THE SUliANTON T1UBUNK-TUESDAY. APRIL 2G. 1808.
9
I i
i
GRIEVANCES WHICH LED
THE CUBANS TO REBEL
Conservative Review of the Causes of Spain's
Downfall in the Queen of the Antilles.
Colonel Henry Hull In Pittsburg Times.
What la Cuba's complaint against
Spain? Of course, tt In generally un
derstood that It is tyranny, Injustice,
nnd oppression, but at a lime when It
looks ns thotiRh tho United States
might be compelled to Intervene to gain
Cuba's Independence a specific state
ment of the acts of oppression com
plained of may be opportune. As In nil
cases of this kind, the statements of
tho party making tho arraignment aro
one-sided, und contradicted by the oth
er Bldp. Tho Declaration of independ
ence was an ex parti; statement, nnd
no doubt King George regarded It us
false nnd slanderous, but the American
peoplo put It before the world and then
proceeded to back It up with the forcu
of arms. Pew people even In Englund
now attempt to defend the course of
the British government towaid the col
onies, nnd while there are those now
who assert that the Cuban representa
tions with regard to tho Injustice they
suffer at tho bands of Spain nre over
drawn and in many respects false, it
Is not likely that a people would have
risen In rebellion against u powerful
mother country six times In 70 years,
waging once a sttuggle that lasted 1(1
years and cost Spain tho lives of 200.
O0C soldiers, nnd have now waged for
three years another In which Spain
lias sacrificed nearly ns many more,
without having a real and substantial
ground for complaint and resistance.
Cuba's grievances, stated as briefly as
possible, are ns follows:
1 Cuba Is not nllowcd to mnnngo her
own affairs. The Cuban budget Is pre
sented by th( Madrid government to
the Cortes and voted by over MO Span
ish lepresentatlves, regardless of the
Cuban special ones, except those who,
being elected through the inlluence of
the government, nre always ready to
vote with it, even If it Is against the
Interest that they appear to represent.
2 Cuba has her own treasury nnd
what is called her own debt, but not
the right to fix expenses, salaries,
number of employes, nor to appoint
them. The Madrid government holds
that right and sends the olllceholdera
from Spain. Generally paying to be ap
pointed, they fall V. Cuba as birds of
prey, ravage the country, nnd return
home with the spoils. An official who
has served IS years In Spain may servo
two more in Cuba and then retire on
a pension or four-llfths his salary which
Cuba has to pay.
3 Cuba has been paying the debts
raised by Spain through her wars In
Mexico, South America, and San Do
mingo; also the sulnries to all the
Spanish ministers and consular officials
Ip America and the amount granted by
Spain to the line of steamers between
Spain and Cuba. Irately Cuba has been
released of part of this burden.
1 All loans raised to meet the war
expenses and keep up the Integrity of
the nation are not paid by the nation
nt large, but charged exclusively on
Cuba, without any Interference from
her part as to the loans, Interest, form
of payment, etc.
5 Cuba takes no pnit In regulating
her commercial affairs nor her tariff.
The Madrid government rules over all,
having always a majority In the Cor
tes ready to npprove its acts. So It
happens that while the United States
Is the commercial metropolis of Cuba
and buys from her SO per cent, of her
production, Cuba in exchange cannot
buy of the United States machinery,
farm Implements, provisions nnd goods
of nil kinds, because the important
duties fixed by Spain amount to more
than the price of the articles in the
American market; but if the same ar
ticle Is shipped to Spain It can bo re
exported to Cuba and compete advan
tageously in price with the same object
Imported Into Havana from the United
States, Injuring thus the Interests of
Cuba and of the United States In their
commercial relations.
C While most of the merchandise
from Spain enters Cuba free of duty,
und only n few articles are subject to
a normal duty, Cuban products are ex
cluded from Spain. Sugar from Cuba
Is subject to such high duties In tho
so-called mother country that they
amount to prohibition. Salt meats
from tho Argentine republic aro forced
Into Cuba, not In reciprocity for tho
admittance of Cuban cigars or nny
other Cuban products, but for the bene
fit granted by the said republic to the
wines from Spain.
7 Cuban tobacco and cigars are nl
most excluded from Spain, notwith
standing their being tho second Im
portant production of tho island nnd
unrivaled In the world. The Madrid
government has established so strong
a monopoly in favor of a trust for tho
manufacture and sale of cigars in
Spain that Cuban products can only
be sold there through the agency of
and payment of a high commission to
this company.
S Countless millions of dollars have
been officially taken from Cuba to
Spain In times of her prosperity, nnd
when she has come to her ruin through
tho scandalous mismanagement of the
Spanish government she is charged
with all the expenses made to preserve
the Integrity of tho nation and the
oppressive policy that will nt last pro
duce the Independence of the Island.
