The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-15
Observation-Disclosures los.
Ups and Downs OF Spanish Royalty in the Beautiful Old
Palace at Madrid-Misrule Has Been the Rule.

A grave apprehension has been widely
expressed I'm Europe that at the close of
regency In Spain will collapse and the
regency i'm Spain will collapse and the
dynasty of Alphonse XIII. will be set
aside. Our papers SO far have contained
only very meager accounts of the compel
ing dynasty of Don Carlos and of the
systematic. violent efforts II has made
to establish its claim permanently for
the Spanish throne. Indeed Spanish poll
tics doubtless seem to the American as
bewfldering az Chinese politics. The two
countries of Spain and China are alike
in more respects than their uItra-con-
servatism. their arrogant detestation of
all foreigners and their comparative lack
of humaneness. Neither China nor Spain
are. properly speaking. nations. Navarro,
Biscay. Catalonia. Andalusia and CASTLE
have always been relatively independent
or one another in character and interests.
There has always been. moreover. "A vast
difference between the urban populations
and the peasants in Spain, a difference
that explains much of the mad sand heap
OF political life of the peninsula. But
now for some years in Spain, as I'm China.
a profound transition has been taking
place. 1t is very remarkable that the lead
ers OF the five principal parties during
the regency of Queen Maria Christina
Canovas. conservative: Sagasta. liberal:
Pc y Margall. federalist republican,: Sal
meron, unionist republican,; Ceralbo. Car
list. are. with the exception of the last,
professional men with titles: men who
have risen from the people. And so every
devotee of freedom and progress must re-
greet that at the beginning of the new or
der in Spain there should be another civil
rupture. Happy the people whose annals
are blank In history books said Montes-
quieu. SPANS eventful history is the I'M
happiest of all peoples.
Va - r.. IL. 80 "
of the Spanish monarch was held i'm check
by "A genuinely representative and honest
government. Then the sovereigns of Spain
ceased to be Spaniards. and the Cortes
sank to low estate. CASTLE and Arragon
both had free constitutions before the
publication of Magma Charta. In the mess
of turmoil and revolution of this century
in Spain the people have tried seven con-
stitutions. two at IA time occasionally.
Until the middle of this century Spain
had been governed or misgoverned for
more than 200 years by camarillas, CO.
teries of irresponsible, corrupt men and
women. parasites of the worst descrip-
ton. The domination of "A Godoy. prince
of the Peace from 17sS until ls0S is al
together incomprehensible to the Anglo
Saxon political animal.
The disreputable Queen Maria Christina
was displaced by King Joseph. Napoleon's
brother. After Napoleon's ownfaI the
boufboiS ItluIntu u rance ana the
Spanish Bourbons were restored. The
weak and false Ferdinand VII. died in
1898 leaving no male issue. but only the
infant daughter, Isabella, Ferdinand's
wife, Christina. had wished to secure the
throne to her own offspring. Consequently
she prevailed on her weak husband to alb
rogate the Salic law or law of succession.
which, under the title of the pragmatic
Europe adopted when Philip ".
ascended the Spanish throne. According
to this agreement. so long as there was "A
male descendant of Philip ", however.
remote. no female could rule. At this
chicanery Don Carlos. Ferdinand's broth
er. vehemently protested on behalf of
himself and his three sons. The Carlist
party became forthwith a very signih-
cant faction. From the point of view of
the Legitimacy and legality of the old
regime Don Carlos certainly had a right
to the Spanish throne. But in our century
Legitimacy and divine rights" are
scarcely words to c%onjure with. Then fol-
the first Carlist war, "A truly terrific
struggle. In 1874 Don Carlos renowned
his claims to the throne i'm favor of his
eldest son-Carlos. Count of M~ontemolin.
In 1S4S the Carlists Instituted another in
surrection, which again met with defeat.
Meantime Isabella had been married
against her will and was conducting her
in as riotous "A fashion as possible. Re-
volt broke out. and the queen mother,
was expelled from Spain. This
was Spanish history i'm it's maddest ex-
travaganZa; these were the days of Es-
partero and O'Donnell. Again i'm 1859 Don
Carlos made an expedition into Spain:
again his plans were frustrated. Then
the second son of Victor En-
manuel. became king of Spain for a short
while. In the anomalous fashion of Span
ish politics "A republic now sprang up. But
the interchangeable Carlists were
not to be suppressed. Carlos VII, son of
Juan, the second pretender to the Spanish
throne. was born in 1913. He grew up good
looking and with ostensIbly mild ideas.
that he did not seek to rc-es-
tablish the 1nauisition. lie was from the
start supported by the loyal peasants OF