The times., 1898-04-24

dition of affairs lasted till his death.
which took place in 1880.
Under the old Spanish regime South
America was divided into two viee-rovaI-
Ties, the most sOutherly of which COM
prlsed Buenos Ayres. Paraguay. Uruguay
and generally all the country now in
cluded in the Argentine Republic. II
contained two active and at times pros
porous cities, BuenOs Ayres and Monte
Yldeo, which We're rivals and generally
at war with each other. On New Years
Day, 1910, news was received at Buenos
Ayres that the French had driven the
Spanish Junta out OF Saville. on which the
people of the South America city consti-
tuted themselves a republic. with General
SaaVedra as their president, and invited
the other Spanish colonies TO Join them
Almost all declined fearing the nominal
ton of BuenOs Ayres. and war broke out
During the years from 1910 to 1917 BuenOs
Ayres underwent fourteen revolutions,
suppressed two rebeiiions was twice
blockaded and once bOmbarded; il may
be said that il never knew peace till Cen
eral ROsas tramDled all the existing con-
stitutions under foot and made HIMSELF
military dictator. Spain had lost her in
terest in the city long before. The bel
Hgerents who fought over it were the
English, the French. the Brazilians, the
Banda Oriental of Montevideo and the
guachos of the pampas. War was never
gentine confederation
The only Spanish colonies in this hem
| isphere over which the Spanish flag still
! floats are Cuba and Porto Rico. The rea-
sons why they did not follow the lead OF
| the other Spanish colonies in Mexico.
| Central America and South America are
! peculiar. The Cubans did not love the
| Spaniards any more than the South
| Americans did. on the island as on the
! mainland. natives were ostracized and ex-
| cluded from Office; the captains general
! surrounded themselves with natives OF
| Spain, both in civil and in military sta
| tiOns. Yet the Cuban people were so
| loyal that they stood by the junta at Sc
/ vile, and sent money to Spain 10 aid
resistance to the French invasion. They
| were to d man on the side of the constf-
| tuition of 1872, which, after the restoration
! of Ferdinand, naturally placed them in
| opposition to the officials who We're sent
| to the island. CUbans were born liberals.
! the captains general and their suits and
the clergy We're for the kings absolute
| sovereignty
! 1t was then proposed by advanced
| thinkers among the Creoles that Cuba
! should seek annexation TO the United
| States. The idea did not meet with
favor in this country. because the North
! was unwilling TO admit Cuba with slav-
| cry, and the South was determined il
| Christina. greedy for money. offered
! 10 sell Cuba TO Louis Philippe for So
| 000OG0 reals, but the scheme OF
! course. came to nothing. At Ostend
| three ministers of the United States. OF
| whom James Buchanan was one pro-
posed that this country should give
Spain $500 0OO. 600 for Cuba. under an i'm
piled threat that il the offer were de-
clined the Government a. Washington
should take it by force: but the coun-
try was not so lost TO all sense OF prin-
ciDle that it could sustain the PROPOSE
ton
Then followed a series of spasmodic
struggles for Cuban independence
In 1887 slavery was abolished in Cuba.
But the event did not alter the situation
Ages of oppression and spoIiation have
stamped on the Cuban soul a hatred OF
''Peninsulars." as Spaniards are called.
which is almost too ferocious for belief
and which surpasses anything that has
been written of race hatreds during the
old religious wars. Neither the liberia
ton of the blacks nor the autonomy Of
fered to the whites has the least effect
In calming the evaporation which the
SpaniardS have reused among the ma
tives of the islands 1t is a vendetta
which can only be satisfied with blood
The stupidity which provoked the re-
volt of the Spanish colonies from the
mother country was followed by equal
stupidity IN the cODvulSiVe efforts OF the
latter to prevent their independence. In
the struggle which filed the second part
| of the third decade of this century Spain
/ was true to her record of naval impo-
! tence. From the time of Philip III to the
present day Spanish fleets have only
I taken the sea to be beaten. and Spanish
ships have never opened fire except 20
/ be sunk. The overwhelming disaster
/ which overlook the Spanish armada
| found parallel in the battle Of TrafaI-
| gar. When the colonies rose in insur-
I rectiOn Spain flung her fleets upon all
/ their seapOrtS in turn-Nera Cruz, Car
acas, Buenos Ayres. Valparaiso Valdivia.
/ Callao. In not one single instance did
/ the squadrons accomplish anything or
retard the progress OF the victorious in
| surgents for single day. BY spiteful
/ bOmbardments the Spanish ships de-
( stroyed some lives and property, but they
never restored the Spanish flag TO forts
| from which it had been torn down. nor
did they inspire among the rebels any
terror of the Spanish name