9 Separate from the municipal and
tho provincial taxes, the ordinary bud
get Imposed upon Cuba by Spain has
been as high as $10,000,000, being at
present over 2S.0&0.000, to be drawn
from a population of 1.500,000 and a de
solated country. The extraordinary
budget to meet all the expenses of war
Is unlimited.
BABY
HUMORS
Instant relist lor tkln-torturcd babies and
rrit for tired motbera lu a warm bath with
Cwicciti. Boip, ana a single application of
Ccmccmi. (ointment), tbo great ekln euro.
The only speedy and economical treatment
for itching, burning, bleeding, scaly, tml
pimply humors of tliosklu, scalp, and blood.
(yticura
It Ml4 tbWtfbOut th VOrtl. POTTItPsUtf kD rstlVIOL
Ctmrori. &! rroprUUii, bottwa,
Qy Uo Ourt fct r B4b; Humor, uaiUd fti,
BABY BLEHiSHESc'rV'Kor!'
10 Taxes are levied by the Madrid
government on every Imaginable thing,
and not only on the estimated profit
that projierty, professions. Industry,
commerce, etc., can produce, but even
on tho amount paid for said taxes; on
every Inhabitant from 14 years up, on
publla nnd private salaries and pen
sions, and on tenants on and for tho
amount they pay as farm, house or of
fice, there being besides the high-priced
stamped paper for till official and busi
ness transactions.
11 Since 1836 special laws were
promised Cuba, and in IS0S. CO years
later, Cuba is still without them and
subject ns ever to the prey and rava
ges of the unscrupulous Spanish gov
ernment, Spanish polltlcnns, merchants
in Spain nnd public employes, nil of
whom speculate with the mismanage
men of tho country.
In support of these- charges the Cu
bans offer evidence, which seems con
vincing. Spain's plan of taking the
control of Cuban affairs out of tho
hands of tho Cuban people was accom
plished by an electoral law which had
for Its object, first, to reduce the num
ber of voters; second, to give always
a majority to the Spnnlards, who form
only D.a per cent, of the totnl popula
tion of Cuba. To this effect It mndo
the electoral right dependent on the
payment of a very high poll tax, and
In this wny.succeeded In restricting the
right of suffrage to only 63,000 in a to
tal population of 1,500,000, or 3 per
cent, of the whole number of Inhabi
tants. In order to give a decided pre
ponderance to the Spanish-European
element, nnd confine the electoral pri
vilege to Industry, commerce and pub
lic officials, to the detriment of the
owners of real estate the tax on tho
latter is reduced to 2 per cent., while
the exorbitant poll tax of $23 is requir
ed from those who would be electors
an freeholders. Moreover the simple
declaration of the head of n commer
cial house Is sufficient to consider nil
of its employes ns partners, having,
therefore, the right to vote. Thus it
comes to pass that tho district of Gul
lies, with 13,000 inhihitnnts, only COO of
whom nre Spaniards, has an electoral
list of 32 native Cubans and 400 Span
lards, or 0.2."i per cent, of tho Cubans to
i;0 per cent, of the Spaniards. This
shows why the native Cuban represen
tatives in the Spanish Cortes have
never exceeded bIx lu number, and on
some occasions only three, out of a
body of 430 members. As to the sen
ate, native Cubans nre practically de
barred from entering It. The qualifi
cations for membership prevent it. To
take a seat In that body the candidate
must have been a president of that
branch or of congress, or a minister
o the crown, a bishop, a grandee of
Spain, llc-utennnt general, vice-admiral,
ambassador, counsellor of state, Judge,
or attorney general of the supreme
court, etc. Xn Cuban has ever held
any of the above positions, and but
two or three are grandees. There are
n- few additional qualifications for this
body which few Cubans have, but the
whole number thus qualified does not
exceed 23.
Similar discriminations exist with re
gard to local governments. Not a
single Cuban is an alderman in Ha
vana, and In the district of Ilnvana In
ISO! there wore 31 Spanish aldermen
out of 3". In Guines there was not one
Cuban. In the simo epoch there were
only three Cuban deputies in the pro
vincial deputation of Havana; two in
Mutanzns, and three In. Santa Clara.
And these nre tho most populous re
gions In the Island of Cuba.
Spain appoints Spaniards to all the
lucrative, Influential and representa
tive offices. The governor general, tho
reglonnl and provincial governors, tho
"intendentes." comptrollers, auditors,
treasurers, chiefs of communications,
chiefs of the custom house, chiefs of
administration, presidents and vice
presidents of the Spanish bank, secre
taries of tho government, presiding
Judges of the "audlencla," presidents
of tribunals, magistrates, attorneys
general, archbishops, bishops, canons,
pastors of the rich parishes all, with
very rare exceptions, aro Spaniards
from Spain. The Cubans are found
only ns minor clerks In the government
offices, doing nil tho work and receiv
ing tho smulle&t salaries. Since 1S7S
Mntanzas has had 20 governors, 18
Spaniards and two Cubans, and of the
latter one was a general in the Spanish
army. Within tho same period only one
native Cuban has been governor of
Havana province, and he had lived all
his life in Spain. In all tho other pro
vinces there has never been a native
Cuban governor. Not a single Cuban
ha3 ever served on the council presided
over by the minister of tho colonics.
