Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-14
AMERICA.

INSly AulSIlCdu SuOulu hilOW oOllC-
thing about Spanish America. In an
editorial the Mexican Herald tells Of
the fifteen sovereign states of South
and Central America:
Mexico's national celebration of the
initiation of her struggle for independ-
ence will take place in 1910, but a lit
tie owe eighteen months hence, and
in n way and another the other
Standardization countries will fol-
low in their commemoration of sue
cessful revolt against the crown Of
Spain. The great ideal Of a Spanish
American confederation may never DO
realized, probably never will be. but
one cannot help thinking that If tho
Spaniards had had the political talent
Of the British people Spain might to-
day be the chief state of a mighty en-
pire, and n notable for the extern
sion of a national language and ira
ditions.
If we exclude Cuba and Panama,
which are practically under the pro-
lection of the United States, there
are fifteen sovereign nations which
are of Spanish origin. The list is sig
ni1cant: Mexico, Columbia. Vene-
zuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile,
Argentine, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guat-
emala. Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Costa Rica. These nations num-
Der about 46. 000, 900 souls and Span
ish is their dominant and official Ian
guage. The total area of these Span
ish-American countries is In excess of
6,220,000 square miles, and they could
easily maintain a population of $780,
100000. These figures give some no.
ton of the wonderful heritage of the
Spanish-American peoples.
1t Is to be admitted that Great
Britain failed to hold the colonies
forming the earlier United States. a
fact which, in part, offsets Spain's
greater loss in the new world; but
Spain has nothing to show today com
parable to Canada, Australia and
South Africa, still component parts
Of the British empire. Spain's daugh-
ter nations do not look to Madrid as
their metropolis.
A recent Spanish writer in Ell
Nuevo Mundo of Madrid, Don Emilio
II. de- Villar, says in an article en-
titled "The Spirit of the Race: '"The
nations which stand today at the head
OF all In culture, in riches, In power,
have done no more than unite within
themselves, extend the limits of their
political dominion, contribute to the
work Of universal fraternity by de-
stroying frontiers. We, peoples of
Iberic origin, have done nothing more
than to go on multiplying them. Our
souls have been too small to conceive
Of a fatherland as big as that which
fate assigned is. We have not known
how to understand each other when
We were many; and, to live as we'll as
possible, we have had to isolate our
selves one from the other in tinv
groups, each making room for its little
self, apart. This is simply a defect. a
lack Of aptitude to realize what makes
modern life, as it has been realized
in Germany, France, England and the
United States.
I do it we should have needed a
broad spirit OF" association. which as
sumes mutual tolerance and mutual
respect. We have not understood how
to make Of the great fatherfand,
whose limits were marked out by the
~conquerors, a concert of allied Wills.
Our ace has reached out by prefer
ence to one Of the two extremes
domination or rebellion. And in Amer.
lea, as in Spain. the excuses of do.
rnination, now in the name of a prin-
ciple, now in the name of a group Of
individuals has done nothing but ex.
cite-as was natural the spirit of
rebellion among the dominated"
If this spirit of rebellion, of revolu-
ton, is replaced in Spanish America
by a new sentiment Of ace unity
and the orderliness of some of the
larger nations gives hope of this-the
former colonies of Spain may yet have
a great influence in world affairs, ever
II Spanish-American nations remain
unconfederated.