Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-02-17
THE CRISIS IN SPAIN.

of King Amadeus will create little sur
prise among those who have kept inform
ed as to the real course of events In
Spain. AS the telegraph is virtually In
the hands of the government in that
country, we have had, by that means,
only dim shadowing forth of the i'm
portant moves made by the two great
parties, the one for the seizure of the
throne, the other for its retention. Let
ters from trustworthy correspondents
have, however, occasionally reached the
outside world, which has thus been made
aware of the true condition of things in
that chronically disturbed kingdom
More than six months ago we predicted
the crisis which is now announced,
though it has been longer coming than
we anticipated. From the day of his
assumption of the throne Amadeus has
been between two fires. On one side he
has been constantly harrassed by the
Legitimists, on the other by the Repub-
licans.
The Legitimists, or Carlists, demand
ed that Spaniard should occupy the
throne; the Republicans asked for a
Spanish president. Both parties were
implacably hostile to a foreign ruler, SO
that, though opposed to each other, they
made from the first common cause a
gainst the usurper. Now that the pros
pect of his removal is almost absolutely
certain, the Carlists and Republicans
will find themselves once more ready to
renew the old struggle. There are no
side issues, and each party will be able
to gather its entire strength under the
particular banner of imperialism or re-
publicanism. From the meagre reports
sent over the wires and from the brief
reports contained in the Spanish news
| papers, readers in America have been led
to believe that the Carlist strength in
Spain was merely nominal, and that the
movements of that party were confined
to few dozen irresponsible political
malcontents, whose only achievements
in the field were confined to stealing
poultry and cutting telegraph wires.
Dispatches from Madrid have repeatedly
informed the world that the Carlists
were .scrushed out" s'dispersed, ''bro-
ken up" that they were composed of
''few ragged half-armed wretches, and
that they were ''almost too contemplate
for government to notice
Now, when the time for concealment
is past, a different story is told, and one
more nearly approaching the truth. The
cable informs us that the Carlists now
overrun eight of the northern provinces.
That considerable forces have entered
Toledo and Navarro, and that a junction
of three powerful bands has been accom-
plished in the province of Guipuzcoa, on
the French border. In Catalonia the in
surgents have been greatly strengthened
by accessions from the forces sent against
/ them. Tarragona has been invaded by
Aparicio with large force, Aragon by
Barrero, Guadalajora by Madrazo, Saba
balla and Tristano have effected juno
ton, and Granada is overrun by Coneh-
) ar. Smaller bands roam through Anda-
t lusia, the Asturias, Galicia, Leon, VAL
encia and Borgos, all doing more or less
: execution. The government which so
leng affected to despise the movement,
is now hurriedly acting on the defensive.
f Cities and towns are being fortified, and
e volunteers armed and drilled, to act in
e case of an emergency.
This, it appears is the true state Of
t affairs in Spain, and, knowing it, there
f will be little wonder that Amadeus is
t tired of the crown and sceptre business,
| and is willing to acknowledge his exper-
n mental kingship failure. Whatever
e his shortcomings have been,h he has shown
h himself made of good stuff, and, setting
l. aside the fact of his nativity, we doubt
e whether a better man for the position
n can be found in Spain. 1t may be that
the immediate cause of trouble quar-
o. rel with the minority-will be smoothec
:. away, but such truce would be for &
4 time only, and the crisis would soon re
> cur. The result of this probably long
y considered step of the king will be anx
t. iously awaited.-Bostom Globe, FEB. II