SPAIN OF TO-DAY 5 



of Electoral Reform, giving Spain manhood suffrage; and it 

 passed the laws of Local Government, providing a larger meas- 

 ure of autonomy for the cities and provinces of Spain than 

 they ever before enjoyed. The second large division is the 

 Liberal party, which believes in developing Spain to the ex- 

 treme limits of pure Constitutionalism without actually de- 

 stroying the Monarchical institution, no matter what interests 

 may suffer. The majority of its adherents are strictly consti- 

 tutional and devoted to tht monarchy. They are too fond, 

 however, of adopting foreign ideas and foreign experiments 

 in government, regardless of whether they are suited to the 

 genius and temperament of the Spanish people or not. They 

 want the broadest measure of modern political invention, 

 whether Spain is ready for it or not. Then comes the Republi- 

 can party, which may be described as being in the same relation 

 (in the inverse order) to the Liberals as the Cadists are to 

 the Conservatives. They are anti-constitutional and anti- 

 monarchical. They want a republic in Spain as soon as pos- 

 sible, and unfortunately they have fixed on France as their 

 model, instead of taking, say, the United States or Switzer- 

 land. They follow the Radicals, who are the apostles of dis- 

 content, and whose members are of all shades of opinion, 

 theorists, socialists, and some even of the ''white glove," or 

 philosophical school of anarchy. They are the preachers of 

 political discontent, and are such energetic reformers that 

 they are prepared to tear down everything and build entirely 

 anew. They are divided into various groups, such as, Region- 

 alists, Independents, etc. 



The Church is the oldest institution in Spain. Its charter 

 and inherited rights go back further than the present Constitu- 

 tion, the present reigning house, or its predecessor, back to the 

 time before Spain became a united kingdom under the Cath- 

 olic kings, when the Moslem was driven from Spanish soil. 

 Its history is the history of Spain, and it is the one enduring 

 monument which Spain has to tell of its struggles and pro- 

 gress. In the mind of the Spaniard it is almost impossible 

 to disassociate the Church from Spain itself, they are one and 

 indissoluble. It is this viewpoint that makes much of the 

 present situation in Spain incomprehensible to the outsider. 

 One might as well try to separate his family identity from 



