Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-11
with bad government, official oppression
G nd poIiffcal corruption.

prhl can movement and the province or
catalonia Of which 1t is the capital, is the
most prosperous, Industrious. the wealth.
lest and the most democratic In SPAIN. II
has always been the scene of revolutions.
The whole history of the city is a series OF
revolts by the people against robbery ana
oppression. 1t is one of the oldest towns IN
Spain. Many writers contend that 1t was
founded by Hercules, and it was first
heard of as the headquarters of Hamilcar.
the Cartagenian general. 1t was -four
ishing Roman colony; in 415 it was made
the capital of the Vis:go his, and after tue
ninth century, when it passed under the
control of the kings OF Aragon. 1t rivaled
Genoa and Venice as one of the three
great commercial centers of the world. 1t
Is now a city of about 100000 inhabitants
within the municipal limits and G0o,0CO in
the immediate suburbs are included, for the
surrounding plains are covered with VII
lagos. manufactures and country seats of
the rich, which are beaut fully situated
Don Quixote described Barcelona as TIE
seat of courtesy, the haven of strangers,
the refuge of the distressed, the mothec of
the valiant. the champion of the wronged
the abode of the true friendship. and
unique in beauty and situation
The climate is delightful; fires are never
necessary and the heat of the summer is
much more moderate than that of the cities
upon the elevated plains in the interior of
the kingdom. 1t is the healthiest city in
SPAIN The people are French in their sym
pathies and habits. They live mostly out of
doors. Through the center of the city is
beautiful promenade shaded by arched trees
called the Rambia 1t is the center of life
and the scene of activity, the promenade of
l.. L, t1,o
loca ton of the best hotels. cafes and shops,
and some of the finest residences. All the
people turn out there during the evenings
to visit with their friends and neighbors and
to enjoy themselves. The bands play, the
cafes brilliantly lighted; the women
wear their gayest raiment and everybody
is animated and happy. There are many
fine buildings in Barcelona several inter-
esting churches, splendid private resi-
dences, and the old public buildings are
worth going to see. The cathedral Is con-
sidered one of the best in Spain; one of the
noblest creations of the Spanish-Gothic
school: and the university Is an imposing
building with about twenty-five hundred
students
Taxpayers Plundered.
Although the people of Barcelona and the
province of Catalonia number only one
tenth of the population of Spain. they pay
one-fourth of the taxes and complain that
they are not only without representation
In, but are wholly neglected by the govern
ment: that they are plundered by political
spoilers and are compelled to support hun
dreds of useless carpet-bag officeholders
who fatten upon their commerce and In
dustries steal a large percentage OF the
taxes they pay and are exceedingly OMEN
sve in their manners as we'll as their pres
ence. For these reasons. as well as others,
the people have been in continual state or
revolution since the close Of the war with
the United States, and frequently at pub
lie gatherings the national anthem has been
Kissed and the audience has demanded the
''Marseillaise" The politicians of the prov
ince are divided into autonomists, who de-
mand home rule, and separatists, who wish
to secede from Spain and join the French
republic Formerly the latter were very
much in the majority. but since the reor-
ganization of the republican party the two
factions have harmonized and are now
practically one. so that Barcelona now de-
mands nothing but home rule and indie
pendent administration of the collection and
disbursement of their own taxes.
But, the government leaders say, If Cata-
will demand the same rights, and even
Catalonia will not be satisfied with 1T, be-
cause the autonomists Of today would be-
come separatists the moment of their VIC
tory. AS accurately as / can explain 1t,
Catalonia demands a government very
similar to that of our states. The people
wish to choose their own officials, which
are now appointed by the crown; they de-
mand an independent treasury, so far as
local taxes are concerned. and claim the
right to spend their money for their own
benefit, instead of wing to support Off
Gals in other parts of Spain. They are
willing that the government should collect
customs dues upon imported goods, but 1t
| must leave the rest of the revenues to local
purposes.
Everything is Taxed.
| Every ounce Of food that comes into
| Barcelona pays a tax which is obnoxious,
| and the method of collecting it has often
| been the cause during the last few years
| of open riot and bloodshed. So strong is
| the popular prejudice against the octrof
| tax that the government would be willing
| to abolish 1t If it could substitute some
| other method of raising an equal amount
| of revenue But it will soon be compelled
| to equalize taxes which are now very ir-
| regular. For example, the cheap wine that
| comes into Barcelona from the vineyards
| on the mountain slopes that surround that
| city pays a duty of 433 per cent, while the
| same wine introduced into Madrid pays
| less than 200 per cent duty. An arroba of
| twenty-five quarts. which can be bought
| at the vineyards for dollar must pay
| 4.33 duty, and this particular tax falls al
| most exclusively on the poor. Vegetables
| poultry, eggs, meats, fruits and all other
| articles of food brought into Barcelona are
| taxed in a similar manner, and the people
| will not be satisfied long the prac-
! tice continues. 1t is difficult to ascertain
how why this discrimination exists. 1t
is almost incredible that taxes upon food.
fuel and the necessities Of life should be
80 much higher IN one city than in another,
and the only explanation l can obtain is
that there is such a large staff of officials
| in Barcelona to be supported that more
| revenue is necessary. But there are many
other things in Spain which are difficult to
| understand. 1t is different from every
| other country WILLIAM f CIIRTJS