The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-10

ton with the Queen Regent when the
question of the marriage was first
mooted
When Alfonso XIII. comes to his
own he will be entirely dependent for
some time at least upon the advice and
guidance of the people who have the
power in their hands to-day. They
say in Madrid that government will be
largely in the hands of the queen-moth-
err, Senior Sagasta, and the Duke of Te-
tuan, descendant Of the Red O'Donnell
of Ulster. The last-named statesman
is an adherent to conservative regime
that accepts neither the absolutism of
the Carlist programme, nor the some
what watered conservatism of Senior
Silvela; he refuses all office, and will
not reconcile himself to any compro-
mise He is an enlightened statesman
not the less, and will place his best eff
forts at the disposal of the Queen he
gent, who has always succeeded in at
tracing to her service the most sus-
tanning elements in the country. With
statesmen who desire no more than the
progress of Spain, and a mother whose
life has been marked by most rigid de-
votion to duty, the young king VIII
start upon his work we'll equipped. 1t
will be we'll for the country If his ad-
visers succeed in impressing upon MN
the necessity of refraining from eXper-
iments of every sort. SPANS partial
recovery has been due to her wise
handling by statesmen who have Deen
rather unjustly deemed opportunists.
If the young king becomes a reaction
airy he will arouse the radicals ana
strengthen the republicans; if he shows
too much zeal for reform he will weak
en- the allegiance of the conservatives
and strengthen the Carlists. They say
in Madrid that his best policy lies IN a
continuation of the existing order OIL
things, and devotion to such works as
the Improvement of the financial situa-
ton, the substitution of some less d.
rect method of taxation for the Octrol'
duties, the maintenance of army ELL
cheney, the creation of small navy on
the most modern lines, and the grant
ing of such concessions to democracy as
the Spanish official mind can accept
without offence. 1t Is not very heroic
programme, nor Is it one that can OPP
peal very strongly to young, enthusl-
astic, ambitious ruler; but Spain is
very tired country just now; she mas
passed through years of Internal con-
WILSON'S.
In view of the widespread interest in
Alfonso XIII, and the way in when
Spanish and British Mediterranean pol
ttics seem destined to unite In the near
future, was at pains to discover what
l could about the young kings charac-
ter and temperament during recent
visit to Spain. / sought for details IN
several cities from varied sources, ana
received some information without be-
ing able to obtain permission to publish
it. The sum of what / heard presents
Alfonso XIII. in the light of a high
spirited, proud boy, who has been
trained to a proper appreciation of the
difficulties lying before him, but is in
clined to minimize them because he re-
tains something Of the old belief in the
divine right of kings. Certain attempts
have been made to reconcile some or
the disconnected elements of Spain to
the Alfonsist party, and the king mas
been of necessity a prominent party in
the movements. They have not been
successful; the irreconcilables remained
obdurate, but the young ruler carried
himself bravely through some unpleas-
ant experiences, and recalled the bear
ing of his father, who had similar DIM
culties to face. Down to the present
Spain has not seen much of her king,
and Madrid has not been favorably dis
posed to him because of his absence
from the bull ring, tauromachy being
an institution to which Queen Christi
ma will make no concessions. He has
been to the Plaza de Toros now, and
his subjects are better pleased, but 1t is
unlikely that he will develop into pa
tron of the national amusement
Some people In Madrid declare that
Alfonso XIII is an Ultramontanist, and
that the grip of the Latin church VIII
tighten on Spain so soon as he Is firmly
established They point to the Ceserta
marriage and to the absence of anti
clerical legislation, to the very friendly
relations between the Vatican and the
Spanish court, and to the known sym
pathy of the queen mother for the
church of Rome. This alleged tenden-
Cy Is a. CUuSluHTdDle idCloi III Stich6 III
ening the republican party. and 1 was
assured in Madrid that on matters he
deemed his own the king would yield to
no party, however exigent If the army
is friendly, Alfonso can go far, and the
powerful generals are already delighted
with the way in which their royal mas
ter devotes himself to the study of mill
itary affairs -London Daily Mail.