Evening star., 1911-07-29

The destruction of Cervera's fleet at
Santiago, the victory of Admiral Dewey
at Manila and the enactment OF the pure
food law by Congress are spoken OF by
many Spaniards as being favors done to
the Spanish by the United States. The
results Of the Spanish-American war gen.
orally are held to have been economically
advantageous to country that had been
steadily and heavily losing money In the
management, or mismanagement, OF Its
colonial possessions. and far-seeing Span
iards are glad that their country is per-
manentIy rid of the membranes that
the proverbial Spanish honor forced it to
hold as long as possible.
Dominion over the Cubans is said to
have cost Spain 500, 100000 in thirty
years to say nothing Of an enormous cost
in human lives, a cost estimated by
Spanish critic Of his country at 10000.
While there is no similar estimate OF
the disastrous results of rulership in
the Philippines, the cost ,of maintaining
their position in the archipelago was
heavy to the Spaniards, and substantial
burden was lifted when the Islands were
forever cut from the diminished terri
tory of the great empire that WAS given
added wealth and power after the dis
covery Of America.
A smaller. but material, benefit resulted
to Spain when the American pure food
law made it impossible for Spanish olives
and olive Oil to be sold to the United
States under French and Italian labels.
Until recently both France and Italy
made large sums by handling the prod
Spaniards lost heavily while supplying
the American market with the best olives
that reach 1t. At present Spanish olives
and Oil must enter American ports with
label that tells.
The industrial outlook in Spain has i'm
and If political con-
Industrial Outlook ditions do not
Has Improved. fere sw w with the ex-
pansion Of industries and the improve
ment agriculture the probability is
that with the next quarter of a century
Spain will assume a much more impor-
tant place as a producing country than
she has had since the beginning of the
decline Of the empire. Spanish securities
are increased in value as result Of
prompt meeting Of interest payments on
the national debt. and while Spanish
money is still at a disadvantage in ex-
change, there is an Improvement as
against conditions ten years ago. There
is an irrigation project afoot that aims at
relieving the summer aridity Of large Sec
tions Of agricultural country. and with
irrigation will come wider diversitication
Of crops and scientific rotation that will
prevent soil butchery. But agriculture is
as yet not showing the advance that is
being made in other branches of in
dustry.
There are now several boom towns in
Spain that are being compared with
progressive American cities. The chief Of
these is the Industrial capital, Barcelona,
the metropolis of Catalonia, hustling
modern city devoid of the local color
who picture the Spaniards as being more
intent upon getting their ,siesta in the
afternoon than in getting on in the world
on the morrow. Catalonia has been an
province since the earliest history of
Spain was recorded by the old "chron-
iclers." Its language is not Spanish, but
Catalan. Its ideas and ideals are the
ideas and ideals Of Catalonia. and not Of
Spain. It advocates local self government
as hotly as it advocated 1t centuries be-
fore the consolidation Of the Spanish
kingdoms under the Catholic kings after
the fall OF Granada. Its orators and
newspapers are f1re-eaters. But IL it
seethes politically, it hustles industrially.
Barcelona's custom houses handle one
fourth of the foreign trade OF Spain. It's
modern streets
Barcelona called and mo d r n
Chicago of Spain. Simsrant ou'.a,nss are re- as rs
the streets and buildings of Seville and
other old-fashioned Spanish cities as those
of the best laid-out city In the American