The Portland daily press., 1898-06-20

| the Carlists would probably receive the
support of nearly all the conservative and
| mi-conservatiye religious elements In
Spain and of course the present dynasty
would be swept away.
| My principal informent although him
self in favor of peace Is of the opinion
that even the Liberal Conservative COM
b1nation above proposed for that men is
not strong enough to carry out the pro-
gramme and that any attempt to do so
| would plunge the county into civil war
and far worse evils through the prolonga.
tion OF the present contest until per-
chance something might happen to
| tion.
Meanwhile the Spaniards who are still
animated with patriotism may well de-
spalr. All the authorities and public men
IN tne country know as we'll as the rest of
the world that Spain is conducting a
hopeless and farcioal war. They are
anxious to sue for peace but the price Of
peace at this moment would be q bloody
OWL strife which at the best would bring
TO the throne an upstart pretender and q
hungry horde of adyenturers eager to
plunder the already Impoverished state.
1t is no mystery therefore why Spain still
keeps on lighting or pretending to fight
But, after all Spain's domestic crisis is
only postponed not averted by delay. I
| Spain including Linares, Granada, Jerez
| and Seville the poverty and misery ex-
| is.ing are scarcely less extreme than in
Cuba. Linares, a big mining centre, is
ripe for revolt on anarchio lines. Opinion
in MADRID is divided as to whether revolt
will first break out in Linares or Barce-
| Iona. If revolution takes an anarchic
| form at the outset, which would probably
be the case if the national peace Cabinet
plan Is not attempted, there Is no doubt
tha6 the Carlists will seize the opportuni-
W 10 oHer themselves as the sole bulwark
against 1nhdelity and general disintegra-
tlon OF all social order. The question al
ready arises whether the Carlists will not
soon seek to create this opportunity if it
does not arise spontaneously. The opinion
| Is held by many Spaniards who have no
| sympathy with the Carlists that events
are rapidly shaping themselves so that the
outcome of the inevitable crisis will be
| Carlism.
1t is not true that there is any talk of
| peace, either in the press or among the
people of Madrid. Every effort is made
to create the Impression that the United
States bitterly repents having rash1y
undertaken the war. James Gordon
Benefits newspaper has been of i'm
mense assistance to the Spanish authori-
ties in this direction. Ingenious efforts
are also made to demonstrate the embar-
|
following from the Imparcial Of Wednes.
day is a good example:
The Washington government is In a
dilemma 1t realizes that If the American
troops fail to take Manila. it will place it,
self in a most ridiculous position before
| the world, and If it does take Manila, it
will have to face grave problem. Under
the circumstances, an inclination toward
ending the war would seem but natural
in America. but this is not the case. The
great majority of the American people
fancy that landing in Cuba and Porto
Rico and the arrival of reinforoements for
and decisive victory. This belief would
be enormously strengthened If we were to
ask for peace now. Should Spain solicit
the pardon and future friendship of the
United States Never should we forget
that we have to do with nation of shop
keepers, experts In haggling over their
wares. If they were to receive our de-
mand before their offer is made, the result
would be an expensive transaction. At
all events, we cannot get peace m uoh
cheaper than by letting matters take their
natural course. ....
Our people and our army do not
acknowledge yet that they are beaten,
and it is well that Americans realize the
difficulties that beset the Philippine
question and that they should acquiant
themselves with what the climate and
the yalOr of our soldiers have in store for
| them.
"In Cuba, perhaps, as they have an eye
for the practical, they may thus become
reasonable This is the only way an
honorable peace can be arrived at. ANY
other way would simply mean the be gin
ming OF great ca tastrophe.