The San Francisco call., 1897-08-15

When the principal newspapers OF
monarchical country begin to hold up the
sovereign to public oboquy as a mani
fest coward" as ridiculous and useless
dude" and as ian incapable fool, and
loudly demand that he should take his
departure and make way for the estab-
,1ishment of a republic 1.-The only form OF
government consistent with human dig
nifty, common-sense and modern prog
ress," then revolution may be regarded
as imminent, and the overthrow OF the
Ihrone as at hand.
This is the state of affairs in Portugal,
which is of such extreme gravity tnat
King Hum bert has considered 1t neces-
sary TO hurriedly dispatch two Italian
irouclads TO Lisbon for the purpose OF
afforGing refuge and means of escape to
his tavorite sister, the Dowager Queen
Pia, as well as to his nephew and niece,
the reigning King and Queen, when the
crown is finally torn from their feeble
grasp and they are driven into that path
of exile which has been trodden by the
feet of so many royal personages during
this nineteenth century.
For the last few years the disturbances
trating the attention OF the American peo-
fple to such an extent upon Spain that lit
tie or no note has been taken of the
march OF events in the neigh boring king
dom of Portugal; and while we have
been hearing much of the likelihood of
Tepublics being proclaimed At Madrid, at
IChristiania at Athens and at Brussels, few
seem to be aware that the passing bell of
the braganza dynasty is now being tolled
at Lisbon.
Few will regret King Carlos at home or
abroad. For III the eyes of the Legit-
imists and of the old-fashioned courts Of
Europe, who regard the law of heredity
and pr m0geniture as the chief principle
and basis of the monarchical system, he is
nothing more than usurper, the rightful
sovereign of Portugal being Duke Miguel
of Braganza, who stands in precisely the
same position toward the Portuguese
throne as Don Carlos occupies toward that
of Spain. For in the same way that the
crown of the latter ought by right to have
gone at the death OF King Ferdinand VII
to his brother Don Carlos Sr. instead of
TO his Majesty's daughter, Isabella, so,
TOO. should the crown of Portugal have
passed on the abdication OF King Pedro
~ to his brother, Dom Miguel, instead of
TO his daughter, who became Queen under
The name of Maria de la Gloria
Don Carlos in Spain and Dom Miguel in
Portugal both resisted to the utmost this
usurpation OF the rights which they in
dubitab,y possessed under the laws of
legitimacy, and found their principal
adherents among those whose political
creed was one of clericalism and reaction,
the two countries being engaged in civil
war at the same time and for causes of
almost an Identical nature. In each case
the struggle resulted in the defeat of the
Legitimists and in :he victory of the young
Queens, Don Carlos as well as Dom Miguel
being exiled from the peninsula and COM
PEELED to seek refuge in Austria, where in
course of time they both died. Miguel
beQueathing mis- rights 10 the Portuguese
throne to his son, the present Duke of
Braeanza, an officer of Austrian cavalry,
while the claims OF Don Carlos are now
vested in the person OF his grandson, who
bears the same name as himself, and who
is reported 10 be on the eve of making
another effort to secure possession of the
crown OF his granduncle, King Ferdinand.
If this bit of ancient history is recalled
here it is with the object of oemonstra.
ting how little support King Carlos OF
Portugal can expect from those who in
other monarchical countries constitute the
principal bulwark of the throne, namely,
the clergy and the aristocracy, both of
which, of course. look to the Dake of Bra
ganza, whose success would, they are
convinced, result in a restoration of old
time power, p-erogatives and influence to
the church and TO the nobility, which was
deprived of all its privileges during the
reign of the late King.
Equally hopeless are the prospects OF
assistance from the middle or lower
classes. All the political life and vigor OF
Portugal, the intelligence, the enlgh ten
ment, the industry and the commerce Of
the nation are centered in the principal
cities and towns, the rural districts being
OF little account, politically speaking. For
owing to the fact that the railroads, few
in number, have been built for the benefit