Show DEATH OF SPANISH STATESMAN former prem er sagasta passes away at the age of 75 senor praxedes mateo sagasta tor for mer premier of bhain died at madrid jan 6 aged 75 years praxedes mateo sagasta was nas bora born at torrecilla de cameros in the brov ince of logrono on july 24 1827 he began life as a civil engineri engi neel ei but at the age of 27 drifted into politics spain s history during the last half century has been a stormy one with brief intervals of sunshine and senor sagasta had a hand in most of the exciting events that occurred he ile took a prominent part in the in of 1856 and when that at fair miscarried he had to fly the coun try he took refuge in france but when a general amnesty was an bounced he returned to his nathe natlie country and threw himself into jour he became editor of la ibe the ria the principal organ of the pro gres gressitt st party and soon began to ex arcise considerable power constitutional methods of reform however are terribly slow in spain and senor sagasta began to weary of them thus he eagerly took part in the insurrection of june 1866 it was a dismal failure however and the fu ture prime minister was again corn com polled to fly to france he did not return to spain until after the fall all of queen isabella 11 II fw in the republican regime of IS v he was in office as foreign and home secretary and as premier the coup which restored the bourbons to the throne sent sagasta into a brief re ti rement upon the death of the king in 1885 and the retirement of the en tire conservative government sagasta found himself at the head of affairs and successfully combated the clam ors of the republicans who shrieked for or universal suffrage till the birth of the little king when sagasta con fluent in the strength of the liberals dissolved the cortes and won by a email small majority it was in this period that he in vested rested his party with that democratic character which Is now more marked than ever in 1891 sagasta was asked to form a party but was obliged to resign within a month or so the assassination of senor canovas Can civas compelled the queen regent to appeal to him as the only available states man in spite of his age he came to the rescue formed a government and exercised considerable wisdom in deal ing with the many difficult problems which confronted spain at that time chief of which was the insurrection in cuba where weyler was butchering the natives and otherwise creating the troubles which eventually caused the spanish american war sagasta had always favored home rule for ak 4 praxedes mateo sagasta cuba and und although a law was passed it was never enforced owing to the insurrection in the island apart from his political life sagasta was a gentle kindhearted kind hearted man of even temper sunny disposition and with all a spaniard spaniards s love of power |