The governor general receives a sal
ary of 50,000, with a palace, country
house, servants, coaches, and n secret
service fund; tho director general of
tho treasury, $18,500; the archbishop of
Santiago and the bishop of Havana,
$18,000 each; tho naval commander gen
eral, Jlfi,302; the general second In com
mand of the Island and the president
of the "audlencln," $15,000 each; the
governor of Havana and the secretary
of the genernl government, $8,000 each;
the three clusses of chief clerks of ad
ministration receive $3,000, $1,000 nnd
$3,000 each respectively. In the army
the salaries run ns follows: Major gen
erals, $7,500; brigadiers, $4,500; colonels,
$3,450; captains of men-of-war receive
$6,300; captains of frigates, $4,5C0; lieu
tenants, $3,370. All these functionaries
nre entitled to free lodgings and ser
vants. Such salaries as these, to come
out of the taxes Imposed upon 1,500,000
people, have helped to swell Cuba's
public debt from $25,000,000 In 18C8 to
about $00,000,000 at tho present time.
In addition there have been shameless
peculations of the public funds. A de
bato In tho Spanish Cortes In IS90 re
vealed tho fact that $0,500,000 had been
aken from the safe In the Cuban treas
ury, notwithstanding that It was locked
with three keys, each In the possession
of a different functionary. Then It was
known that, under the pretext of falso
vouchers for transportation and fic
titious bills for provision!), during tho
previous war. defalcations had been
found amounting to $22,811,500. In
March of tho same year General I'andn
affirmed tbU tho robberies committed
through tho Issue of warrants by the
board of public debt exceeded $12,000.
000. The public expenditures for the last
fiscal year reported were $26,411,314. In
terest on the publlo debt consumed 40,89
per cent, of tho totnl amount; the de
fend of Cuba against its own people,
the only enemies who threaten Spain,
Including tho cost of tho army, 36.50
per cent, leaving for nil tho other ex
penditures for civilized life only 22.52
per cent. Tho interest on tho public
debt is $9.79 per person; in Franco it
Is only $6.30. The annual taxes per
head In Cuba aro $16.18, nnd in Spain
less than halt so much.
As to the tariffs It need only bo said,
n showing the discriminations under
which the Cubans labor, that upon tho
same quantity of Spanish goodB tho
duty is X2C.G5, if foreign, $17.20; knit
ted goods, Spanish, $10.95, foreign, $l!l.";
sugar bags, Spanish, $4.09, foreign, $82.
62; casslmeres, Spanish, $15.47, foreign,
$300.
The Cubans complain that not only
are they robbed, but they arc deprived
of personal liberty for trivial causes,
denied tho right of fair trial by an Im
partial court nnd banished from their
homes to penal colonies without even
the pretense of a trial. The Cuban
rural population aro subjected to tho
most crurt treatment by tho nrnied
police, who beat them unmercifully and
even kill them under the pretense that
they nre resisting arrest. Prisoners
liavn been put to the torture, and al
though no executions for political of
fenses have taken place since 1878 It
Is because the government has resorted
to tho more simple expedient of assas
sination, tier oral Polnvleju. has de
I'lutrd with utmost coolness that In
December of 1SS0 he had 263 persons
seized In Cuba, I'aluia, San Luis, Son
go, Guantaunmo und Sagua. de Tanamo
and transported the same day nnd tit
tho same hour to the Afrlcn Island of
Fernando Po. In December, 1891, there
was a strike of wharf laborers In the
province of Santa Clara. To end It the
governor captured the strikers and
banished them en masse to the Island
of rinos.
Nobody trusts the honesty or inde
pendence of tho Judges. De3plto the
provision of the constitution, without
warrant and for Indefinite time, impris
onments aro most common In Cuba.
