GERMANY AND SPAIN.
AS we supposed last week, Prince Bismarck made a grave mistake in annexing the Carolines. His official organs now confess that he knew nothing about them, except that certain German merchants trading there wished him to annex ; that he imagined Spain would be indifferent (this is avowed in the clearest manner); and that he sent out the Iltis ' with orders to hoist the German flag before he had warned the Spanish Government of his intention. He, in fact, acted carelessly, and with an indifference to the peculiarities of the Spanish people which betrayed either a contempt for them, or a complete ignorance of their history, or, which we believe to be the truth, a permanent inability to comprehend anything so little concrete as a popular emotion. The Spaniards have never surrendered anything except to force ; and, in the case of Cuba, have made enormous sacrifices and run the gravest risks rather than give up an inch of their colonial dominion. The affair reveals a weak point in the great Chancellor ; but the moment the dispute became dangerous, Prince Bismarck was seen at his best. Indeed, the history of the quarrel has been from some points of view most creditable to both countries. Spain displayed under difficult circum- stances her old energy and daring. The mob of the great towns exhibited its indignation with the reckless childishness which marked the mob of London in James IL's reign, and would mark it now if Russia seized upon British territory ; but the nation behaved singularly well. It rose like one man to protest that it would rather be defeated, and suffer the con- sequences of defeat, than submit tamely to high-handed violence. There is a disposition in England to treat all Spanish action as slightly comic, and to regard the
people of Spain as fools ' • but both ideas are accidental prejudices. The people of Spain, guided by all their states- men, all their papers, and all their maps, honestly believed the Carolines to be theirs, and indeed an integral part of the Philippines ; and so believing, they acted as patriotically as they could. They signified to the King that fight he must, and that they would bear the burden of fighting. The leaders of both parties gave the same advice, and Senor Canovas was in full accord with General Lopez Dominguez. All classes, including the Army, the bourgeoisie, the peasantry, and the populace, said the same thing ; and they did not say it out of vanity. The Spaniards may be vain enough, but they are pain- fully aware of their weakness on the seas, and are pessimists rather than optimists as to their power of effective action. Nevertheless, they stood to their guns with the mastiff-like tenacity which has always distinguished them ; and con- sidering the superiority of their enemy's force, and the worthlessness of the subject of quarrel, Englishmen would, had they been Dutchmen or Swedes, have pronounced their attitude both self-respecting and noble. As they are Spaniards, with the emotional ways of Southern Europeans and the in- flated speech of the Latin races, we most unjustly sneer. On the other hand, Germany behaved thoroughly well. Neither the Emperor nor Prince Bismarck desired war, or cared one straw about the Carolines, while they wished Spain to remain at once friendly and monarchical. Apart altogether from their interest in Spain, it is essential to their programme, as at present arranged, not to affront the Hapsburgs without the gravest reason ; and the Hapsburgs, always keenly dynastic, have no wish to see a Hapsburg Archduchess hurled roughly from a throne. The German chiefs refused, therefore, to let ill-temper deflect or spoil a great policy ; they gave up the Carolinas at once, and they declined even to be irritated at the insults offered to Germany by the mob of Madrid. There must be reparation for those insults, of course ; but that given, Berlin declared that it had no desire whatever to injure or affront, or even embarrass, the Spanish Monarchy. Prince Bismarck and his master dis- played high self-control and dignity, and have, so far as that was possible, repaired the original mistake, and soothed a pride which by a careless neglect they had forgotten to take into account. The formalities must be observed ; but we may rest assured that the Carolines, which have now been regularly occupied, will remain Spanish, and that Spain, in making an honourable amende for the inex- cusable outrage on the German Embassy, will not be required to undergo any humiliation. Fortunately, the German people, in their profound confidence of strength, had not taken up the oarrel, but stood aside, waiting until their Emperor should give them the necessary signal.
A storm of this kind leaves an after-swell, and we are not surprised that many should believe the throne of Spain in. danger ; but we see no new reason for that impression. The King has not failed, but has succeeded ; and the people do not really believe that he is indifferent either to the dignity of Spain or to their wishes. Even if he were purely selfish he has his throne to keep, and his place in Europe to maintain. No Government in Spain is, or can be, quite safe, for the Army has too much power, the peasantry are discontented with their tenure, and the cities are, for the most part, desirous of a Federal Republic. The forces, however, which protect King Alphonso are as strong as they ever were, the first of them being the conviction of the statesmen, the Generals, and the pro- perty-holders that their country is not ready for a Republic ; and the second, the idea of the peasantry that the King of Spain ought of right to be a Bourbon. So long as those two convictions remain, there will be a Monarchy in Spain, and the Monarch must be Alphonso. Unless he affronts his people beyond all bearing, or incurs the contempt of the Army, he is fairly safe ; and he is unlikely to make either of those mistakes. He has the misfortune to be insignificant in appearance, and on points he is a true Bourbon ; but he is a clear-headed man, very modern, and possessed of decided will and nerve. He is distinctly popular with the Army, and not disliked in Madrid ; and there is no reason whatever why he should not continue to reign for many years, or at least until the reflex influence of a successful Republic in France has completely penetrated the land. Though no believers in kings, we hope he will ; for Spain as a Republic would pass through the red revolution ; and the consequent war of classes, which would be most terrible, would throw the country back a hundred years, and perhaps suspend her civilisation. There were parts of Spain where during the late Republican period an agrarian war threatened to dissolve society ; and class hatred in the manufacturing towns rises to a terrible height. The successive rulers of Spain, we admit, settle none of her internal difficulties ; but their settlement by a cataclysm would only introduce some great new tyranny, and might very easily break up the country into ruined and hostile cantons. Spain needs many things, but first of all she needs time, and the rise of a generation not demoralised by incessant and sterile revolutions. The country is increasing in wealth, population, and facility of communication ; and cauld it only obtain a free Parliament, —not an impossibility,—many of its worst grievances might be legally removed.
Previous page
