El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-09

in Spain the failure of the "Prim Re-
public" is recalled. When the repub-
lie of France was in it's swaddling
clothes, and the union of the American
states had just been assured for all
time by the outcome of the great war
that began at Fort Sumter and ended
at Appomattox, the Spanish republic
blossemed into existence, doomed to
an early death.
General Prim, who had led a mill
tary Instruction in 1865, and escaped
to Portugal when the royal troops
put the insurrectos to flight. returned
to Spain in 1867 with high hopes. The
year before a regiment of artillery
CHARTERED at Madrid had mutined in
its barracks and the slogan "Prim and
the Republic had been shouted in
the streets and echoed in the cafes
of the capital. And, in 1857, Aragon,
Catalonia and Valencia had been dis
turbed by rowing bands of revolution
lists The queen, Isabella, had alienated
her subjects by her loose conduct. The
provisions of the constitution had
been disregarded and the rights OF
the people trampled upon. Catalonia
strong in the spirit of independence
since the days of the Roman invasion
started the revolution in April and
was placed in a state OF siege. In
September the storm broke. General
Prim had arrived at Cadiz to serve
as leader supported by several other
exiled generals. Marshal Serrano, for
merly president of the senate, placed
himself at the head of a revolt that
brought all Andalusia into line for the
overthrow of the monarchy.
Republic Declared.
In early October Serrano enterfd
Madrid, appIauded as the hero of the
day. Isabella had been forced to seek
an asylum in France, and the fall OF
the Bourbons had been solemnly pro-
claimed. A provisional government
was formed ito lead the nation to lib
erty and not allow it to perish in an
archy" Universal suffrage was de-
clared as a principle of the new con-
stitution and DEGREES were issued to
suppress the Jesuits. restore the lib
erty of the press and grant absolute
freedom of primary education In
country whose history had been writ
ten in blood since the days of the Ro-
man Caesars the way for establish
ment of a republic had been paved
without a great battle. But that was
as far as liberty prospered-
Then Monarch Returned.
The. Certes met and declared for
monarchial form of government. The
results from a revolt that swept from
the Bay of Cadiz to the wild gorges
of the Pyrenees, and had driven the
Bourbon queen beyond the frontier. but
it was destined to come to nothing
Too many cooks spoiled the broth. The
gallant general Prim, for whom the
patriots had shouted themselves
hoarse three years before. wrote
card for a Madrid paper proposing
the formation Of a constitutional mon
archy before the Cortes took the mat
ter I'D. Catalonia, which still took
the revolution seriously, and had never
been content to be governed by scions
of Castilian. Aragonese or French
houses, was invaded by troops and re-
publican patriots were captured ana
executed. Every undesirable prince in
Europe out of a Job" cast hungry
eve upon Spain. and the crown was
offered to numerous princes who were
deemed desirable
Nothing in the way of reform tnat
had been promised was accomplished
The government became as tyrannlcai
as the Bourbons had ever been The
constitution guaranteed individual
rights. but drum head court martial
proceedings pronounced countless cruel
sentences. The death penalty had
been abolished but In the words OF
John Hay, who was in Spain at the
time. the shadow of the gaflows and
the smoke of the fussilade spread over
half of Spain" The reduction or the
army had been promised. but the Cor
the smoke of the fusillade spread over
greater than Great Britain keeps In
the Indian empire. to keep peace in a
country not as large as the state Of
Texas The colonies were to be eman-
cipated, but Cuba and Porto Rico cried
out for reforms they were to get only
when relieved OF Spanish misruIe
nearly so years later. Slavery was 10
be abolished, but aside from its being
condemned in the papers nothing was
done. Fourteen newspapers were sup
pressed in a few weeks and the clubs
were ordered closed. although freedom
of the press and liberty OF thought
and speech had been proclaimed loudly
during the uprising.
The freedom Of towns, which has
been a Spanish theory of local self
government since the days of the an
Client Iberians and Celtiberians had
been the hope of many patriots, and
1t was universally accepted that each
city should be q state. But the city
councils elected by universal suffrage
were turned out of their town halls
by the troops, to be supplanted by
men set up Dy the Y. Id&cs
were increased and individual debts
were stacked up.
The dissolution of the union Of
church and state had been a promise.
But the government disregarded pop
ular sentiment, established the Roman
Catholic church as the religion of the
state, and assumed the expense Of
conducting its vast and intricate ma
cbinery. Orators in the Cortes who
had sense enough to see that mistakes
were being made "volleyed and thun-
dered" like the cannon at Balaklava.
but to no purpose. The church and
the state were dashed together as II
no one ever had spoken of their d.
vorcement
Soldiers of Fortune Many.
Madrid was filled with political SOL
diers Of fortune whose ambition was
limited to a desire to participate in
the general till Tapping, and the prov
inces were filled with equally preda-
tory individuals holding office or seek
ing to get office. If an honest public
servant in Aragon or Catalonia wanted
something done for his people he was
removed. If he could be corrupted he
was brought to the capital and pro-
NOTED as the price of his silence. The
tax collectors ground down the people
and lined their own pockets. In every
conceivable manner the acute and cor