The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-12-05 00:00:00

THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN SPAIN.

It is almost impossible (says the Daily News corre
spondent at Madrid) to understand the very serious
crisis that Spain has been plunged into by the death
of King Alfonso XII., unless a correct estimate is
formed of a country that has been enjoying for up-
wards of eleven years the outward forms of Constitu-
tional and Parliamentary government. During tie?
last 23 months the Conservative party has been in
office office because King Alfonso was unable in Januark,
1884, to form a Liberal Cabinet that could secure the
support of the then bitterly divided fractions of the
Dynastic Left and Dynastic Liberals, respectively led
by Generals Serrano and Lopez Dominguez, and b
Sagasta and Marshal Campos. Alfonso elected for
Conservative and Catholic policy, and not only sent
for Senor Canovas, hut also for Senor Pidal, the
notorious and eloquent elsampion of the Ultra-
montane scheol, the advocate of the Union Cattolica,
and the only orator who had ever dared in the Corter
of the Restoration to praise the "honest Carlisi-
masses of the rural districts." This reactional&
Cabinet, backed by the bishops and Church, supportess
by the most retrograde elements of the Royaliet
schools and of the army, in a very few months quay;
relied with the students and professors of the U
versity, irritated all the tradesmen and commercFi
interests of the capital and of half the kingdom
the absurd system of land quarantines and proclam
tion of cholera in Madrid, to prevent the gallaiits
sovereign from making such escapades as that of
Aranjuez and the journey he wished to make to Murcia
and Valencia, equally cholera-stricken. The Conser-
vative Cabinet was quite as unsuccessful in its financial
policy, as it bequeaths to Senor Camacho £1,200,000
deficit of 1884-1885, £300,000 of deficit in the first
quarter of 1885-80, a floating debt of over £4,000,000
in Spain, and three times that sum in Cuba.
Even more unfortunate has this Cabinet been in
foreign affairs, as it offended Italy and the Quirinal by
its open advances to the Vatican; it broke off its
engagements with Great Britain and attempted to
elude the execution of half of Sir Robert Morier's
protocol of 1884, and it caused the failure of the
treaty of commerce that General Forster had nego-
tiated between the United States and the Spanish
West Indies. The mess that Senor Canovas and El-
duayen made of the Caroiines question with England
and Germany is a matter of world-wide notoriety,
and, indeed, only the skilful mediation of the
Pope, and the kind-hearted old Emperor's
personal interference to check Prince Bismarck,
extricated the Spanish King and Cabinet from a
scrape in which the prestige of the Goverinnent and
the popularity of the Monarchy were both im-
paired. This Conservative and Catholic Cabinet re-
served all its severity and most reactionary measures
for the press, for the Liberals and Democrats,
and it coolly, calmly looked on at the growth of
Carlism that was the natural consequence of the
development of the Jesuits and monastic orders ex-
pelled from France and established in the old Carlist
provinces and cities in defiance of the laws of the land
and of all tho repeated warnings of the Liberal and
Republican papers. Of course this spread and re-
organisation of Carlism received fresh impetus from
the steady decline of the health of King Alfonso.
This most serious feature of domestic policy was con-
cealed from the general public and even from all but
the inner circle of courtiers and Conservatives who,
ostrich-like, fancied that a catastrophe would be post-
poned because it was kept secret. The Press, gagged
by a censorship and laws that are a disgrace to a
civilised community, could not put the public on
their guard in time, and in less than 48 hours
a nation and the material interests and pros-
pects of 18 millions of Spaniards and foreigners
were suddenly placed in presence of a crisis that the
coolest statesmen and generals do not face without
sad apprehensions. The Conservative Cabinet lost its
head as soon as it saw the breakers of Revolution and
Carlism ahead, and rushed to the Spanish King-
maker, Marshal Campos, to Sagasta, even to the
THE INDIAN DELEGATES AND SOCIAL nephew and political heir of Marshal Serrano.