Tho magistrates can tighten or loosen
the elastic meshes of the Judicial pro
ceedings. The presidents and attorneys
general of the "audencla" receives their
Instructions at the captain general's
office. Twice have the governors ot
Cuba aimed at establishing a special
tribunal to deal with the offenses of
the press, thereby undermining the con
stitution. Twice has this special tribu
nal been established. Moro than once
has a straightforward and Impartial
Judge been found to try a case In which
tho Interests of Inlluentlal people nre
Involved. On such occasions the
straightforward Judge has' been re
placed by a special Judge. The liberty
of the press is a farce. Many journal
IMS have been banished from the coun
try without even the formality of a
trial. Some have been tried by court
martial. The newspapers are allowed
to discuss public affairs theoretically,
but tho moment they denounce nny
abuse or tho conduct of any official
they feci the hand of their rulers laid
upon them. In 1SS7 "Kl Pais." the of
ficial organ of the home rule party,
was criminnlly prosecuted because It
had stated that a son of the president
of Havana "audencla" was holding a
certain office contrary to law. liefore
the peoplo can hold public meetings
previous notltlcatlon must be given to
the authorities and a functionary is
appointed to be present, with power to
suspend the meeting whenever ho
deems such a measure ndvlsable. Un
der this system meetings of worklng
niens unions and planters' associations
have been forbidden.
Those aro tho charges which the
Cubans make agalnsi he mother coun
try. There are those, even in this
country, who say they have no founda
tion in truth or Justice. To this no
other denial would seem necessary than
to point out tho fact that Spain, in
her desperation at the threatened lots
of the Island, has promised to grant
to Cuba everything thnt her people de
mand In the wny of reform, provided
only that she be permitted to retain
sovereignty over tho island. If there
wore no evils to be corrected, and tho
Cubans have no grievances, then how
can concessions be made, or how can
Spain remove those things wn'lch do not
exist?
NAVAL FIGHT
AGAINST ODDS
Almost Certain Destruction Awaits the
Crews ol War Ycssels.
PERILS OP TUB TORPEDO BOAT
TRAVELLERS' ELYSIUM.
I.ocntlon Not .Undo Public lor Men
tions Which Will Ho Understood.
The pilgrim alighted on tho depot
platform of a small Ohio town shortly
before midnight. A hack stood near by
a four-wheeler und the tired traveler
was toon en route to what the driver
assured him was the best hotel In
town. When tho carriage stopped the
visitor pulled half a dollar from ills
pocket and tendered It.
"No, thank you, sir," said the Jehu.
"Pleased to have accommodated you."
Three minutes later the man had reg
istered. "Want to go to your room right
away, Mr. Smith?" queried the clerk.
"Yes."
"Well, say," said tho clerk, with n
mysterious wink, "how would a good
drink of whiskey strike you before you
go to bed?" ,
"If it's a drink of good whiskey I
think it might bo the proper thing,"
was Mr. Smith's answer.
The clerk took one with his guest,
"Just to bo sociable," nnd the some
what nstonlshed Mr. Smith retired.
Next morning Mr. Smith arose with
the sparrows, but the clerk was with
him.
"Morning, Mr. Smith," said he. "Hopo
you slept well. Just going Into break
fast? Say" another confidential wink
"what do vou think of a nice cock
tull for an appetizer?"
Mr. Smith, who believes In picking
up all the gold nuggets on which he
stubs his toes while walking life's
pathway, yielded assent. Ho nlso
wondered what kind of a game ho had
discovered.
At noon the obsequious clerk was at
the dining room door.
"Would a bottle ot beer fit In with
your dinner, Mr. Smith?"
Tho now thoroughly astonished
Smith simply nodded.
That afternoon ho left town. His bill
was simply for bed, breakfast, and din
ner. The whiskey, cocktail and beer
were not in evidence.
At the depot lie was engaged In con
versation by a somewhat Inebriated in
dividual who wns proclaiming in vocif
erous tone3 tho beauties and glorleti of
tho town.
"M'fr'nd. where did you stop?"
Mr. Smith told him.
"You sh'd been at ozzer house," was
the emphatic nnRwer. "Everything
free. Flowed with llqu'r."
Mr. Smith thought he had done pretty
well lu tho splrltous line and said bo.
Then the ticket agent smiled and
said:
"If those darned fool hotel keepers
don't quit fighting they'll bust them
selves nnd make the brewers Independ
ently rich."
The name of this elyslum Is there
fore suppressed out of consideration for
the heirs and assigns of the hotel men.
A Well Directed Shot Will lllow a
Ilont nntl Crow to Atoms lu an ln-stnnt--IIistory
oftbu Vain Attutnpts
to Opsrnto Submnrlno Vessels-ltu
cunt Successful Trials of tho Hol
land. From tho Chicago Times-Herald.
The naval officer who remarked that
the erection of n monument to tho
memory of the officers and crew of the
dynamltu cruiser Vesuvius would he
In order Just as soon as that vessel
went Into action spoke with a full un
derstanding of the probabilities attend
ing the first engagement between the
warships of the United States nntl
Spain. He might have Included the
heroes who wilt form tho crows of the
torpedo boats, the torpedo boat destroy
cis, nnd even the armored cruisers and
battleships. Their chances of life will
be but a trifle better than those of the
men on the Vesuvius. One well-dlrect-shell
nlmed nt this llonting magazine
of dynamite means Instant annihila
tion. One round from a rapid-fire gun
has but to strike n torpedo boat In the
right place to send her to' the bottom.
