The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-18
sPAIN's HARD LUCK.
History shows shc Has Always Been
UnsuccesstuI on the Seas.

Rochester Post Express.
a most Intelligent student of history
and "a well-known writer thereof as well,
said in our presence yesterday, that the
destruction of the Spanish fleet at Manila
Is consistent with the record of Spanish
naval reverses-that Spain has been uni
formly defeated upon the seas. Since
this remark was made, We have been
turning the pages of Spanish history and
hnu that the statement is Corfect-that'
save in few minor and inslgnlnCanI
engagements, Srain has always lowered
her flag upon the ocean. has never noated
II In triumph over a foe. Spain became
an important state from the union OF
CASTLE and Arragon 10y the marriage of
Isabella and Ferdinand in 1863 and, under
these monarchs, through the discovery
OF America by Columbus, her possession
and colonization of the western world be-
gan. Columbus was at San Salvador in
lia2 a year later Pope Alexander vi
granted to Spain all lands that might he
discovered west of an imaginary line
drawn 100 leagues to the west of the
Azores and the Cape Verde Islands, the
line being subsequently, placed at $40
leagues west of the last named islands.
In 1912 Pence de Leon explored Florida
and in 1913 Balboa locked upon the Pa
cifc. In 1919 Cortes invaded Mexico and,
within two years had completed it's con-
quest In 1881. Pizarro subjugated Peru.
In 1886, Mendoza subdued Bucnos Ayres,
four years later Chill was conquered,
and before the sixteenth century had run
a quarter of its course, Spain was in Nir-
tual possession of the whole of Central
and South America.
Spain had able navigators, bold adven-
turers, gallant soldiers, was rich In her
colonial possessions and drew abundant
tribute from her mines of gold and of
silver. She was in the Dlenitude of her
power in the middle of the sixteenth
century, but from the first the battles of
the seas were against her. Her control
of the western continent was disputed by
England and France and Portugal The
buccaneers of the Spanish main plum
dered her galleons and Drake and Haw-
kins classified her ships. In 1887 Drake
dashed in the harhor of CadiZ and de-
stroyed nearly 100 ships. which were to
form a part of the great Armada and,
year later Howard dispersed the mighty
fleet in the English channel In every
contest with the Anglo-SaXon upon the
seas Spain has lost, from the days of
Drake to those of Nelson. In 1904, Eng
lsh ships under Sir George Rookie,
stormed and took Gibraltar and that
famed fortress has since remained in
English hands.
the Spanish flag been stricken from the
seas. The Dutch, the French, and the
Portuguese have in turn lowered it. The
Dutch Admiral Helm, in l62S captured
| Spanish vessels, whose booty was eSti-
mated ut 100000 guildors, and Dutch
| sailors conquered the greater part of Bra
| Zl, togethed with MalaCCa, Ceylon, Java,
| and other islands, while, eight years
later, France annihilated an immense
| hl Il
taken refuge under the neutral flag of
England. and in 1905 England again re-
| corded the splendid victory at Trafalgar
| over the combined fleets of France and
Spain. These are but a few of the naval
| defeats that Spain has experienced with
| in the last three centuries, but the story
is one of uniform disaster. Meanwhile,
| Of course on land as on sea, she has
| been a decadent empire, bereft one alter
| another OF her maritime possessions,
until none are left save those now tremb-
| ling IN the balance, in the conflict with
another Anglo-SaXCn race than that of
| the English.
| Who can doubt that the first signal re-
| verse which Dewey has inflicted will be
| followed by others? Spain is now fight
| ing, not alone against nation far supe-
| rior to her in resources of men and Of
| means. but also a nation which is pro-
! vided with the perfected agencies OF mod
| ern science. War is a matter today of
mathematics and engineering, as well as
| of muscular force and the Spanish arc
greatly deficient in scientific attainments.
Spain has learned nothing either in war
or In peace. She is the same now as
| when she covered before the battleships
| of Drake and Hawkins and Howard
| Then it was a trial of Anglo-SaXon grit
| and Spanish eflTontCry. 1t is the same
| today. save that to that grit is added the
knowledge which science has given. The
ribs of oak have been resolved into arm
aments OF steel and the gunner aims witt
mathematical precision. Spain will be
made to conform to her record.