The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-06
ANXIOUS TO AVOID WAR.
America Dreaded by the Mother OF
Spain's Regent Queen.


MADRID, March Sat the palace a con-
flict is in progress between Princess Isabel
la, the eldest sister-in-law of the Queen Re-
gent who occupies one of the wings of the
royal abode, and Archduchess Elizabeth Of
Austria, mother of the Queen Regent. who,
although barely recovered from aevere ILL
ness, has FASTENED hither in order to be
with her daughter in these critical times.
The archduchess represents the Austrian
influence, that, in one word, of the family
to which the Queen Regent belonged prior
to her marriage, and she is using 1t in favor
of averting war with the United States; not
so much on account of Spain itself, but be-
cause there is a sort of superstition among
the members of the house Of Hapsburg that
the United States brings ill-luck to their
family.
1t is difficult to discover the origin of this
superstition which possibly dates back to
the end Of the last century, when one of
the daughters of the house of Hapsburg,
namely, Queen Marie Antoinette, lost first
her throne and then her head at the hands
of men who had obtained their ideas of
the rights of the people and OF the injustice
of royal autocracy from the United States.
The great Metternich, for political pur-
poses of his own, strengthened this supersti-
ton, which had as one of its results the
formation of the Holy Alliance, and when,
in the COS, Emperor Macmillan was nrst
of all deserted by his French and EngIsh
allies in Mexico, and then taken prisoner
and shot by the Mexicans, the United States
was again held responsible.
The ArchducheSS Elizabeth, one or the
most SagaciouS and influential women IN
Europe, is bringing all her unrivaled lnfiu-
ence to bear upon her daughter, the queen
Regent, to prevent Spain going to war with
the United States, recalling the EapSDurg
superstition with regard to the latter, ana
urging upon her daughter the fact that the
war cannot fail to result disastrously not
greater moment, to the Queen herself in the
loss of the throne to her little boy King,
which she holds in trust for him.
Princess Isabella, on the other hand, the
the late King, woman who is the most
brilliant four-in-hand whip and horseWoman
in Europe, and who in spite of having wit
messed the spectacle of her epileptic nus
band blow out his brains by her bedside,
remains the most CHEEKY parsonage in this
gay and pleasure loving city, is strongly in
favor of declaring war against the United
States and is using all her influence upon
her sister-in-law to this object, pointing out
to her that as a Spanish Queen Regent she
ought to be free from tile prejudices and
suDerStitiOnS of an Austrian archduchess,
ard urging that her first consideration
ought to be the maintenance Of the honor,
the prestige and the dignity OF her adopted
country.
Princess Isabella, who is far and away
the most popular member of the reigning 8
family, and who was so intimate with the
late Prime Minister Canovas that at one
moment it was asserted that they We're
married, has the entire people with her in
her demand for war. and IL is precisely
this very knowledge on the part of the pub
lie that she personifies national sentiment