One torpedo, as has been demonstrated
in the harbor of Havana, can tear into
fragments the most formldublo battle
ship utloat.
In the days when iron nnd steel had
not supplanted oak In tho construction
of fighting ships, when long toms, car
ronades and ten-pounders were the
equivalents of breech-loading rllles and
machine guns, when a full broadside
at close quarters lacked the destruct
tveness of a single projectile from a
high-power Htle over a range of four
miles, tho sailor felt that as long us his
ship floated he had as good a chance of
reaching dry land as his enemy. He
had an abiding faith in the specific
gravity of wood, und counted on finding
a piece of his ship for a life-preserver
If the fight went the wrong way. To
day he is In much tho same fix ns the
man who went sailing In a sieve before
he lenrned to swim.
There wns never n hope so forlorn,
however, that a leader was lucking,
and no leader ever failed to find those
who would follow him. Today the
navy Is being recruited ns rapidly as
possible with men who aro of too high
an order of Intelligence not to know the
perils before them. A certain propor
tion of these men will be assigned to
the torpedo boats, a branch of the ser
vice which has been recognized as the
most hazardous of nil, making an ex
ception in favor of any actual work
that may be attempted with such new
fangled Ideas as the Holland nnd Rad
datz submarine torpedo boats. Mnrul
courage of the highest order will be re
quired of every officer and enlisted man
when the call of duty takes him Into
an engagement with any of these dead
ly engines ns his weapon of attack.
Experience has demonstrated that
tho torpedo bout, whether operated
above or below tho water, Is as much
of a menace to the life of Its crew as
It is to tho ship It attacks. It may run
the gauntlet of the machine guns un
der cover of darkness and deliver a
fatal blow against the armored side of
the battle ship, but tho chances nre as
one In a hundred that the explosion
which sinks the big ship will destroy
the frail little boat and Its crew. The
submarine torpedo boat is an unknown
quantity in actual warfare, unless Its
worth Is estimated by the results at
tending repeated trluls of similar boats
during tho civil war.
TRIAfc, OF THE HOLLAND.
Recent trials of the Holland sub
marine boat seem to have proved her
an easily managed craft, capable of
diving and coming to the surface at
tho will of tho operator. Whether this
flsh-llke machine will behave sao nicely
in time of war remains to be seen. It
Is to be hoped that she will establish a
better record than tho submarine boat
constructed by the confederates In 18C3.
Naval officers have expressed grave
doubts whether the Holland will ever
accomplish anything but the destruc
tion of her crew, just as tho confed
erate boat did repeatedly In tho at
tempts to use her against union ships.
And thereby hangs a story of heroic
daring equal to any recorded In the his
tory of the American navy.
In the fall of 1863 a tiny, hnlf-sub-merged
torpedo boat attacked the fine
new union war vessel, New Ironsides,
as she lay at anchor In tho Charleston
harbor. The attack was successful, In
that the torpedo exploded three feet
under the water against the side of the
New Ironsides, but tho force of the ex
plosion wns not great enough to do any
other damage than partially sink the
little boat nnd make possible tho cap
ture of her commanding officer. En
couraged by this trial, the confederates
constructed another torpedo boat at
Mobile the same year after plans pro
viding for her use beneath the water.
She was constructed of boiler Iron, her
lines approaching those of tho Holland
boat very closely. Sho was thirty-five
feet long nnd carried a crew of nine
men. Eight of these worked n hand
propeller, while the other steered tho
boat and regulated her movements be
low tho surface of the water. Sho could
bo submerged to any depth desired or
propelled on the surface, and In still
wnter could easily attain a speed of
four knots an hour.
Several successful experiments were
conducted in the harbor nt Mobile, and
then one day the boat failed to come
to the top of tho water. She was raised,
and the bodies ot her crew were given
a moro fitting burial. Then sho was
towed to the Charleston harbor and put
Intd service. Sho was designed to ap
proach a vessel at anchor, dive under
her keel while dragging a floating to
pedo, and thus bring the torpedo
against the side or bottom of tho ves
sel. The first night set for an attack
resulted In death for the nine men com
posing the crew of the boat. She was
lying at the wharf when a passing
steamer swumped her by the wash following.
Once again she was raised and tied
up to the Fort Sumter wharf. Once
again she sank, and six men went down
with her. Again she was brought to
the surface, and after being thorough
ly repaired was placed In charge of a
lieutenant nnd eight more men for trial
In the Stone river. She behaved splen
didly for a day or two, und then dived
to tho bottom and stuck her nose In
tho mud. Nine more men were suffo
cated. For the fourth time the con
federates raised this Ill-fated craft nnd
resumed ngaln the experiments In the
Charleston harbor. The trials were suc
cessful until nn attempt wns made to
dlvo under a vessel at anchor, when
sho fouled a cable und became a coffin
again for her crew.
