Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-09


of two representatives. sent by the
United States to the International rs
peranto Congress at Barcelona,
Spain, has just returned to this coun-
try and was seen in Portland one day
this week by a representative Of the
Kennebec Journal. The fact that this
tionary soil" is something of an odd
ity, although Esperanto is now long
past the Revolutionary stage" OW-
ing to the revolt in Barcelona, which
occurred short time previous to the
meeting of the Congress, that city al
most lost the privilege of entertaining
the big gathering orders Only on
direct petition of the Catalonians %
the government at Madrid that every
protection be accorded the Congress,
did Monsieur Sebert of Paris, who had
the arranging of it, consent to with
draw his objections and permit the
Congress to be held in Barcelona as
originally planned
And even then,' said Mr.. Harris in
talking with the Journal representa-
tive, the meetings We're heavily
policed; a policeman was stationed at
each end of the stage, several in tn"
galleries, and at intervals in the
aisles Of the body of the house, while
the city itself was practically under
martial law, hundreds OF extra troops
having been sent in by the govern
ment for protection
Just how much connection does
the trouble in Barcelona have with the
war Spain is carrying on in Morocco?
Is it all an outgrowth of the mere
killing of some Moroccan workmen by
Spanish police in Morocco, the juSt1-
fication of which Spain is trying to
prove by pouring 10000 soldiers into
that country to fight the Moroccans
who rebelled at the injustice of the
act?
Il don't know just how much con-
nection the Barcelona riots may have
with this trouble, but l should say
very little" said Mr.. Harris. The
province of Catalonia, of which BARGE
Iona is the largest city-Which is in
fact now the largest and most enter
prising city in the whole cOuntry--is
quite apart from the rest of Spain in
thought, language and the matter OF
wealth and business enterprise. In
characteristics, and even in language,
it is strongly French in tone. It's
language cannot be called a dalecE,
yet it has idioms, French in origin,
urh 10 Iifforanfiatn fly
from the rest Of Spain. The politi-
cal opinion is largely Liberal, but not
the mob Liberal | think that this
revolt was largely the work of the
mob. The Barcelonans object t.
having to pay the enormous proper
ton of taxation for the country which
they are obliged to on account of their
greater wealth, and remain under
Conservative political rule. They
object now to the Conservative gov
ernment's sending thousands of SOL
diers into the Moroccan warfare.
while they pay enormous taxes and
CONSUMPTION fees. | don't know. but
should say, that the Catalonians want
an Independent government. but they
are afraid that they are not quite
strong enough to get it. Although
strongly French in characteristics and
language, and Catholic in belief, they
yet object to the large number OF
French Catholics that the church
troubles in France (the confiscation Of
church lands by the government sent
over into Catalonia. OF course their
property is exempt from taxation. be-
cause the Conservative government
recognizes the Catholic religion as
the religion of the state, thus leaving
a still greater burden of taxation pro
rata, for the enterprising, wealth.
producing Barcelonans. If they are
to pay SO great part of the country'S
taxation, they want more power l
should say, rather, that this was the
cause of the riots this summer, al
though, | did not while in that coun-
try know much about the riots, the
principal one having occurred while |
was in Italy, previous to going to
Barcelona, and it was not really till |
got to London and read the papers
that l saw discussed the political
causes, etc"
Returning to the Congress-what
were some OF the new features
brought out by this years Congress-
asked the Journal representative,
land is the practical use of Esperanto
being Illustrated"
Yes. that is just what this Con-
gress brought out. There We're 1900
present, rs different countries being
represented, and United States was
one of three countries to send ma
tional representatives. Belgium was
another, and of course Spain, in which
country the Congress was held, was
the third. This sending of national
representatives was largely brought
about by the practical exemplifcation
of work done by the Red Cross, which
organization is trying to introduce it in
their work So many times they have
cases, in which the patient the nurse
and the doctor all speak different Ian
guages, while by means of the Es-
peranto language as a medium Of
communication they can work with
much greater results. At this years
Congress the Red Cross gave an ex-
emplification of handling a case. 1t
was this Red Cross movement which
last year led to the appointing of DIR.
Straub by the government to attend
the Congress in Dresden. He report
ed great results from the intrOdllctiop