Evening star., 1916-01-02
THE NEUTRALITY OF SPAIN.

the Bourbons. worthy of all anathemas
because the initial of all the miseries
Of Spain. Regalism is properly the ad-
ministrative heresy theresy adopted by
the governmenD. the most odious and
detesta BILE of all
Our unknown writer enlightens this
Illumination. What is there true in
this statement of Pelayo?" he asks.
There is truth first" he answers.
that the Bourbon kings were deceived
on the point of provincial and religious
privileges; arriving from France. they
wished to unity in France. They
acted in good faith and thought they
were preparing the development and
prosperity of the country: the spirit OF
independence and particularism hostile
to kings had been in France more than
in the populations among the sell
Eneurs: in Spain il was in the people
united to the clergy: and in France the
clergy was seigneurial and rarely in,
contact with the people. from which,
the first source of error. Besides. theyi
only attempted to take up the cause OF
the majorittes in the provinces. think
ing to reduce easily the dissident mi
norities: second error This much con-
ceded. II is far from the truth the pic
ture drawn of the "Afrancesados" as
cynical band of people of prey without
conscience and religion. Only the
Bourbons. although faithful to the
church. had way entirely French to
understand governments relations to
the church: the aristocracy OF the
French clergy was the cause. After
the revolution the word of order was:
The state. the nation. Catholics these
may be. but not dominated by the
church. The word of order traditional
and vital of Spain was exactly the re-
verse; the free SPANS" with their
privileges, with party-bound intimately
with the clergy which corporally is
one of these "Spains': but above all no
olnding or restraining unity. no auto
cratism above. neither on the part of
the kings nor on the part of the cor
ties: And if they pressed too hard. up
risings,
This expose of Menendez Pelayo is
revelation and in brief the key to the
opposition of Spain to France. and
Spain's present attitude of neutrality
Does 1t explain also in measure the
cry attributed TO King Alfonso XIII
MANY months ago? only the canaille
and i are for France"
X
Having explored scientifically these
bad humors against France at the mo-
ment of the war. IL
Spain Still is easv to compre-
Eoyor. r hend the opposition
of Spain to inter-
vention. But it should not be concluded
that Spain as a whole is unified against
France. On the contrary, French cul-
ture. Notwithstanding its oppostions,
remains a very large ma jority in Spain.
Besides, the industrial situation of
France in Spain is predominant. The
railroads and tramways are principally
exploited by English. Belgian and
French capital. and French money in
vested in Spanish industries amounts to
1000 100000 francs. 1t is deplorable
that France and Spain should have re-
mained in the modus vivendi establish
ed after the negotiations at San Sc
bastian. From this modus vivendi-re-
newed in 190T-have arisen continual
protestations from both sides of the
Pryenees. Thus at the moment of the
war the situation of France and Spain
politically and economically was not
what it should have been and could
have been.
The great grievance against England
may be briefly summed up as dating
from the war of independence the ex-
actions of Wellington, British morgue-
conceit. which mortally wounded Span
ish pride and the national spirit. Then
the English sustained Carlism with
money and men in 1886. The great
heartburning is Gibraltar. Gibraltar
Inns not longer the Importance once
possessed. but it is always a wound
in Spains sensitive soul The efforts
made by Spain may be recalled here
-
Gibraltar. After the battle of Milazzo.
in 111S; after the capture of Port Ma
hon. in 1851; after the war in Ameri-
ca, in 17I9-17S0. Spain besieged Gibral-
tar in vain from 11o7 to 1881 and from
1879 to 1888.
BY her diplomatic situation. by her
economical situation England had few
friends in Spain at the moment of the
war outside of political and financial
circles. The people generally were hos
tile.
Spain was hostile to Belgium at the
moment of the war, Notwithstanding
the latters Catholicism and her uni
versity at Louvain. because Belgium
permitted a handful of anarchists to
erect a statue to Ferrer.
The German influence in Spain at the
moment of the war was paramount all
the more contradictory because of the
Professionalism of the one and the intract-
able Catholicism of the other. First of
the reasons assigned was the develop
ment in Spain by Germans of the
commercial spirit inspired by $4,000
German resident commercial agent
Next there was certain affectation Of
admiration for German philosophy.
krauslsm, which was propagated by
Sanz del Rio, who introduced German
eclectism in Spain-a m xture Of Kart.
Fichte. Schelling, Hegel and krause.
The cult of germanism was intro
duced in France for while. and this
fact enables one to ac-
Germanism cept, even though il is
in Spain. rermanism TOOK root O in
Spain. France, it should be said. aided
this current by prosecutions and eN-
pulsions of the congregations. Finally
persuaded that anti ilitarism Gin
France was the precursor of another
revolution. the final decadence of the
French army appeared inevitable and
thus the Spanish army turned TO Ger
many for its ideals The German army
was admired, glorified in Germany.
we'll paid and the object of all the
care and solicitude of the sovereign.
Spanish officers and the army were
and envied the exceptional
fortune of the German military.
.Apropos to the Spanish army, which
eight military regions, or
army corps. organized in divisions, brig
AIDES, regiments, on the model of the
French organization, according to the
law of 1912, Spain can place in line
100000 men. The infantry comprises
seventy regiments, with three bat
talions each, two of which are active,