The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-02-21
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Martial Law Likely to Be Pro-
claimed In Spain.
NATIONAL CRISIS NAY RESULT.
Pitched Battle at Bnrcel0na and
Streets Darricaded by strikers.
In Other Cities Factories
Have Been burned.

| MADRID. Feb. 21.-According to tel
cgrams received here from Barcelona
the street fighting there continues. Tn,
heavy rain which fell during the da,
helped to disperse the rioters. and tn,
authorities are taking severe measures
Premier Sngas,a is preparing de
cree establishing martial law through
out Spain. The signature of the decree
II is believed. will be followed by an
extreme national crisis.
! A proclamation has been issued or.
dering all private individuals to sur
render any weapons they may possess
under pain of severe penalties The
sale of arms has also been prohibited.
Forty workmen's associations have
been dissolved and the members Of
their committees arested. The dwell
ines of the strike leaders and of an.
archists are being registered and put
under guard.
The battleship Pelayo has been Or
dcrcd to Barcelona.
The military engineers have assumed
>''''i'' VI wv "'lN't v Ill StININt- anu IL
few cars half filled with soldiers are
running. Even the funeral coaches
have to be protected by the police. No
letters have been delivered In Barcelo-
IA i'll three days, and in some distant
parts of the town business is complete
ly parayzed.
a pitched battle occurred in the out
skirts Of the city between the strikers
aud the military escort attached to sew
tral wagons that were bringing in pro-
visions. The contents of the wagons
We're dragged out, and barIicadcs were
built across the road. The rails have
been torn up to prevent trains from en-
t,ring the city.
The strike movement has begun to
spread seriously. AT Castelon de Ia
Pana, taking advantage of the night
and of the absence Of the police, the
strikers set fire to two factories with
the aid Of petroleum. The factories
were burned. At workncns meet
ing held at Castelon de- Ia PIana IL gen
eral strike was voted
At SHrngoSS; most of the factories
have already closed on the demands of
the Worknen, and the strikers are
bringing pressure to bear to compel the
factories still remaining open to close
their doors. The captain general of
SnragoSsa has wired for re-eufOrce-
menS.
\ strike commenced AT Valencia. but.
owing to HE refusal of the dock labor
ers t" participate, it did not become
general, The police at Valencia, assist
ed by the troops. have up to the pres
On, time been able TO maintain order
there.
Martial law has been proclaimed at
Manresa, about thirty miles northwest
OF Barcelona, and AT SaragosSa. AT the
latter place the troops have occupied
strategic position in order to check the
disturbances.
Owing to the strict censorship over |
news from Barcelona ii is difficult to
ascertain the real state of affairs there.
II is quite certain. however. that all the
efforts Of In" authorities to persuade
the labor leaders into Il cO,lciiatnry at
tlIudc have 50 far failed. and the ex-
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tine ever present Catalonia home rule
agitation is likely to prove Il serious
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