Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1917 — Spain May Prove A Second Russia [ARTICLE]

Spain May Prove A Second Russia

Country Seems to Be on Brink of Plunging into State of Turmoil. I HARDEST HU OF NEUTRALS King Has Lost His Popularity and Is Hissed When He Appears In Public—Three PartiesAre Pro-Ally.

New York. —Unfortunate Spain— a few citizens fabulously enriched and the mass of the population bitterly imjpoverlshed by the war, her banks so Surfeited with gold that the yfellow tnetal is at a discount and her people imostly "going without sufficient to eat ►—seems to keep International observers here on the brink of plunging into A state of disorderly turmoil like that recently witnessed in Russia. The sanguinary events of the world war digtract attention from King Alfonso XIII’s country. But history is being made there, which In normal times would fill the front pages of the newspapers and be the principal topic «>f discussion here from the tea table to the cabinet room. Spain Is probably the hardest hit by the war of all the nations except those actually In the conflict. In the early part of the war the agitation between pro-ally and pro-German -groups was looked upon as a possible source of trouble, but this international question is now overshadowed by a multitude of Internal maladies any one of which would ordinarily be j considered of major Importance. Alfonso Is Hissed. * Alfonso, the athletic young king, Jhas lost his former popularity. He is hissed In the theater and stays away from polo games because of an-, tlclpated disagreeable hostile dem--vmstratlons. This is because he is blamed for the series of Impotent governments which battle weakly and ineffectually against the nation’s multiplying difficulties. But Alfonso is no kaiser. He is as much at the mercy of the conflicting political currents as his subjects. However, it is the prerogative of a king’s subjects to blame .him for everything that happens.

Mail dispatches received here describe the labor disorders In Spanish cities, which have resulted in several hundred deaths, as likely to Increase rather than diminish. Perhaps this is the most serious of the dangers threatening Alfonso today.. The radical workmen, to be compared with the Bolshevlkl of Petrograd, are pursuing a course of sabotage and destruction in an effort to Intimidate the authorities. But the outbreaks in different cities appear to have little connection and the movement is not well organized. Whatever power the workingmen’s revolution has arises from the fact that It costs two and a half times as much to live in Spain as It did before the war, while wages, contrary to the experience In most'other countries, have remained stationary or actually decreased. Many lines of profitable manufacturing have had to close, because their markets in the Teutonic countries and in Russia have been cut Off by war lines and because England, France and Italy are stringently limiting Importations. In a few lines the entente allies have demanded all Spain could produce and have made merchants and manufacturers wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But these exceptions have not relieved the general situation.

Army Its Own Master. The army so far has proved dependable when set to the task of putting down the revolutionary workingmen. But Spain’s army Is almost self-gov-erning, as Russia’s was for many weeks last spring, before Kerensky was able to use the spectre of defeat by Germany to restore discipline. Every army corps and smaller unit has, it appears, a council of defense. This Is especially representative of the noncommissioned officers and commissioned officers of lower grade, who feel themselves 111-treated by the bureaucracy at Madrid. It will be remembered that in the army crisis of a few weeks ago the officers were able to force the release of their leadrs who had been thrown into fortress The army trouble is not-set-tled. The officers demand technical changes in organization, more pay, and less favoritism In promotions. A tllrd clearly defined source of trouble is the separatist movement In Catalorla. The Catalans speak a different language from the people of Madrid. It might be described as midway between French and Spanish, as Catalonia lies between France and the rest of Spain. The Catalan is insulted if called a Spaniard—“ Catalan” is what he likes as a designation of nationality. The province of Catalonia is the wealthiest, most prosperous and most progressive in the country. Its capital, Barcelona, is the center and hotbed of most revolutionary movements in Spain. Most of its people would rather be part of France than of Spain. They believe a hidebound, incurably antique government at Madrid Is preventing their taking a place with the most advanced peoples on the globe. Other Spanish provinces would also like to break away from the Madrid government, perhaps partly In Imitation of Catalonia, but more on account of what differences In race language', manners and habits of thought. These three causes of trouble mentioned are* easy for a foreigner to understand. But when the untutored American comes to plunge Into the Intricacies of Spanish political parties, constantly dividing,, changing their platforms and making new alliances, the head swirls. Three Parties Pro-Ally. At the present moment the socialists, republicans and reformists, mnk Ing up the so-called “Block of the Left” are combined. Until the recent

internal troubles became paramount this “block” was concentrating its efforts on throwing Spain into the war as an entente ally. Spain’s grievances against the Germans are almost exactly like the United States —continued outrages on undefended merchant ships by the U-boats. .Not to go into all the maze of details, one may say in general that the conservatives, the clericals, the high army officers and the leaders of the old aristocractlc families favor Germany. But there are notable exceptions to the general rule that the aristocrats favor Germany, one being the Duke of Alba, whose family has been famous in history for centuries. The king himself is believed to lean toward the entente. His consort, Ena, is British through and through. In fact, she has Incurred some unpopularity by failure to conceal her preference for- England to Spain. But what the king may do matters little. High officers in the government at Madrid is confined to a group of about a thousand men, bureaucrats no less stupid if not so brutal as those the czar. Cabinet follows cabinet in an endless, wearying round. Each one 18 destined to failure from the start, because of the brainless hidalgos in positions of Importance, if for no other reason.

Thus, unhappy Spain stumbles on. She is buffeted by blasts from all directions. The Spaniard is a natural revolutionary. There seems little likelihood -of a solution of the country’s troubles —little chance that any sort of a firm, strong central government will take control and lead the people In the ways of a modern prosperous democracy. Carl Ist* Also a Danger. Unusual as It would seem In these days, Spain may even witness conflicts over the crown. The Carlists are very strong. • Most of the proGerman conservatives are Carlists. They favor the claims to the throne of Don Jaime of Bourbon, Duke of Madrid, only son of the late Don Carlos, who now lives at Frohsdorf, In Austria, and is entirely identified with the German party in that country. One thing Is quite certain. Alfonso would fight for his throne. He would not yield weakly to force—whether offered by the Carlists or by any other of the many potentially hostile parties or combinations. He would not climb down in trembling, silent irnpo-

tence, like Nicholas Romanoff. He la a soldier and a reap one. But Alfouso might/'bow to reason, where force would dot avail. In a light moment he offered once to run as candidate for Spain’s first president should the people desire a republic. Yet Spain's troubles are. too deepseated and to Involved to be cast off with a change of constitution. What would help her most is the ending of the great war. If the war goes on Spain’s woes appear certain to increase.