The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-09-08
SAGASTA.
The WHY ola Eox Uncle sam Must
Meet in Diplomatic Array.


e,ga.fa the present Spanish Prime
Minister. Is O stihly built, ir0s--aced man
with "a strong jaw. q wide, lAain'et
smile. and black. ulmy eyes, as OK an
Arab or fl gypsy. He has Uhe glib word
the expansive manner and the eAupel'Hl
gesture Of the South. There is D charge
which his most cmbitlere3 enemies dare
not bring against him-that OF co"ardlcr
His convictions may Dee centefe1 upon
himself. but most emphaJcally he mas
the courage of them. over and above ms
vast a%stutenoss OK thought, DE Is a man
OF action. II Tor many years ne mas
proven himself as supple as q serpent
his earlier history showed him 10 Do as
brave rs "a lion. no fought against DON
nell In tine streets of Madrid ID N95 Al inc
head OF o. regiment of militia.
Before THAI. as - lad OF is. When a stu-
dent 40 tho College OF Engineers az Loo
promo. his native place. he ne5i,ated not
"a wifbstand mo behests of he dreaded
LervlcZ. Whenever The tne came TOT
nehting he was ready 10 take his share,
yot without unpedching that u~nceniaDle
unvsical pluck of which he has given
many proofs. it IS not surprising tnat ho
made IL his first duty as O. soldier 90 pre-
vent himself being unnecessarily Killed
Hence I'm tine summer % 1856. wnlle many
of his colleagues stuck 10 their barricades
I'm the streets Of Madrid and were massa,
cred. sagasla underwent the much more
convenient fate OF being condemned 90
the uncomfortable death Of the B~arrOtle
in his absence.
ThcncefOrward. for TWO years, London.
Paris. aud Ostend were the centres or
his activity. ana II walls could speak
certain restaurant OF BishoDsgate street
--.r D ali m.-nn. ufrummn MFnFIHW- He enc
gineered the revolution OF 1886 and drove
Isabella II. from the throne. u THIS
time fortune favored him.. When Topete
and the fleet had been won over and most
Of the army was squared the signal was
given. sagasta u Gorilla Gas pure a
patriot as ever lived, but TOO honest ana
cor eistont TO be a successful modern
Spanish nolitician). with Prim as q SER
want I'm livery. sailed under assumed
names I'm the steamer Delta. from Lon
doh TO Glraltar, early in the Septem-
Der of thirty years ago.
/ cannot be surprised az our American
cousins loathlng the very name OF Sa-
gasta viii the koenest Of hatrcd-socond
only 20 that which they nave Tor Gen.
Wcyler. II was teCause OF his direct
action ia 1878 that the Infamous Cen.
Blrrill shot eight Americans !n one day.
and four days af.erward shot Captain
Fry. General Ryan. and dity-cisht more.
Indeed. Of al Prime Ministers that spain
has ever had. Sagasta has been the most
merc!less and unreliable. lie Is q Ialley-
rand-Bismarck. with - strong navOr OK
Iorquemada.
Even now the old mans astounding
good luck my be depended un0n 70 BRING
him TO the surface again. although De
has just exceeded man allotted span.
But there IS u more patient and logged
enemy than the paltry politicians who
arc IN opposition 70 Sagosta. This IS no
less 4 person than Gen. Weyler himself.
The two men a FLASHED for years. and
when Sagasta dismissed his enemy and
u Blanco in his place as Captain-Gen-
aral OF Cuba he made q most unwise
move for his own interest and for the
neace OF his closing years. Weyler has
700 much OF the siow-moving Dutch blood
OF his father to act without discretion.
| So he watcasA and waiIs.-Loadon sun.