Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-10-24
ALFONSO'S MARRIAGE.
Much Trouble AbOut 1t in Spain. Mann
ma Isabella Objects to the Kings

Choice.
A correspondent of the London Daitu
News writes from Madrid respecting the
recent interview between King Alfonso
and his mother. Queen Isabella II,
ever since last winter was known to be
adverse to the idea of an alliance be-
tween Alfonzo XII, and the daughter
of the duke of Montpensier, her own
sisters second child. She had at first
shown some disposition to waive her
own objections before the young kings
inclination but a violent hostility to the
duke existed among the members of the
little court in Seville. Not only in the
queens household, but also among the
old nobility Of Spain, and in all the par
ties which had held the reins of power
before the revolution, was the greatest
resistance made to the dukes return to
Spain. The old friends of Queen Isa-
bella told every one that they could not
pardon the liberal conduct of Montpen-
sier in 1866. nor his connection with
Prim and the progressists, nay, not even
his own conduct after the revolution.
Any plan Or idea of alliance seemed
more welcome to their eyes and in the
Alcazar of Seville than the daughter of
the Orleans and liberal prince, whose
advice, if followed, might have saved
dynasty and monarchy from the deplor-
able policy Of Navarez and Gonzales
Bravo. 1t will seem hardly credible,
but these benighted conservatives cast
their eyes on German and even on Eng
fish princesses, not hesitating for mo-
ment that daughters of the Protestant
dynasties would hesitate between their
faith and the precarious prize offered to
them. They invoked the Almanack of
Gotha, and praised every maiden
princess in Europe rather than the in
fanta, who is a Spaniard, Bourbon,
and Roman Catholic. For more than
three months the press in Madrid and
in the principal towns has been discuss
sing very plainly the probability of
marriage between King Alfonso and his
cousin, the infanta Mercedes. The or
gans of the cabinet have carefully
avoided giving their opinion beyond fire.
quent assurances to the effect that the
king had never SO far given his coun-
sellers any intimation of his designs.
They added that if he were to do so
they would of course bow to his wishes
and communicate the same to the cortes,
as the constitution of 1876 required them
to do. The opposition organs and the
papers which represent the parliamen-
tary minority have echoed all the r,l-
mors Which were rife in town and about
the court, until public opinion has been
led to suppose that the royal marriage
was only delayed in consequence ofthree
distinct causes. The first was the kings
age-Alfonso XII will only reach his
Goth birthday in November next. The
second was the reluctance shown by Don
Antonio Canovas del Castillo to allow
his sovereign to marry before year
elapsed and before certain events had
taken a shape abroad. Last, but not
least, was the decided opposition of
Queen Isabella and of her friends and
partlsans.
In August public opinion was led to
believe that the return to Spain Of the
duke of Montpensier and his family
proved beyond doubt that no resistance
would shake the kings determination.
1t was even noticed that directly after
his return frem Australia and Gallicia
the Montpensiers arrived, and were
treated with unusual honors in all the
stages of their progress from the frontier
to La Granja. They were in that royal
residence treated with much regard by
the court and by the political men of
all parties who spend the summer
months in that place When the
Montpensiers returned to Spain, Cano
vas del Castillo had left for Cauterets,
and he only returned to join Alfonso
XII in Medina del Campo, station on
the road to Salamanca, where the king
went for the opening Of new line.
The Spanish premier is said by many
people never to have been very favor
able to the idea of too early marriage
for his prince, and it seems that the
close observation of events in France
before and at the time of the death of
M. Theirs did not tend to shake his con-
victions. He had interviews with
French statesmen. and himself the |
author of the restoration, was better
able to scan the horizon of the future
in the French republic. Canovas del
Castillo returned to Spain at a moment
when he foresaw that the ex-queen had
only come to the Escurial to try in a
could yet do to delay the final decision
of her son. She came backed by all
the efforts and sympathies of the moder-
ADDS and emboldened by the idea that
the prime minister would not greatly
oppose her designs, because six months
delay might bring about strange events
in France and Spain. The friends of
Queen Isabella pretend that had she not
been successful in her interview with
her son she had no remedy left but to
depart to the Basilewsky palace, where
she might have remained until the
g event" had occurred In that case it
was almost certain that her three
daughters, the infantas, sisters of the
king, would remain in charge Of her
royal highness the princess of Asturias
Mind What yon say Before Children.