La Junta tribune., 1900-11-03

eaarrels which have done SO much to
retard the progress and development
OF the central and southern parts OF
this western hemisphere-a certain
radical community Of sentiment exists.
This was made apparent at the time
of the war between the United States
and Spain, when the sympathies Of
the people in Southern and Central
America were with the HidalgoeS
rather than with Uncle Sam. This. OF
course, did not become manifest until
the pretended friendship of Great
Britain for Uncle Sam was being ex-
plotted by American and English pa
pers. In certain South American cities,
indeed, public subscriptions were or
ganized for the avowed object Of pre-
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 than 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
. 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-
racy in the mother country. These
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 tho
Atlantic. Indeed. many OF the rich
families OF Mexico. Chill 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 1t 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. 1t may be regarded as certain
that 1t will pave the way for such
union when some external danger
drives the Latin states OF America to-
gether in panic of apprehension. Sup
pose, for instance, that the United
States should consider 1t necessary to
nse force to put into execution It's
views with regard to the inter-oceanic
canal: or. let US conceive Uncle Sam
in pursuance Of the Monroe doctrine
Intervening to prevent Brazil or the
Argentine Republic from ceding or
selling territory to England, or, again.
let US picture to ourselves the United
States interfering In one OF these Lat
in-American states to obtain indem-
nifty for the maltreatment of some for
eign merchant-say a German trader
with the object Of averting armed Eu-
ropean Intervention. Any one Of
these things. which are quite within
the bounds Of possibility. would b.
sufficient to create wave of sentiment
throughout Latin-America. and, ex-
tending to Latin Europe. that might
bring about the union, until that time
merely latent Of all the Latin races
ON both sides Of the Atlantic. in pre-
cisely the same way that Napoleon
1II's declaration Of war against IL
hing Of Prussia brought all Csrnany
int line asainst France.