The record-union., 1898-06-20

storm of the Hebrides destroyed what
British seamanship and soldiership left.
The Spaniards were incompetent. They
could not then, as to-day, use their
guns. Bravery without the exercise OF
disciplined reason is most destructive
of ones interests.
In the war of the Spanish succession
in 1903 England captured Gibraltar; in
vain the Spaniards tried to regain it.
In 1919 the United States established
it's rights to Florida in exchange for
the Texas claims, Florida had been
ceded to England in 1863 in exchange
for Havana, but regained by Spain at
the end of her war with England in
1873
From the start the policy of Spain
toward her American colonies had been
altogether deplorabe. With every pos
sibility for territorial expansion and
| self enrichment she failed completely.
AS Spain never succeeded in keeping
Portugal, which has been Indispensable
to her safety, it is not to be expected
that she could retain her colonial pos
| sessions. The true history of the d.
vorce of the American colonies from
! Spain has never been told, but it's gen.
eral character can be briefly suggested.
! The Spanish provinces were Mexico,
| Central America and in South America
| two vice royalties, comprising the
countries now known as Peru, Ecuador,
! Venezuela, Costa Rica the GuinaS and
| Buenos Ayres, which included the Ar
/ gentine Republic, Uruguay, Chile, Par
| aguay Bolivia and virtually Patagonia.
For three centuries the rule of Spain
did not vary from that of Philip ii. and
! his Alva The Jesuits and the inquisi-
| ton held full sway. Spanish wares
alone could be imported, and the
produce went only to Spain. Offices in
church and state We're held exclu-
sively by Spaniards born in the PENN
sula. The violence and extortion in
which the superior officers indulged
recalled the days of the pro-consuls of
Rome. Such was the Spanish grinding
machine. The Juntas that were formed
| as in the case of Cuba, learned the
| possibility of government and as
the mother country refused to grant
! the colonies equal rights with herself
! and freedom of trade, the American
possessions asserted their independence.
/! In 1910 the Priest Hidalgo, with some
followers, started an insurrection
against Spain in Mexico. In 1921 Stur-
bide, descendant of old Mexican
Kings, declared the independence Of the
country, and came to be known as the
| Napoleon of Mexico. In the same
year the independence of Central
America was declared The liberation
| of Northwestern South America is
! chiefly associated with the name of a
| very remarkable man, Bolivar, a rich
! Venezuelan creole, the '.Washington of
Columbia" Repeatedly beaten and
banlshed from firm land, he persistent
| ly returned and fought savagely He
| became dictator. liberator, almost EN-
! peror, and he had shone in many
| gay Partisan salon. this Simon Bolivar
truly, as Carlyle said, "a Ulysses
whose history were worth its ink had
the Homer who could do it made his
| appearance"
| OF all the American States Peru had
the seVerest struggle for liberty. Chile
secured her freedom through the eff
forts OF an English Admiral Cochrane
praVe, adventurous spirit. After the
independence of Chile was secured.
Cochrane, with Bolivar, went to the
assistance of Peru. France wished to
establish Bourbon kingdoms in South
America, but as England gained much
commercially through the independence
OF the States. she refused to allow Eu
ropean intervention, and in 1S25 she
recognized the independence of Spain's
| old colonies
without venturing prophecy it would
seem as if Spain We're on the point of
| her last monumental failure. Bereft of
| ner colonial possessions, she may see
that she must depend on herself in the
struggle for existence, she may grow
ihtfospective and self-critieal and feel
d desire to exhibit common sense
| Ihough much disguised there are some
signs or an exercise of dawning intelli
sehce IN the present government of
SPAIN Inefficiency means elimination
or life; success is survival. If Snain
/ IS 70 survive, the Spaniard must CON
sent TO change his character.-Oliver
Henshaw, in Los Angeles Times