, 1900-11-12

Their will soon assemble at Madrid
under the presidency OF the eX-Premier
Sagasta an international congress with
a remarkable mission.
All Latin America. including Next
co, is to be represented at the con-
gress. Portugal. prompted by the
dread of seeing her still vast colonial
possessions share the fate of Spain,
has been quite as active in the or
ganization of the congress as the lat
ter nation, while Italy and France do
no attempt to conceal the sympathy
they entertain for the objects which
this Pan-Latin union has in view. In
sidered herself to be the leader of the
Latin races, may yet endeavor to put
herself at the head of the movement.
In spite of the perpetual quarrels
among the Latin-American republics
quarrels which have done SC much to
retard the progress and development
Of the central and southern parts of
this western hemisphere certain
radical community of sentiment exists.
This was made apparent at the time
of the val between the United States
and Spain, when the sympathies OF
the people in Southern and Central
America were with the HidalgOe,
rather than with Uncle Sam. This. OF
course, did not become manifest until
the pretended friendship Of Great
Britain for Uncle Sam was being eN-
plotted by American and English pa
pers. In certain South American cities,
indeed. public subscriptions were Or
ganized for the avowed object of pro-
viding the government of Madrid with
sufficient funds to purchase Or con-
struct warships for use against the
United States.
Nor is there ground for much sur
prise that popular sentiment in Cen
trail and South America should have
been with Spain rather thar with the
United States in the war of two years
ago. From the Rio Grande to Cape
Horn the white population is wholly
of Spanish and Portuguese origin. That
population is possessed of all the
racial prejudices. traits of character
and moral as well as physical peculi-
arities of the people of the Iberian
peninsula. Caste and lineage still play
a great role in Central and South
America, and there are few families
of any social importance which do not
love to dwell on their relationship
with the great houses of the aristoc-
r,a,, ~ tho n,nthnr rnInfry ThnSo
people, when setting foot on Spanish
soil. resume the titles inherited from
their ancestors. which they are de-
barred from using on this side of the
Atlantic. Indeed, many of the rich
families Of Mexico. Chilli and the Ar
gentine Republic divide their time be-
tween Madrid and their homes in the
new world.
The ties between the mother coun-
try and the Latin republic Of the
western hemisphere are all the strong
er because they are not administrative
or in any sense due to compulsion. but
based only on kinsmanship and on
community of ideas. characteristics,
prejudices and origin.
While it Is doubtful whether the
congress at Madrid will succeed at
| once in binding all the nations repre-
! sented therein to a hard and fast al
lance. it may be regarded as certain
that it will pave the way for such a
union when some external danger
| drives the Latin states of America to-
gether in a panic of apprehension. Sup
pose. for instance. that the United
States should consider it necessary to
use force to put into execution its
views with regard to the inter-oceanic
canal: or. let us conceive Uncle Sam
in pursuance of the Monroe doctrine