El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-24
NJ I !.

tS9 the dawn OF history the Span
iards have been "separatists."
As Il lace, or perhaps it would be bet
Ter to say as races, since there are such
; radical differences in language, Gus
toms and ideals in different sections,
~the people of Spain have never thor
oughly approved of the Capitalization
Of government that began when Ferdi-
nand of --ragCl married Isabella of
CASTLE and Joined two of the leading
Catholic kingdoms together to war
against their common enemy. the
Moorish king of Granada. There is
little kinship between the Basques and
the Galatians today. Neither cherish
the slightest respect for a king at
Madrid or for the national flag. And
neither is in sympathy with the easy
going Andalusians or the Valencians.
Spirit of Protest
If the people of the various divisions
of Spain share a sentiment, it is one
against the existing government of
their country. The spirit of Spain is
one. of protest and among the political
organizations more numerous here
thanin most countries, there are several
parties of protest with widely different
aims but common genesis. The birth
of each is due in part to dissatisfaction
with rigid central government as we'll
reaucratic opposition and inordinate
corruption.
The weakness of the parties of pro-
test, taken as a whole is due largely to
their refusal to make compromises and
from coalition in advocacy of the
major principles for which all of them
stand. An example Of unwillingness to
compromise was afforded by the Social
lists who until recently refused to treat
-r-,x -
resentation in the Cortes. When lnv,
joined hands with them to get Pablo
Iglesias elected for Madrid they were
successful and Mr. Iglesias now sits in
the Spanish parliament the first of his
party to gain such a position.
Too Many Cliques.
At present partyism is too often
cliqueism, and cliques at the capital
are too often mere followers of some
political soldier of fortune who is
ready to exploit his followers in his
own interest Republicans. Socialists
and Anarchists have broader aims, but
each party breaches it's own gospel Of
salvation AMI will not form combina-
ton with the others.
Party names are confusing 70 the
new conner in Spain. To most per-
sons from other countries anarchist"
means bomb thrower." In Barcelona
and Madrid anarchism and nihilism
have not always been as widely and
definitely separated as the peaceful
Anarchist might wish. but the Anarch-
list party does not mean a party Of
advocates of regicide and other forms
of violence. A majority Of the work
ing men IN Spain are Anarchists in
the sense that they oppose a central
government. An Anarchist of this
kind Francisco Ferrer was, avowedly
and publicly. 1t is this sort of an
archism and abolition of law and reg
ul&Jion Of society by mutual help and
brotherly love that the Anarchist
party stands for. 1t is idealism that
leaves out of account the weakness
of human nature, but not nihilism
which depends on bombs as an agent
for the destruction of hated rulers
Republicanism in most countries
means opposition to the monarchia1
form of government. Not So neces-
sarily. in SPAIN Meliquiades Alvarez,
one OF the most prominent Republi-
can leaders, recently proposed a coal
ition with the monarchy and said
that his party did not desire to over
throw that form of government. but