General Lopez Dominguez, for aid, support, and
REFORM IN INDIA. advice "to defend the throne, dynasty, and infant
A large number of ladies assembled on Tuesday heir of the dying Sovereign !" As soon as his
night at the Somerville Club, Oxford-street, under Sovereign had breathed his last, Senor Canovas coin-
the presidency of Miss Orme, for the Purpose of bear- pelled the bereaved and widowed Austrian Queen to
ing Mr. N. G. Chandavarkar, of Bombay, one of the listen to his suggestion, "That a new reign must
delegates from India, deliver an address. Mr. need new Ministers to do what she in her wisdom
Chandavarkar said it afforded him great pleasure to .might deem best for the nation." Then, to
accept the invitation of the Somerville Club, as by to make sure that he and his party should
doing hewas able to act upon the suggestion thrown not have to bear the immediate respond-
out by the 7imes soon after his arrival in this bility of a gloomy future and an imminent
country that he and his brother delegates should tell struggle with Carlists and Republicans, Senor Canovas
the British public the condition of the women blandly suggested that he and his friends could only
in India. He proceeded to describe, with consent to remain in office if allowed to carry oat a
great succinctness, a number of social reforms stern policy of repression. The Queen naturally and
which had been introduced by educated natives in courageously replied that she believed the natien
the various Presidencies, and pointed out that though would answer her confidence and appeal to their
there were some educated Indians who, like similar generosity to protect her daughter and to assist her in
persons in every country, thought there should be no carrying out a liberal and tolerant policy, in harmony
social changes, yet the majority of the natives who with the spirit of the times. Poor Queen! She gaU
Lave received a liberal education were not only in lantly undertakes a hard task with her two bairns—
favour of elevating the women of India by educating the Queen Regnant five years old, her youngest
them and raising their social condition but wore daughter three years old—alone, she a foreigner
themselves taking measures to secure these results, amidst proud Castilian nobles and courtiers, Generals
Caste was slowly but surely losing its hold, and female and Reactionists, who would have much preferred the
education was progressing. In the Bombay Presi- Queen Mother, Donna Isabella, and even the proud,
dency women now attended theatres and other public cold, eldest sister of the late King, Donna Isabella,
amusements, which was entirely unknown fifteen years Countess of Girgenti, widow of a Neapolitan Bourbon.
ago. The lecturer said, further, that there was a Sagasta and the Liberals have responded to the call
society in Bombay composed of educated Indians of the Austrian Queen Regent, but theirs is a very
which has established schools for female education, difficult task, with the Carlists only waiting for a
supported mainly by voluntary contributions. A signal of the Pretender to rise in a dozen provinces,
similar effort, which has also been attended with with Zorilla and the advanced Republicans who
success, had been made to establish a high school for expect to grapple with Carlism ere long on the ruing
native ladies at Poonah. Reference was made to the of Alfcnsist institutions, and with the turbulent
Ladies' Association in Bombay, which was estab- spirit of a people that had lost its traditions of
lished three years ago, and in connection with which loyalty and becomes sceptical and indifferent in
it had been demonstrated that Indian ladies could the towns, whilst the upper classes, the women,
not only associate together for mutual advancement, and the peasantry are, with few exceptions, as
but could also publicly address an audience corn- priestridden and fanatical as in the days of Don
posed both of males and females. He anticipated Alfonso's 'grandfather, Ferdinand VII. In fact,
from the spread of English education in India the the only hope for Spain now seems to be if the
best results in the direction of social reform. A vote Moderate Republicans like Castellar can keep down
of thanks to the lecturer was Proposed and seconded the impatience of Zorrilla and the more active revo-
by two of the ladies Present, and was 'carried with lutionists, to let Senor Sagasta and the army, always
enthusiasm, Prior to which a number of questions refractory to Carlist influences, cope with the Clerical
had been asked and answered. and Carlist parties in defence of Liberal principles
and of Parliamentary government under the Regency
of Donna Christiana. I must say, however, most
Spaniards are sceptical also of the success of this
gallant attempt of Senor Sagasta.