revolution that she is today.
France got her to fight Great Britain
in that struggle for much the same cause
that France herself went into it-entirely
seIf-seeking reasons.
France, having lost her possessions in
America in 1863, saw a possible chance TO
get back something, and saw, too, that
If England were successful in putting
down her revolving colonies it would en-
danger Spanish possessions in North
America, which included the vast LOuisi-
ana territory. The two Floridas, which
ran from the peninsula to the Mississippi,
Spain gave to England in 1863 in exchange
for Cuba, which England had captured.
So Spain entered the fight not at all to
help the Americans, but to regain from
Britain the Floridas and protect her Mis-
sissippi territory.
She attacked and got possession of West
Florida and then seized the country TO the
north. When it came to making the
treaty of peace between England and the
colonies, and the subject of a western
boundary was brought up. Spain claimed
not only the Floridas, but the whole
country 10 the north as far as the Great
Lakes France our ''disinterested friend
OF the Revolution. supported Spain in this
to the extent Of proposing the Ohio as the
northern boundary.
But there were shrewd men in the colo.
! MES, who could make a treaty of peace
as well as they had fought. They saw il
, all this the desire of France and SPAR
! to bound the United States on the west
by the Alleghanies and not leave US any
gulf coast or western outlet.
The old treaty closing the French ant
Indian war placed the northern boundary
of West Florida at the parallel which
er. about where Nicksburg now stands
England proposed TO aid her late colonie.
to this extent: She would consent to give
to the Americans the region west of tht
Allee hanies as far as the Mississippi and
south to the thirty-first parallel. which Is
now the northern boundary Of the west
ern part Of the State of Florida.
But England was not thus generous be-
cause of her love for her late colonies
She wanted to retain West Florida il
she could and by a secret article in the
treaty she agreed to give the Americans
: | rhe vast region noted above if, in case
she could get West Florida, the northern
q boundary of that country could be fixed
at the line of 1863, the parallel of the
mouth of the Yazoo. This would give
l her a respectable territory back of the
= seacoast of West Florida.
4 Spain learned Of these secret negotiJ.
tons and great was her rage. 1t was
= of course, impossible then for England
= TO regain possession of West Florida
. and the deal between England anC
= America, by which the parallel of the
y Yazoo was to be the northern boundary
of West Florida, was off. By the term!
of the treaty the northern boundary o
, West Florida was the thirty-first degree
Spain took her revenge upon America
Il Her action resulted in our first differ
$ ence with that country. a difference,
- which lasted twelve years, and severa
: times threatened to get us into war will
her But it ended, as every differenc,
since has resulted, in Spain backing
( down and paying us an indemnity.
o The Spanish envoy to America at tina
r time Senior Gardoqui, was the essence o
# politeness and good humor, like his sue
cessors. He was perfectly willing &
make treaty OF amity and commerce
e but his Catholic majesty, the King o
Spain never would admit for one mo
ment that Americans had the faintes
q shadow of right to the use of the river
q The controversy was prolonged lively
years.
/ Finally, in 1875. Spain made treat
Il with us. The principal features of thi
q treaty were that it opened the Misss
& sippi to American boatmen, giving Their
:, the right to float their produce to tn
y mouth of the river pay storage charge
II which procedure was called the ''righ
is of deposit'-and then sell or send thei
,. goods where they pleased; the thirty
# first parallel was recognized as til
northern boundary of the F'lorIdas; i
! case of war the merchants Of ethe
II country living within the other shout
have protection, and a year within whic
to remove their goods; and last, as Span
a ish reprsas had been many. a commits
Il sion was to be appointed to fix tn
amount of indemnity which his prou