SPAIN FROM WITHIN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 12, 9 October 1917, Page 7

SPAIN FROM WITHIN

A " NEUTRALITY 0E GENTLEMEN"

UNDERLYING SYMPATHY FOR ENTENTE POWERS

Thoso who arc acquainted with Spain know that she is not neutral-tinted, but, rather, a country in which everything, including tho climate and the political opinions of men," tends to run" to extremes (says the Madrid "correspondent of tho "Morning Post")- Her neutrality ■has therefore puzzled many, all the mora becaiuic neutrality seems to the Allies on impossible attitude in view of tho war methods of Germany." But Spanish neutrality in no way implies acceptance ■or coiidonement of such actions as 1 the sinking of tho Lusitania or the shooting of Nurso Cavell. Apart from the question of humanity, these were ads' against civilian subjects of a country with which Spain was on excellent terms before the war and still remains en excellent terms after three years of war, and sho therefore characterises these and similar acts as they deserve." Although Spain is no longer wholly remote from the world's debate, ' her geographical situation and tho fact that the SpanishAmerican war deprived her of her last possessions outside of Spain .undoubtedly made for "neutrality. It is sometimes said that the Army and the Church in Spain are pro-Ger-man. Rather they are Spanish, national, based ou the great mass of the Spanish people, to whom intervention in the war would' not bo acceptable except in tho case of sheer necessity. Their national feeling is too strong and their struggle in life too hard already for them to wish to intervene. A 9 to the cause of civilisation,' it is doubtful it Spain could serve it better than by her present attitude.. Because Spain has had no interests of her own to promote she has had exceptional opportunities of acting in the interests of her friends. These opportunities she has taken. The continuous action of the King cf Spain, both in individual | oases and 1 collective, as in the instance' of the thousands of French civilians deported to Germany, is too well known to require, emphasis. The neutrality of this nation of gentlemen has been throughout what or.e might have expected, a neutrality not of schemers or merchants, but of gentlemen—una neutralidad de caballeros. No nation knows better how. to combine a fair and just attitude towards others with the maintenance of its own dignity. U-Boats Wsrned Off. Now so long as Spain continues to bp just towards the belligerents she must in a sense cease to bo neutral, or at least her neutrality will be exceptionally annoying to thoso belligerents who overstep the boundaries of justice. The prer sent Premier, Senor Dato, for instance, had tho reputation of being less friendly ta the Allies than the Conde de Konianones, but he realised that to afford any facilities to German submarines was not neutrality but condonement of piracy, and these facilities were accordingly stopped. The fact is that after Spain had decided that Spanish interests and those of civilisation would be best served by her neutrality it was only Germany that had anything to fear from that neutrality. , It is a neutrality which really represent* the will of the people and does not modify the international situation of Spain as it was in 1913. King Alfonso's visit to France in that year had strengthened the rapprochement between Spain, France, and England arrived at by the Cartagena interview in 1907. "Spain's interests," wrote "El Impartial," "are closely connected with those of England and France." As to Germany, the "Corrcspondoiicia de Espaila," a year and a half before the war, said (March 3, 1913): "Germany can give nothing to Spain, absolutely nothing, in case of war. . . . Fate has separated 11s from her." To Germany went only an infinitesimal part of Spanish exports, while Germany's commercial rivalry was not considered by the Spaniards to bo always above board. It was complained that "Barcelona" cotton goods wero made at. Hamburg, and that knives fabricated at Solingen were marked ' :'Tpledb." Thus while, to quote the words of Don Gabriel Maura in 190", "in politics Germany and Spain have nothing to do with one another," commercially Sjiain wished to have as little to do with Germany as possible. When it is added that, thanks to German piracy, Valencia cannot sell its oranges nor Bilbao import its coal nor Barcelona, import its raw cotton, it will be readily understood that opinion in tho great coast towns of Spain is intensely pro-Ally. Yet it is not necessarily tho case, that the truest friends of the Allies aro thoso who shout tho loudest: in most cases it is to be feared that they wish' to push their own local or party interests under tho mask of friendship for tho-Allies. The Recent Disorders, Certainly it is a very poor servico to the cause of tho Allies to promote disorders' in Spain now, and if "any Spanish revolutionary has succeeded in convincing himself that ho is winning the approval of France or England by spreading a'spirit of revolt in Spain all that can bo' said is that ho is woefully de : luded.' 'Oh the other hand, it must l'ofc be" imagined 'that 'tho majority of the Spanish people; "who aro in favour of law and order, 'are violently pro-German. Admiration for the German is strictly limited. '4 tribiitd'is paid to German discipline and courage, but when it is 6eon that these, good qualities aro used to oppress the independence of weaker nations, Spain's intensely-national spirit at once rebels. The "deeply religions Spanish Basque, for instance, ■" sympathises with the French'Basquo',"who'is fighting tepaciously for the independence of France. An unquiet and divided Spam would not in any way'strengthen tho causo of tho Allies, and might be an occasion of weakness, whilo a loyal neutrality, such as that of the present Spanish Government, must be advantageous to tho Allies, since in tho very nature of things it cannot bo favourable to those who havo not conducted the war as "caballeros." So far as Spain is concerned, the real friends, of tho. Allies aro the supporters of law and order, and it is permissible to prophesy that from the friendly relations now existing between Spain, France, and England will spring a very close allianco in the future.