THE HAND OF THE GIANT 233 



while, as the colonies became strong, slavery and rigid absentee 

 control from Europe laid the foundation for later revolt. 



The picture of Spanish conquest is not any more cruel, 

 considering the ideas of the time, than it was stupid and 

 shortsighted. As a matter of fact there was constant debate 

 on the moral issues of Spanish policy, led for the most part 

 by the Dominican fathers discussing both sides of the ques- 

 tion. Father John Mair, a Scottish priest in Spain, spoke like 

 a good British imperialist of later days. He argued: 'These 

 people [the Indians] live like animals. It is evident that some 

 men are by nature free and others servile. In the natural order 

 of things the qualities of some men are such that, in their 

 own interests, it is right and just that they should serve, 

 while others, living freely, exercise their natural authority and 

 command." Kipling couldn't have put it better. But opposed 

 to this thought we find Father Montesino maintaining that 

 the Indian tribes had equal rights under international law; 

 and Las Casas, in his great debate with Sepiilveda, spoke out 

 for the natural freedom of the Indians, urging that no com- 

 mand or proselytizing should take the place by force of arms. 

 We have seen how in the pacification of the mountain tribes 

 in Guatemala he risked his life to prove this point. 



Actually the lines of development followed commercial 

 opportunism for the English, and legal and governmental 

 absentee control over colonial subjects by Spain. The economy 

 of the time played against Spain. The British had piratical 

 traders ready to bring European goods to dangerous markets, 

 and the Spanish had neither the goods nor the type of trader. 

 So Spain took treasure from the mainland conquests, and 

 the British and the French and the Dutch ''high-jacked" the 

 treasure as it flowed to Europe and developed on the island 

 plantations the new commodity of sugar. 



Since our business is with the sea let us follow the ships. 

 In 1537 two great raids by the French awoke Spain to her 



