Year: 1873

never was an army so thoroughly crumbled
away with dry rot as the Spanish army is now
in Spain, and since the troops in Cuba cannot
even put down the instruction it may be said
that Spain practically has no military force
with which she could meet small force
of foreign troops on this side the Atlantic.
Even the law declaring every able-bodied
Spaniard soldier has not enabled the govern
ment to win a single battle against the Car
lists, and on what other material could it
draw for war with the United States? As
it is with the army so it is with the navy IL
is crippled by Generalization. Although
there are some fine ships, the organized force
that might give them value in hostile opera
tions does not exist 1t lost its allegiance to
the colors and has gone to pieces. Without
an army or navy that could possibly be made
effective Spain is also without money. Her
financial condition is deplcrable. She has
not only exhausted her means, but she has
exhausted the faith of the world in her capac-
ity to pay-she cannot even borrow on ruinous
terms.


All this Serrano knows thoroughly well and
cannot but recognize; and he has the practi-
cal wisdom to make this knowledge the basis
of action in the case before u.s. It would be
easy for him to do what would have been ut
terly impossible for CASTELAR,, since he has only
to accept the situation that others have made.
Compelled to accept the terms proposed by
the United States, because he cannot for q
moment contemplate the alternative of those
terms, he will make it clear to the country
that the Carlists in the north and the intran-
sigentes in the south are the people to blame,
if any; because it is their revolt that has re-
duced the government to its condition of i'm
potency. Would his acceptance of the terms
proposed by the United States provoke an
other spasm of popular fury, to drive him
also out of office? We do not see the likeli-
hood of his being driven in that particular
direction in the circumstances in which he is
now likely to obtain power. His becoming
regent would be a great fact in the reorganiza
ton of the army, by which he is loved and re-
spected, and he would stand in virtue of the
control of military power, are not driven out
by popular tumult We are of opinion, there
fore, that the coming to Office in Spain of
practical ruler would at once insure a pacific
acknowledgment of all the requirements
we have to make of that government
further negotiation will attach sufficient
weight to the fact upon which we have several
times dwelt, of the small dependence to be
placed upon the fulfilment in Cuba of promises
made in Spain. Without saying there is any
bad faith in the case, we have had to regret on
nearly all occasions, that the government of
Spain succeeds in getting very little respect
paid to its DEGREES in the Ever Faithful Isle,
and the decree regarding the confscated es-
tates has only just now been published in
Cuba, under the pressure of excitement caused
by this recent butchery We do not want any
promises to meet our demands we want the
fact, and in order that We may have the fact,
it must be provided in the negotiations that
in case of any delay we shall have the right
to material guarantee in the military occupa-
ton of the island of Cuba. Our relations to
Cuba and our duty to ourselves in regard to
the pOlllcdi VI llldl lSIluu are luc ceu-
tral points of all our relations with Spain and
it is, of course, because of our peculiar situa-
ton with regard to the island that we have
now to complain of Spanish ferocity. 1t
would, perhaps, be an econom of human life
and of diplomatic difficulties, as it would be
the only thoroughly satisfactory settlement of
the case, to have the island fall into our pos
session, and only fact leading to that can
reconcile US for moment to regard with pa
tience the possibilities of Spanish delay in this
negotiation.