Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-02
a SUN THAT HAS SET.
The pathos of the Ruin that Has
Overtaken Poor Old Spain.

In the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF the Madrid
newspaper, the Liberal, that aSpain's
mission in the new world is complete
" ended The close of the geograph-
ical and political connections which
has lasted for more than four centu-
ries is marked by the peace stipulation
which forces the Spanish troops to
evacuate Cuba and Porto Rico From
the hemisphere which Spain discover
ed, which she colonized earlier than
any other nation, and on which she
once held more territory than all the
other countries combined, the Spanish
flag is now vanquished. The magnifi-
cent estate which Columbus gave to
Isabella and Ferdinand, which the
great Charles thought was the most
valuable part OF the world possessions,
and which Philip supposed he had
bequeathed TO his people in perpetuity,
gradually shrunk in the mutations of
the ages, and now the last fragment
OF it leaves Spanish hands forever.
Nowhere in the thousands of years
of recorded time does history furnish
a more striking contrast than SPANS
connection with the new world pre-
sents. When Philip H. ordered the
arrest OF Drake for his presumption
in sailing along the west side of South
America without Philips permission,
all of South America except Brazil,
all OF Central America and the West
Indies, and the greater part Of North
America which had been colonized by
any nation belonged to Spain, and the
Pacific Ocean was Spanish lake. In
the year 1900 SPANS territory
stretched from the southerly line of
Oregon down to Cape Horn. She had
the whole of the region along the west
side Of the Mississippi from the Cana
dian line to the Gulf of Mexico,
strip Of territory north Of the Gulf ex-
tending east from the Mississippi to
and including Florida, and almost all
Of the continent south of that line
Within the next quarter OF a century
she had lost all of this immense do
main except the island Of Cuba and
Porto Rico, which now drops from her
hands. Part of it she was eoerced in
to ceding to France; another part, I'M
der pressure, she gave to the United
States; and the rest of it-Mexico,
Chill, Peru, Colombia, and other
states of Central and South America
broke away from her and set up gov
ernments for themselves.
Alone Of all the nations which have
filled large place in history, Spain is
feebler to-day than she was when the
century began. OF the world empire
which she had in Philip lis time,
and large part of which remained
down to the reign OF Ferdinand VII.
nothing is now left outside the PENN
which has only handful OF inhabi-
tants, and few isolated islands in
European waters and in the Pacific.
Nothing in the history OF any nation
Of the world except the collapse of
Alexander's empire after the great
Macedonian's death or Rome's fall
when Odoacer overturned the shallow
throne of the Little Augustus, "
equals the swift and sweeping ruin
which has overtaken Spain since the
end of the eighteenth century. Yet
in this day Of SPANS tribulation,
which her political infamies and i'm
becilities have brought upon herself,
there was no rejoicing in this country
at her fail. On the contrary, which
was once said Of Venice, America will
here say of greater state than Ven
ice:
And what if she had seen those glories
fade,
Those titles vanish and that strength
decay
Yet shall some tribute OF regret be paid
When her long life hath reached its final
day.
Men are we and must grieve when even
the shade
OF that which once was great has passed
away.
- Washington Nelcs Letter.