The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-28
|SPA|N'S OFFICIAL
TRIBUTE TO FRANCE


Madrid, spain. Aug. 26.---What
might he called the repercussions OF
peace are now very evident in many
departments of Spanish life says the
Christian Science Monitor In vari-
Gus quarters there liz tendency to-
ward congratulation, recrimination,
reflection and determination. Having
lost no time in conveying his con-
gratuiatory expressions to President
Pnincare, the king OF Spain, who
realizes at least as well as any Span
lard the fatefulness of the new period
upon which his country with the rest
OF the world, Is now entering, con-
ceived it to be opportune to enlarge
somewhat upon the continents he ex-
pressed TO President Poincare through
a medium in which it was possible to
speak little more freely, Conse-
quently he arranged with p. Dehil-
lotte, the Madrid correspondent OF
lie Temps of Paris, to send to his
journal the following personal state
ment or declaration:
The signing of the peace with
Germany. which will doubtless be fol-
lowed bs that of the other states OH
cially at war with France and her
allies. is received in Spain with JOY
that l cannot indicate to you. 1t is
the end of a reality so tragic that one
might ask oneself at times IL one had
not been the victim of an illusion.
And We who were among .thNse to
whom circumstances did not give the
power or impose the obligation to
SNARE the SORROWS, knew that the ang-
wash we soothed, the lives we were
enabled to save from the disaster
signified very little in the sum OF
universal grief.
Among all these sufferings those
of France went specially to my heart
Not in vain does the blood of YOU
ancient kings run in my veins, and sc
often have | looked upon that splen-
did land of France on which ] have
formed so many cordial friendships.
would not excuse myself for adding tC
your preoccupations such as might be
derived from the hypothesis of ar
a abandonment by Spain or her neutral
ity. So when at the beginning of thu
war your government. insufficiently
prepared for an aggression, contendet
with the difficulties of mobilization
made known to II that the Pyrenear
| frontier would neither then, nor in tn,
| future. give it any cause for un
| easiness.
| rs all in the past already? Let u,
| say rather that your country emerge
| from this war with terrible wounds
| indeed. but with an immense increas
| OF influence due to the example o
| tenacity, OF success, and of energ,
! that its people, its soldiers, it's gen
erals. and its governments have given
stirred always as they were by tn,
! country's ideal and by the expectation
90 ms ~
shutting in its integrity the territor,
of the France of 1870. Let us sa,
that peace gives us not only the reali
zdtlcn of this objective, but also GER
tain concessions. and advantage:
which, in the hands of a people sc
great and enterprising as the French
Will become a very powerful instru
mont for the PREPARATION of past mis-
fortunes and the basis of position
that France has perhaps never occu-
pied In any permanent way in history
j have told you why ! have share
your sorrows. For the same reasons
associate myself with your satisfac-
tons, and in this satisfaction | am
sure all .Spain is associated with me
as a member of the great Latin fani-
ly of which the pride Is France"
Parliament Takes Notice.
Parliament could not do less than
take notice of the great occasion. and
in the senate the president made a
formal announcement that TIE sigma :
lures had been attached to the peace
treaty between the allied and asso :
ciated governments and Germany, and
he proposed that the senate should
record its satisfaction at the happy
event by the adoption of Il formal
resolution and should send kilograms
xNf ,y,Atf. T..
of the allies. The foreign minister,
Gonzalez Hoptoria said that as soon
as the government received the happy
news 1t had telegra phed its congratu-
lations TO Mr.. Ciemenceau and the
allied governments. Sanchez de Toca
cordially welcomed the proposal OF
the president and, as Conservative
leader, he accepted il in the name Of
the senate.
Besides the messages from Spain to
France already quoted there have
been large number of n. semi official
character sent by individuals. Natu-
rally none of these has been mere in
keeping with circumstances and rec
ords than that sent to Mr.. Clemen-
ceau by the Count de Romanones, the
foremost Of all the former ministers
who have throughout been friendly to
France and her allies. This message
was as follows: During the Ave ter
rible years Of war and desoiation, my
political friends. the Spanish Liberals,
and / have shared in the allied and
associated powers sentiments. sor.
rows and hopes The ipsxhaustible
heroism OF immortal France, sup
ported by the energetic, and glorious
assistance Of the great English. Ital-
ian, Portuguese, Belgian, Serbian, Ru-
mania. American and Japanese peo-
pies, has finally conquered. imposing
peace on the world on the bases Of
justice and liberty. At the moment
OF the signing Of the treaty. which
VIII give back TO humanity the happi-
ness OF lie, we desire. Mr.. President.