The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-05
SPAIN'S ARMY AND NAVY.
POLITICAL INTRIGUEs HATCHED IN
THE FORMER.
Why Membership in the COrtes Is
Not at Prcmium-DonS' Fine
Fleet Almost Useless.


Ex-Attache in Pittsburg Dispatch.
Gen. Segura, on being nominated last
week for election to the new Cortes at
Madrid, declined the honor with much
flourish of trumpets on the ground that
he preferred to serve Spain as a soldier
rather than as politician. At first sight
this reply might appear to be dictated by
single-minded patriotism, such as the peo-
pie of other countries are accustomed TO
look for in those who wear the national
uniform But knowledge of Spain based
upon residence in the land of the Hidalgoes
is calculated to dispel this Illusion and to
cause one to place a less disinterested in
depreciation upon the reply of the gallant
general.
No soldier with any ambition for politi-
cal preferment would ever dream of en-
tering the Cortes. II Is not in the latter
but in the ranks. of the army that most
of the intrigues are Matched which result
in the overthrow of cabinets and in the
advent to power of new men, who arc
either officers themselves or creatures of
the military element, and pledged to con-
form to the latter's bidding.
With the single exception of the minis
terial crisis of last autumn for which the
Queen Regent was alone responsible,
there has mot been a single change of
administration during the last half cen
fury which has not been brought about
directly or indirectly, by political intrigues
on the part of the officers of the army
and It is likewise to the latter that must
be ascribed the numerous dynastic
changes that have taken place. Indeed.
military pronunciamentos have for more
than nifty years constituted the principal
political factor i'm Spain, and inasmuch
as they are invariably Matched among
the officers commissioned and non-com-
missioned in active service il is only nat
ural that generals who are possessed of
ambition should manifest reluctance 10
put themselves out of the race by tenn
porarily abandoning the tunic OF an Off
Ger for the toga of a legislator.
1t is worthy of note that the sister serv-
ice namely, the navy, has played no part
IN any of the pronunciamentos that have
brought about either changes of admin
istration or of ruership. While this re-
bounds to the honor of the officers and
men of the Spanish fleet, il is largely re-
sponsible for the fact that the naval serv-
ice is summed, as a rule, by men who are
possessed of ambition and of brillianey
who are apparently convinced that there
is little or no prospect of achieving dis
tinction a sea. With the solitary excep-
ton of the late Admiral Torpete, there has
not been a single naval officer who has
any kind of celebrity in the nineteenth con-
fury, and, although Spain has
always owned fine ships, man
ned by hardy and experienced
sailors recruited from the seafaring pop
ulaton of the Atlantic coasts of the king
dom, yet her naval history during the last
hundred years has been illustrated by no
great victory, but on the contrary, over
Swallowed by innumerable disasters and
defeats.
The fault lies evidently with the officers
Of the navy, rather than with the men.
For the latter are possessed of almost
identically the same qualities and short
oomings as the Bretons, who constitute the
backbone of the naval forces of France.
That is to say, they are brave hardy,
agile and obedient. Moreover, they are
deyout to the extent of downright super
sdtion But, on the other hand, they ore
like the Breton, exceedingly unclean and
lacking in the neatness which character
ICES American and English sailors Nor
do they possess the intellectual caliber
Oh Inc ldtieIt HOi yet tllSil INITIATIVE anu
resource of mind. In one word, they are
not men who can be relied upon to do
well without good offlcers-and that is pre-
cisely what they have not. And so ineffi-
Gent Is the staff of officers both IN charge
OF the naval arsenals and of the various
departments of the ministry of marine az
Madrid that no one would feel surprised IL
on the outbreak of hostilities the Spanish
fleet should find itself handicapped almost
to the extent of uselessness by the lack Of
fuel. of war material and of Indispensable
supplies of one kind and another.
Therefore although Spain has fine
feet, as far as the mere ships and their
armament are concerned, and can even
boast of large fighting force of sailors,
YET, Judging by the past, her navy need
not be expected to play any very import
ant part in the event of war with the
United States.
1t is the army that monopolizes what
ever there Is in the shape Of ambition, an
tellett and brlliarcy in Spain, where II
has been nicknamed the Fourth Estate.
indeed. the Spanish army may be regard
ed as the nineteenth century counterpart
OF the old Pretorian Guard of Rome. Pride
IS still as In the days of yore, one OF the
prevailing characteristics of the Spaniard.
Trade industry and the scientific profess
sions appear TO be unworthy OF the usually
f)rOYcrty stricken descendant OF many MD
nlpoes, and the army constitutes in his
eyes the only means Of livelihood compah-
Bile with his notions of dignity. Hence tho
extraordinary number of officers, who act
ually constitute by themselves one-flfth
of the entire standing army OF Spain-that
Is. there is one commissioned officer to
every four men,
Experience has shown that the best, nay,
almost the only chance of advancement
and Of Increase of pay in the army lies in
a pronunciamento or mutiny, which, II
successful, brings those who have been
most active in promoting it to the fore,
while il IL fails the ringleaders, either by
death or dismissal, create vacancies and
CONSEQUENT promotion. History, indeed, and
The teachings Of the past have impressed
upon the mind of the Spanish officer that
a well-organlzed pronunciamento is worth
any number of victorious campaigns, both
as regards pay and rank. With but few
exceptions all the prizes OF the military
profession are in the hands Of generals
whose laurels have been won by dIsloyalty
to the government of the day, rather than
by true and honest service in the field.
OF course, the officers couldn't make
pronunciamentos without the cooperation
of the troops under their command. The
Intermediates between themselves and the
ha mi q