The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-04
SOME FEATURES OF THE SPANISH
SITUATION.

The possibilities involved in the present
crisis in Spain will be better understood
from review of some of the political fac
tors involved. To begin with, the govern
ment, inherently weak in other respects, is
unfortunate in having juvenile King and
Queen Regent. King Alfonso XIII is only
eleven years old, and his mother, Maria
Christina, is the acting head of the govern
ment during his minority. She has shown
herself a capable woman, but the wisest
woman would hardly be able to cope with
the warning elements and the corrupt, in
triguing factionists that surround her. In
the present case she has adopted the al
most desperate expedient of calling around
her Liberal Cabinet, while the Cortes, as
the legislative body is called, is strongly
Conservative. The upper branch, or Senate,
has 36O members, of whom 123 are appointed
for life, SO are hereditary or official men,
bers and $50 are elected by corporations and
the highest taxpayers. The lower branch
consists of 432 members elected by indirect
suffrage for five years. The composition of
the Senate shows that it is sure to be
strongly Conservative under any circum-
stances. The lower branch of the present
Cortes was elected in April and May of last
year, and contains Sol Conservatives 102
Liberals and 20 scattering. From the COM
position of the Cortes it would seem that
a Liberal Ministry will have great difficulty
in sustaining itself, while a new election,
ordered at this time, would be very apt
to result in revolution or a coup detat CT
some kind. A threatening factor in the sit
uation is the CarliSt movement, which has
figured more or less in Spanish politics for
twenty-five years past. Don Carlos began
active attempts on the Spanish crown in
1869 and has had a considerable following
ever since. A Carlist insurrection in 1874
sumed formidable proportions and put the
government to it's best efforts to suppress
it. In February, 1876 Don Carlos, after
some severe fighting, was so hard pressed
that with some of his personal staff, he
crossed the border into France. There the
authorities made it so disagreeable for him
that he went to England. Before leaving
France, however, he issued manifesto to
the Spaniards, in which he said: "Desir-
ing to stop bloodshed forbear continuing
a glorious but at present fruitless struggle
Seeing the sufferings of my volunteers and
the superiority of numbers against them, it
becomes necessary to sheathe the sword.
will never sign a compromise. My flag 1e-
mains folded until the moment which God
shall fix as the supreme hour of redemp-
ton" From England Don Carlos came 10
the United States, where he spent a few
weeks in the summer CT 1876. Since then he
has resided in Europe, waiting and watch
ing for an opportunity that he might take
advantage of to press his claims. Ten men,
bers of the present Cortes were elected as
Carlists, and there are still more in the
Senate but it is not known how much popu-
lar strength he has. Probably his weakest
point is lack of means, for if he had plenty
of money he could soon set revolution on
foot that the present government, already
lettering would be unable to cope with.
There have been rumors of an impending
Carlist insurrection for more than year
past. and they have contributed in small
degree to the anxiety of the government.
Such an insurrection at this time, while
those in Cuba and the Philippine islands are
still in progress, would probably be a fin
ishing stroke for a moribund government