The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 57, December 9, 1897

The Powers have now sent word to him that home rule must be granted to the island at once, the Turkish troops instantly withdrawn, and a Christian governor appointed.

Word has been sent to Turkey that if she oppose the Powers they will blockade Constantinople.

With all these different complications to harass him, Abdul Hamid cannot be a very happy man.

It is generally understood by those who make a study of such matters, that the arrival of Weyler in Spain will be followed by serious trouble for the Government.

It is well known that he is opposed to Sagasta's rule, and so the Carlists, who would like to see Don Carlos on the throne, the Republicans, who would like to abolish the throne altogether, and several other lesser parties are approaching Weyler in the hope of attaching him to their cause.

He has arrived in Barcelona, where he will remain for a few days, and will then go on to Majorca, his birthplace.

Barcelona is known to be the headquarters of the Carlist revolution, and though Weyler has implied that he belongs to neither Carlist nor Republican party, his sojourn in Barcelona will give him ample time to see how the land lies, and find out what profit there may be for him if he joins the Carlists.

It is reported that he desires to form a party of his own, which shall oppose home rule in Cuba, and uphold the kind of warfare that he waged as the only means of saving the colony for Spain.

This is a clever idea of his, for he is likely to find many adherents among the merchants, who are dissatisfied with Sagasta's plan for home rule, and for giving the Cuban legislature the right to fix the tariff on all goods sent into Cuba.

The merchants want the tariff arranged by Spain as it always has been, and they want it so fixed that Cubans will be obliged to buy their goods in Spain.

One of Cuba's greatest causes of complaint was the high tariff which Spain imposed on all goods entering Cuba except those of Spanish manufacture. This tariff made it impossible for Cubans to buy their goods in any of the European markets, and compelled them to take the class and quality of goods which Spain chose to send them, and to pay whatever price Spain demanded for them.

Perhaps you will find this a little hard to understand, so we will try to make it a little clearer to you.

All countries are anxious to find markets for the goods they produce. It is for this reason that we have passed our present tariff bill.

The United States wishes to make a market for the goods manufactured here, and so she has laid a heavy tariff or duty on all goods brought into this country that are similar to those that we make here. A certain fixed number of cents has to be paid for every pound, gallon, or yard of such goods before they can be brought into the country.

The importers cannot, of course, afford to lose this money, and so they have to add it to the price of the goods, which thus become more expensive than the same class of articles manufactured here. It is therefore to the housekeeper's advantage to buy home-made goods in preference to foreign, and thus a market is made for the home products.

Spain considers her colonies her rightful market, and therefore has placed a high duty on foreign goods. The Cuban housewives therefore found it to their advantage to buy Spanish goods. Cuba is of course too small an island to manufacture many things for herself.

This seemed fair enough, but unfortunately, the Spanish goods thus forced on the Cubans were not satisfactory to them, and were, moreover, sold at prices much too high for their value. The Cubans found that were they allowed to go to the world's markets for their supplies, they could live for half what it cost them under Spanish rule, and rebelled against the power that was treating them so unfairly.

The question of tariff is said to be the most serious stumbling-block in the way of home rule for Cuba. It has been said by both Spanish and Cuban diplomats that, if it is enforced, the Spanish merchants will rise in rebellion against the Government.

The Spanish ministers are, however, determined to carry home rule through. The plan is now completed, and has been approved by the ministers, received the Queen's signature, and become a law.

The reassembling of Congress and the President's Message are drawing near again.

People are speculating as to the course the President will recommend in regard to Cuba and Hawaii.

It is thought that he will suggest patience toward Spain until the promised reforms have had time to be put in effect, and that if these reforms seem wise and just we shall not uphold the island in her rebellion.

As to Hawaii, it seems a foregone conclusion that annexation will be recommended, and will be an accomplished fact in a short space of time.

The Competitor prisoners have just landed in this country. The stories they tell of the hardships they endured and the cruelties practised on them are heartrending.

They declare that they were condemned to death without a hearing, and were forced to choose a Spaniard to defend them at the mockery of a trial which they were given.

This man laughed when they told him they were not guilty, and never opened his lips to plead for them, or to ask that they be allowed to make their own statements.

When they had been adjudged guilty he offered a half-hearted plea for mercy.

They were so shockingly treated and so badly fed while in jail that they have come back mere shadows of their former selves, and weak, lame, and maimed.

The result of the Cuban election has at last been made known, but we find that the new president is not Capote after all, but Bartolome Maso.

The election should have taken place on the 2d of September, but owing to the absence of several delegates it did not occur until early in November.

Señor Mendez Capote presided over the meetings, and it was probably this which made people think that he had been elected president.

The election was very orderly. Maso was elected president by a large majority, and Capote vice-president. Maximo Gomez was made commander-in-chief of the Cuban forces.

The fact that the election had been accomplished in such a peaceful manner is considered a proof of the great strength of the revolution, and has made a good impression on the world generally.

Those dreadful Austrian deputies are still quarrelling!

The Reichsrath reassembled a few days ago, and continued to indulge in a mild form of misbehavior, which suddenly developed into the most shocking riot that has as yet occurred.

The old language question came up.

A number of petitions had been presented to the Parliament against the decree making it necessary for officials in Bohemia to understand both the German and Czech languages.

It was proposed, as these petitions were nearly all alike, that one would be chosen from them and read to the House, and the others merely accepted as reiterations of the same sentiments.