Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-17
SPAIN'S DEFEAT.
Opinion at Home Divided as to
Its Effects.
Pride Suffered but Loss Of Colonies
Was Really a Benefit.
Official Dishonesty Causes Much SUIT
fering to the People.

There is difference of opinion among
Spanish people as to whether her oelel,
in the war with the United STATES: any
the loss of her colonies, was benehclai 70
Spain. Many of the thinking natives; a.
well as foreigners, agree that the deledI
WIS q bad thing. so far as tne la Iiol. .
pride is concerned, writes w. e S+or u h ne
that the loss of the colonies was an i.u-
vantage in several important lesPeSta.
If one were to attempt to Cehne pupiic
sentiment on this question. however, ne
would be promptly contradicted on one
side or the other. A foreigner WHO ma
lived in Madrid for many year, anu
knows the country thoroughly tens me
that while the loss of the colonies de-
prived the country of the greatest cause
of corruption it has compelled dishonest
politicians to look for piuhdet at nome,
and thus has been disadvantage. oi tne
other hand, he says, 1t had sloppeu inc
drain upon the labOring element OF the
kingdom, as we'll as upon the treasury,
which had to pay many millions OF DOL
lars every year to support armies III Supa
| and the Philippines.
In former times whenever the govern
merit wanted to reward or get rid OF
politician he was appointed TO some ONCE
| in Cuba or the Philippines. faVoi1tes OF
| the ministry and the crown We're sent OUT
there to get rich. and ROBBED Dotn tne
people and the government. MY friend
referred to an acquaintance Of ms VINO
the army in Cuba, and at the same time
appointed chief of that division of the Gus
toms which collected the duties upon his
own lmportatiOnS. AS consequence ne
is now yery rich man, although when he
received his appointment he was very
poor.
This sort of thing has been stopped, but
the home government and the people OF
Spain have since had to suffer directly
from the dishonesty of officials, certain
portion of whom will make themselves
rich by stealing Again. the loss of tbs
colonies has made it necessary for in
nuential politicians to find places for their
sons, their nepheWS. their poor relations
and their proteges under the government
at home. and for that reason the eXecu-
tive departments, the customs, the postal
debt has been piled up. 1t is no longer
service throughout the country have been
loaded with useless and expensive clerks
This has caused great dissatisfaction, and
the cry of "carpetbagger" is heard all
over the land.
The reduction of the army and the de-
struction of the navy have left idle sever
al thousand officers of all ranks and
grades, from lieutenant generals down to
4sublieutenants. who having nothing else
| to do, have gone into politics more or
| less, and. being generally dissatisfied with
the 5adminiStra ton OF the government,
have stirred up discomfort among the peo-
pie.
On the other hand, the farm and facto-
ries, OF Spain are no longer stripped of
ltlDOESs0y cOlSCIlptlOI 10 ltll the dIIIlieS
| III the provinces. Several thousand young
men, who had just attained their major
| ity, have been sent to Cuba and the Phi
| ippines annually for thirty years. and less
than half of them ever came back. TIL.
soil of the colonies is enriched with their
hones.sFh constant drain has made
labor scarce, ard was not favorable to tbs
Introduction of industries. The conscripts
We're taken from the poorer classes. for
| in Stain any one can obtain exemption
from military service by paying 1000
pesetass which is about $500 in our money.
| Now the young men can stay at home and
contribute to the prosperity of the coun-
try. Furthermore, it cost the government
| more than S500O0,Go0 a year to hold it's
colonies. and the outgo was so much
greater than the income that an enormous
debt has been piled up. 1t is no Ginger
necessary to borrow money to meet the
deficit, although taxes are no less than
they used to be.
The financial condition of Spain is good
Mr., Flllaverde, the present prime minis
| ter who was secretary of the treasury
for several years after the war, reOrgan-
lied Hnancies with great ability, and won
the confidence of the creditors of rhe ma
ton and the bankers of the money CEN
ters in London, Paris, Frankfort and Ber>
lin. The SURPLUS this year. MI. VillaverGe
says, will be $50, 600. 000 which he proposes
to use in reducing the floating debt, al
though the king and the other leaders of
his party want to spend the money in re-
building the navy. During the last par
quest of the king, submitted a plan to OK
pend a billion pesetas-$l50, 900, 0OO-during
the next ten years in the purchase and
construction of battle ships and cruisers.
Mr.. Maura, the minister of state, and ex.
LIBERAL who aspireS to be leader of the
conservative party and the successor of
Sivela, who has announced his retirement
from that responsibility, proclaimed tin,
adherence of the government TO the policy
of the church.
The church and the navy We're to be the
war cry of the conservative party but
not Withstanding the Endorsement of the
king, majority of the cabinet opposed
both propositions and then forced d crisis.
They argued that the church enjoyed too
many privileges already and minated
their intention to support the anti-cler-
cal policy which had been inaugurated by
the liberals under the late Senior Sagast.
They opposed the naval appropriation Oh
the gtsund that Spain does not need a
navy and that if it had one it would De {,
very expensive white elephant. One of
the ministers declared that the people
had no money to build ships and no mon
ey to maintain them even if they received
first class fleet as present. According
to custom the cabinet resigned, and Mr..
Villaverde, who, as | have just told yoi;,
had made a great reputation as minister
net and proclaim a new policy, which was
economy in the public service and reduc-
ton i'll the national expenditures.
This was a very welcome proposition to
lue people, Dul MT. villa"
verde has not been able to carry it out
He has done nothing whatever toward Il
reduction of expenses and will be com.
PEELED, at the approaching meeting of par
liza nent to submit the same budget that
was rejected at the last meeting, because
every effort he has made at retienchment
has been successfully checked by his as
sociates in the government and other po-
liticians of influence. Therefore he dare
not do what he promised the cortes and
the people he would do. and his cabinet
will have to fall, like his predecessors as
soon as the corteS meets He is deter
mined to carry it over the approaching
municipal elections, however, for they are
extremely important. Already the local
governments in several large cities in
Spain and in many of the smaller towns
are controlled by republicans and social
lists, and with the ordinary methods of
conducting elections in Spain it is essen
tial to secure the officials who control the
ba Hot boxes and count the votes.
Arbitrary measures are now being taken
by the government to prevent the success
of the republicans; editors, politicians,
eveIf the members of the parliament are
being arrested and thrown into Jail for
sedition. The republicans and socialists
are prohibited from holding meetings, and
their newspapers are suppressed. The
conduct of the government in this respect
has been so tyrannical and arbitrary that