Page:The "Trial" of Ferrer - A Clerical Judicial Murder (IA 2916970.0001.001.umich.edu).pdf/7

 all the problems, without renouncing, as is natural, his own point of view."

I thought it would be useful to give the readers of the Daily People a review of Simarro's work, as clearly and succinctly as possible, but furnishing them with all the necessary data to meet an adversary in a discussion of this now historic question. To avoid overloading the text, I have placed much of these data in footnotes. I have preserved the titles of the five chapters in which the original book is divided.

Since Francisco Ferrer Guardia was accused of, and tried for, having led the insurrection which took place in Barcelona during the week of July 26th–30th, 1909, it is important first to form an opinion of what happened during that week. The trouble hinged on the war which the government of Spain was waging in Morocco at the time. It was started on the pretext of avenging the killing of four Spanish soldiers at Melilla, in reality to enable a society of Spanish and French capitalists successfully to operate mines in that district. The people of Spain knew this, and the war became unpopular in spite of the patriotic drum-beating of the capitalist press. The discontent was especially marked in the province of Catalonia, which has always been a hot-bed of anarchists, Socialists, republicans, separatists, and in general, of people ever ready to start