THE LAST ATTEMPT.
With a faith In tho future ot tho
boat that could not be shnken the con
federates raised her again, A bravo
lieutenant asked permlKilon of General
Renuregard to attack the Housnlontc,
a new war vessel lying In tho harbor.
Consent wns given, with tho condition
thnt the boat should work upon tho
surface with a spar torpedo, and that
the crew should bo composed of volun
teers The attack wns made on the
night of Feb. 17, 1S64. When within 100
yards of the Housatonlc the torpedo
boat was discovered by n deck officer.
He was slow In giving the nliirin, and
the delay In slipping her cnblo nnd
starting her engines (vns fatal.
While all hands were being called to
quarters and confusion reigned supremo
on the war vessel the little boat ex
ploded her torpedo against tho side of
her bulky foe nnd knocked n hole In
her below the wnter line. Four min
utes later and tlm Housatonlc was
resting on the bottom of the harbor, a
total wreck. Five of her crew wero
killed, either by the shock or by drown
ing, and the others were rescued from
the rigging. What became of the tor
pedo boat? She wns never seen again.
She wns either swamped by tho Im
mense column of water thrown Into
the air by the explosion or she wus
carried down by the suction created by
the sinking war vessel.
W. H. Macbeth.
REMEMBER THE GREAT BARGAINS ADVERTISED
SUNDAY ARE ON SALE ALL THIS WEEK.
SPAIN AND THE SPANISH.
Area nnd lopuhitlon--Lcss Than
18,000,000 Inhabitants --. How
bpniti Hns Loftt Its Power.
From tho Times-Herald.
It Is interesting to know that the
total population of Spain Is 17,563,632.
Mnny people, without looking up the
matter, would sny at a guess that
Spain's population was 35,000,000 or 40,
000,000. Hut It is, in reality, not 18,000,
000. The area of France Is only a few
thousand square miles greater, and yet
Frnnce has a population of very near
ly 40,000,000, Texus has an area of 274,
356 squill e miles. Spain could bo laid
out on Texas und Texas would have
70.6S6 square miles left over. The states
of Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois
and Aluhama have more population to
gether than has Spain, and are Im
mensely more wealthy. These states
could borrow enough money, with their
whole field of commodities, men and
capital behind the loan, to pay off at
one coup the whole national debt of
Spain. They could raise, pay and main
tain a bigger army than Spain could.
Their natural resources could outlast
Spain's ten to one. Their steam power
Is infinitely greater, and as man power
can always be gauged by steam power
you can Imagine the difference. These
four states could exist if they seques
trated from all the rest of tho world.
Spain could hardly live a day.
ONCE THE GREATEST NATION.
Spain was onco the greatest nation
on the face of the globe. Say, rather,
she was twice so. First as a centre bf
learning and science under the Sara
cenic rule, when the city of Cordova
had a mile of gas-lit streets and foun
tains of quicksilver played In the pal
ace yard of the caliph. Second, when
she was the greatest military power
In Europe. If you look at the names
of countries, cities -und places In tho
western hemisphere you will realize
what a grand empire Spain once was
and what a power she wielded over
men. Hut Spain could not stand the
mnrch of modern Invention. She has
steadily shrunk and shriveled und lost
her possessions, until now all she has
loft worth speaking of is Cuba. The
Philippines are Insignificant posses
sions. HER DECADENCE.
Why has Spain lost all her power?
The theorist, who holds that education
Is the cause of progress, will point you
the answer In tho statistics concerning
Spain's illiteracy. Only one nation In
Europe Is lower In enlightenment than
Spain. That is Italy. Of all tho popu
lation of Spain only twenty-eight per
cent, can rend and write, four per cent,
can read only nnd sixty-eight per cent,
can neither read nor write. When you
ome to think of It this fact staggers
tho mind. Here Is a nation In the heart
of civilization, nnd sixty-eight per cent,
of its people have no conception what
ever of tho marvels of the printing
press or of the letters that Cadmus
brought to Europe. Rut let us go a
little deeper Into this matter of Illit
eracy. I do not desire to talk about
causes; the sociologists can do that.
Hut were one In the mood to do It a
sociological study of Spain would be
worth tho writing. Spain, as I have
said, has a population of less than 18,
000,000, and sixty-eight per cent, of her
peoplo cannot read or write. Tho United
States has a population of, let us say,
70,000,000. Of tho native white popula
tion In this country only six per cent.
cannot read or write. Of the foreign
whites only thirteen .per cent, cannot
read or write, and of the colored popu
lation fifty-six per cent, cannot rend
or write. Rut, accounting for the for
eigners and the negroes In the compu
tation, there Is but thirteen per cent,
of the population In this country that
cannot rend-or write. Think of It! Out
of nearly 40,000,000 native white Ameri
cans only six per cent, cannot read or
write, and Spain's percentage Is sixty
eight! AN ILLITERATE PEOPLE.
