Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-04-15

illustrated in an article in the Wash
inton Post, which is deeply interesting
at this time. Sagasta's career and gen.
eral character is reviewed as follows:
When the euchillo of Angiolotto was
driven through the heart Of Canovas
del Castillo last fall a premier had t o be
improvised at once for the government
of Spain. They was scant time for de-
liberation OF thoughtful selection. The
condition of affairs in Cuba and the ris-
ing in the Philippines made a new head
of public affairs an absolute necessity.
Among those who were waiting for any
thing that might come their way was
Don Praxedes Mateo Sagas.a. The
government of Spain has for years been
controlled by a ring of politicians. The
Spanish constitution for 1876 lends
itself with singular fidelity to this con
dition. The first article Of the constitu-
ton declares that Spain shall be a ron
stitutional monarchy, "the executive
resting in the king, and that the law
making power vests in the Cortes, with
the KING The Cortes is a senate and
house, each with equal power. There
are three classes of senators. First.
those 'by their own right" (%Senadores
de derecho propio). These are the SOUS
of the sovereign, 81 years old; grandees,
who have an income of 10000 pesetas
(Sl2,000): captain generals Of the army;
admirals of the navy; the highest clergy;
the presidents of the council OF state.
the head of the supreme court, and of
the queens councillors. This sort of
system gives a shifty patrician like the
n in question his chance. Sagasta
has had a remarkable career. He is in
his list year. BY his profession he is
dcnominatcd a civil engineer: but his
only professional work has been that of
engineering himself into Office. He be-
gan as a small Observation-Disclosures Il
little district. He worked his place for
all it was worth. Every county or COM
mune of Spain has it's own council. This
body consifts of from five to thirty-fve
members, presided over by the Alcalde.
Here it was where he got his start.
OF all prime ministers Spain has ever
had, Sagasta has been the most merci.
less and unreliable. It was because of
his direct action in 1873 that the infam-
Gus General Burrill shot eight Amcri-
cans in one day, and four days thereaf-
ter shot Captain Fry, General Ryan and
tifty-eight more. Previous to the whole
sale killing was the execution of Lopez
and his companions land t~wenty-years
before that, the murder of that gallant
young Kentuckian, Crittenden, and his
friends) by Capt. General Concha.
Truly, Concha reeks with American
blood. AS minister for the colonies,
Sagasta promised everything. and,
Spanish-like, did nothing. For exam
pie. had the treaty or armistice Of San
Jose,-which ended the outbreak of Oc-
tober, 1S6S-been carried out by Spain,
it is not at all probable that the present
revolution would have been attempted.
In fact, SO fair was it to the Cubans that
Canovas, who made it, never dared sub
NIT it to the Spanish Cortes for APP
proval and ratification. He went out
of office for making it, and Martinez
Campos, who succeeded him. by dint of
his personal popularity and good work
ing majority in the Cortes managed to
have it ratified. Campos bluntly said,
in his famous speech to the Cortes, in
favor of its ratification: II offer this
bill because it is the lesser of evils, for
we must either institute the reforms I
ask for in governing Cuba, or extermin-
ate the entire native population of the
island" This was the first hint of that
policy of determination which Marshal
Weyler so successfully carried into
effect. It was but the repetition of the
Duke of Alvas' policy in the low coun-
tries, where 100000 human beings-over
one-half women and children-died by
the knife, by fire, by every conceivable
method of taking human life that was
inhuman and appealed to the lust of
cruelty, that seems inherent in the
Spanish nation.
But there is one dark cloud in
Sagasta's political horizon. It is true
that it is not as yet very large, but it
is growing. When Sagasta relieved
Captain General Weyler and put Blanco
in his place as captain general of Cuba,
he made a most unwise move for his
W interest. But while he stated to
the queen and the Cortes that it was
done upon the expressed wish of the
United States. which demanded Il diff
ferent policy toward the native popula- |
ton of Cuba, Sagasta vas simply set
Ting an old score. Weyler and he
have clashed for years. Finally, when
Sagasta became premier his opportunity |
came, and Vsleriano Weyler was fired"
But Weyler has too much of the SLOW
moving Dutch blood of his father to act
without discretion. So he watches and
waits. He and de Lome have joined
hands, for deLome too. has a bitter
grievance against Sagasta. 1t is hard
to say which of the two-deLome or
Weyler-hates America the most.