The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-22

ships in existence. He saw for the first time an up-to-date floating fortress, ana was so much impressed that as soon as he came home he called the cabinet to- gether and told them that Spain must have a similar fleet. It was then ex- plained to him. for the first time why his country was without navy, and he read with intense interest the details of the l battles of Santiago and the destruction of the two great squadrons. Of course, l the account was written from the Span | ish point of view, and gave his officers
 and sailors all the credit they deserved. ' but he was possessed with an eagerness I to see the men that destroyed them. and requested that the American fleets which ! fought at the battles of Santiago and
 Manila be invited to Spain so that he : might zee them. President Rooseveit was consulted and entered into the plan 1 with great enthusiasm, but after further reflection tie Spanish authorities decided | that it was a little too early for Tan. kee fleet to appear in Spanish port, and | decided to take no risks of a collision be- tween the sailors and the tough element | that is found in all of the large towns. | So the king cannot be gratified
 There is no resentment against the United States among the Spanish people; | at least all the Americans ] have seen | in Spain are unanimous in that opinion. and testify that they have experienced nothing but the kindest and most courte- ous treatment. Strange to say. however, there is a bitter feeling toward the Brit | ish. because the average Spaniard be | tieyes, or pretends to believe, that If Eng | land had not intervened Spain might have | whipped the United States and suppressed ] the revolution in Cuba. That Is almost tk L. hal tPf a | from the highest to the lowest classes of | the population relentless hatred toward England Is manifested on all occasions and in various ways. The members of | the British embassy here elate some curi- ous experiences which this feeling has de- veloped and one needs no further evidence | than the newspaper cartoons, which, by popular feeling.
 | Last winter an attempt was made to humiliate the British ambassador at Madrid. He made preparations for the annual ball at the embassy, as usual, | which were duly noted in the society papers. It was also stated in the same papers and at the same time that certain ladies of high degree in Madrid had organized a movement to boycott the ball and were securing pledges from the | nobility and aristocracy of Madrid that | they would refuse to attend if invited. There was no secret about it. It was dis cussed in the columns of several of the papers. some of them being against the scheme, and there were several cartoons in the illustrated papers giving the humorous side of the situation. No at- tention was given the matter by the min- ! istry nor by the British ambassador. nor was there any sign of approval or disap- provai from the palace until the Infanta Isabella, the nobest character in the royal family. returned from an absence and promptly squelched the plot. She is the | most powerful person ip Spain today and the most popular, and when her practical | mind and generous heart comprehended the situation she told the leaders of the movement what silly fools they were and now 1t is difficult to find any one who favored it.
 The Kings ambition to have a big fleet l cannot be realized. As I wrote you the
 other day. the late Cabinet faltered, stum-
 bled and fell on that proposition, and now | 1t is said that negotiations have been en- tered into with France for an offensive
 and defensive alliance. This will make 1t
 necessary for Spain to have a fleet, but l really there does not seem to be any
 other reason why she should have one. l No other power has any grudge against
 her. and every one would see that she
 was protected if she were attacked. The
 only danger to which Spain is exposed is
 threatened by her own people. It is a
 revolution and not foreign war that her
 statesmen will be required to avert. Nor
 Is there any objection on the part of any
 other nation to an alliance between Spain
 and France. By diplomatic authorities it l Is regarded as unnecessary and unimport-
 ant, but not unnatural
 The King is learning a good deal but
 he ought to learn more. and his educa- tion is distorted for political reasons.
 which make 1t necessary that he should
 know certain things and that he should
 be ignorant of others. It is unfortunate
 that he cannot come in contact with
 young men of his own age, that he can
 not see something of the world outside
 of Spain. He is being raised under glass
 and artificial conditions, and the results
 cannot be anything but abnormal His
 future life must be more or less warped
 by the narrow limits of his present hori-
 Eon. There is nothing more true than the
 old proverb which tells us that "as the
 twig is bent the tree inclines." But 1t is difficult to see how his life could be
 ordered otherwise or how the method of
 his education could be altered. He must
 suffer the penalty that attaches to his
 position.
 Every minute of his day is accounted
 for. His life is regulated by rigid rules.
 He rises at in the morning, takes a
 cold bath and a light breakfast, and at
 8 o'clock begins. with his tutors. who are
 now called aids-de-camp, his studies in
 constitutional law, the military and po-
 iitical history of Europe, political econ-
 omy and mathematics. At 10 o'clock he
 receives the Prime Minister and any oth-
 CT member of the Cabinet who has busi-
 ness with him. In order to relieve him
 from too great a pressure, the ministers
 have arranged to call on different days.
 That is, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
 will take his budget to the palace on
 Monday. the Minister of War will go