Let us seo how Spain compares In Il
literacy with her neighbors. It Is not
precisely Just to Spain to compare her
with such u wonderfully fortunate peo
plo as wo nre. in England (London)
three per cent, of men and four per
cent of women make their marks on tho
marriage register. English illiteracy
reaches a little higher pen -:uitge in
somo of tho counties. .'v.etlen Jiarf
hardly any Illiteracy at all. Only 0.11
per cent, of tho recruits cannot rend
or write. Of the French conscripts
only 0.1 per cent, cannot read or write.
Of tho recruits In the German army
only one-quarter of ono per cent, can
not read or write. In Austria eighty
six per cent of the children of school
ago are at school. Jit the Russian
army recruiting it was found that only
twenty per cent, of the men wero Ig
norant of letters. Russians at largo
tnny be as llllt'.'rate as are Spaniards,
but the statistics available do not go
to show that such Is tho case. Tho sta
tistics in tho Statesman's Year Hook
show Italy to be considerably more il
literate than Spain, but outside of Italy
Spain's Ignorance 1b monstrous In Eu
rope. Spain's banking power, like her
steam power, Is practlcoliy nil. She
has in all not qulto 7,000 miles of rail
road. It is fashionable to laugh ut
China with her seventy-elrht miles ot
Menm railroads and her backwardness
In point of civilization. Rut it must
bo admitted, however much we dislike
to do so, that, making allowances for
her environment and her advantugos,
Spain is worse than Chin"
Real Sacrifice Sale of
Ladies' Tailor-Made Suits,
Wednesday and Thursday
YOU may have read of the recent
failure in New York city of a well
known manufacturer of Ladies' Suits.
Experts in the line say there were none
better than he. You know about the boy
whose "eyes were bigger than his stom
ach." That was the trouble with this
manufacturer. He made too many Suits
for the depressed market the crash came
and the gilded sign of success no ioriger
hangs over his door. But his Suits vviere
good ones and we're glad to offer them
to our public at about half their worth.
This is their story they're in two lots:
Lot No. 1
These Suits are made up of very
tine materials. The Jacket is Silk lined
the Skirt is the new graceful hanging
kind, vivt bound. They come in
black and navy blue. In the lot are
also a number of Homespun Tailor
Made Suits, made up from green, tan
and Gadct mixtures. The New York
manufacture's price of these Suits was
fcio.
Special Here Wednesday LQ
and Thursday only pJ.07
4
'Hi
mm
Lot No. 2
The second lot are Eton Blouse
Suits, which come in Navy, Brown,
Green, and Black Cashmeres'. Waists
are handsomely trimmed ; also a lot
of the same style suits made up from
Scotch Twills in grey, green and cadet.
These latter are made to be worn open
as a Revere. The New York manu
facturer's price of them was $12.00
and $15.00.
Special Here Wednesday (7 on
and Thursday Only P 7)
SUIT DEPARTMENTSECOND FLOOR LACKA, AND WYOMING AVE.
Mail orders for these garments will be promptly
filled on the days mentioned. Send us the size and
color you require, taking particular pains to give the cor
rect bust and waist measures and length of skirt. All
goods are delivered free.
Bft
(TO
Who aro the Spanish? "What is their
blood, their enthnography, their race?
We have no end of history almut Spain.
I'hilnlogy tells us they are Latin. Their
language was once vulgar Latin, stub
us the Roman spoke. Hut It wus cor
rupted by the invaders from the north
nnd grew to be what It now is. There
are traces In the language of ancient
dialects which the Spanish got fiom
the Greeks, the Carthagenlans and tho
Phoenicians. The Cloths took the vul
gar Latin which the Romans had left
and made the language of Espann. In
remote nntlqulty there were certain
Celts who mixed with the Iberians
(orlglnnl Inhabitants of Spain). Then
came the Phoenicians and the Cartha
genlans and later the Romans and last
the Goths and tho Visigoths. And there
you have the story of Spanish blood
nnd race. The Vandals conquered part
of Spain and their section of It was
i ailed Vandalusla (whence tho modern
Andalusia). I do not think wo can say
the Spanish have hud any worse origin
than the lest of us. We have the same
ancestors, but tho other Mediterranean
races have left Spain almost ns far
behind ns they have left the Mongols.
The Rasqucs nre not of tho same blond
ns other Spaniards. Professor Mueller
In his great work, "Anthropology,"
says the Ensqucs are the remnant of
n distinct race, and Professor Ernest
Hueckol says tho Husques uro descend
nnts from n totnlly different npe-llke
man than that which was tho father; of
the Jndo-Germanic tribes.
