The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-12

owing to the sentence about the pro-
jcCtod manifestation, he had detained
my message, but that If. on reflection,
| considered that / could modify that
particular passage the telegram would
be duly sent on After ten hours had
elapsed, and the news had become
utterly worthless!
SPANISH CEREMONY.
The Spanish ceremonies which ac-
company the handing in of a telegram
would be amusing were they not so
irksome and time. killing. You APP
proach little window i'm the one office
in the city, aud when your turn comes.
hand in your message. The clerk
counts the words a couple OF times
over, adds w the result of each page,
refers to a written tariff and finds out
what the cost is in francs. Then he
takes another slip of paper, finds out
what the rate Of exchange is at the
moment, and reduces the francs to
Spanish pcsetas. Finally. he reads out
the result-say $40 pesetas, 81 CEN
times. You engrave these figures in
your memory, and, leaving the hall, go
out to another window in a passage
outside, and there await your turn, re-
pcating always the number 59I35 until
the clerk asks you what you want.
Then you explain that you are come
to purchase Spanish stamps for the
sum of 59I Desctas - centimos and
YOU take out a note for l 600 pesetas.
The passage is dark on the brightest
day. and you accept the stamps and
your change in u spirit of true reli-
gious faith for you see not even ddrkly
. h,
inner sanctuary and help to make
queue. awaiting your turn again the
chances are that you find yourself
short of stamps, in consequence of a
mistaFc on the part of the clerk out
side. This happened twice to to me,
but | am bound to say the individual
discovered ana rectilied his error so
| that my only loss was of about thirty
! five minutes more.
But the most curious thing of all is
the process of recovering your money,
| if the telegram be suppressed. There
is no way of obtaining it speedily. You
must wait. Messages of mine to the
value of several hundred pesetas were
| stopped, and / called at the office for
| the money. In Russia, Germany, Tur-
| key, Austria-everywhere, in fact-the
|
not so in Spain. Here you have to make
various pilgrimages, from post to pill
| lar, Interviewing officials, dignitaries
clerks, porters All shake their heads
| shrug their shoulders, purse their lips
| and assure you that the government
| allows them no special funds for the
purpose. Yes, but if you do not for
| ward my message. for which I paid
| you in advance, you have no right tC
| keep nv money" "Oh, no! of course
not We are not to blame, you know
| You had better see our chief. He is
very busy now. but if you call tomor.
| row, ! am sure you can see him."
| spent four days journeying from chiei
to subordinate, and from subordinat,
to chief and at last l received the fol.
| lowing satisfactory promise: IF yOl
! will write petition to the chief of the
| telegraph, asking that the money b,
| refunded you for the suppressed mes
sages, he will deal with it in due time.
| What is due time?' | Ventured to in
| quire. well, We cannot promise any
thing" said my informant Senior Perez
except that when the funds allow it
| YOU shall have your money back.
| But could you perhaps, say approx
! mately when?' He could not, but an
other official could, and did-"Any
| time between two and four months!'
Such is a specimen--a tame, hum
| drum specimen-Of the methods of pro
cedure in the Constitutional Kingdom
of Spain, under the most Liberal o
Liberal governments, i'm the cultureC
capital of Madrid. What takes plac
in the provinces ana what took plac
| in Cuba we cannot affirm with Ger
tainty, but here the old proverb un
doubtedly holds good: IF they do thes
things in a green tree, what shall b.
done in the dry?" Spain has trul,
| fallen uDOn evil 1aVS