AN ANOMALY.
Refoie tho age ot steam engines und
telegraphs, when Europo wus semi
civilized, Spain was u great nation.
She wus n strong savage among suv
ages. Rut this Is the age not of cruelty
(and how cruel Spuln has been and Is!)
It Is tho ago when nmity not enmity
rules or Is maklnir t rule. For the
sake of romancce i would not- like to
see Spain die. She Is so full of color,
so anomalous, no alone In Eutupe. mi
nobly fierce, so proud among nations.
that have almost given up the savuKe
pride we had from the old times! She
Is like dream glimpses of lluroun-ul-Raschld.
And yet, with nil, there Is no
more pathetic thing In all the world.
We are Impressed when we see the
death of u man. How much more
should we bo Impressed as we look
thoughtfully and attentively at the
quick respiration of a dying nation!
LAST YEAR'S COAL OUTI'I'T.
Largest Production and Lowest
i'ricoi 011 Record,
Prom a preliminary statement compiled
by K. W. Parker, statistician of the
I'nlted States geological survey. It is
shown thut the total output of coal In the
Lulled States In 1E97 amounted approxi
mately to His.KO.OW short tons, with nn
aggregate value of tU'8.100.000, a fraction
less than Jl per ton. Compared with 1S3C
this Ehowa an increase lu tonnago ot ,
2"ii,uu0 tons, or abrut 3.?- pur cent. Tho in
t reuse in the .dtic f the product was
inly f l.Tixi (nn). a. little le.ss than 1 per cent.
I'lie iimMtnt of co:ii pi- nluced in po, wna
tliii lurgost on record. The uvcrngo valuo
i. r ton ;im the lowed ever known, con
tinuing the declining tendency shown for
the p:ist six years.
Tho Increase In production and tho de
cline in value was confined to the output
of bituminous coal. The anthracite pro
duction In Ponnhylvunlu decreased nearly
S.2jr,uuu tons, from M.riG.OM hhort tons of
2,'Hio pourds, to P2,122,t08 short tons in
lb!7, whllo tho average price received at
tin mines, per short ton was tl.tj (ti.K- per
long ton), In both years. This Is not un
Increase, hut It Ih mil' h Uilter than tt
loss, 1 ci nt per tin iiK'tinlug u total of
more ih.i:' half a million of dollars, in
obtnlulm this average price tor uuthra
clto coal per ton tt must be lemembered
that only mailutuble sizes ure considered,
und tho item of "colliery consumption,"
usually consisting of culm, or waste, and
an otherwise) vnluless pioduet. Is not in
cluded. Excluding this factor the iii.ir
kctubln product, of anthracite coal In
Pennsylvania during U37 wan 4S.U7.S(Jl
long tons, ugainst 4I,US,1C0 long tons lu
IWfi.
Of tho twcnty-nlno bituminous coal
produclng states there were only ulx In
which tho production In 1SH7 was loss than
In tho preceding year. The.iu s.lx w ra
Cicnrglu, Indlun Territory, Kansas, Ne
braska, Ohio und Oregon. In hftcen of
them tho output wus tho luigest ever cb
talned. Of the ilvo competitive states pre
vlously mentioned only one (Ohio) had a
decreased production in 1M'7. In twenty
out of tho twenty-nine htntes producing
bituminous coal the nverngu price per
Ion in ISO" wus less' than It wus in 161)8,
the general average for the rutted States
being Kl cents In KM und M.O In 1M)7. The
decline of 1.1 cents on u totnl production
In 1S07 of HG.OOO.OOO tons represents u de
crease of something over J3,(jeo,OW from
wliat would have been the value If tho
price hud been the same ns It was 111 1MW.
Conslceiing tin- Industry by slnten,
Pennsylvania holds her usual position.
Tho combined product ot unthraclte aivt
bituminous coals from the Keystono stats
amounted to liW.WM.im0 short tons, nearly
Th per cent, of tho total output. Pennsyl
vania's percentage) of the total bitumin
ous output was' 37. her output of nott coal
being M.ow.Om) tons. Illinois icmulns in
the Kccoml place with a total of a little
over so.mw.on,, .hort tons. West Virginia
comes third, having Increased her out
put nearly TOO.tXX) tons over UOiJ, and lead
ing Ohio, which comes fourth, by nearly
1,250.000 tons. Alabama reached her max
imum output of fi,si3,"70 tons und stanil.i
nfth. Iow.i sixth, lacked only S."i.000 of
0,000,000 tons. Maryland produced 4,112,000
tons, and Indiana u little over feno.ouo
tons.
CASTOR I A
Tor Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears tho
Signature of
&a&ffl&m