The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-20
The New King of Spain.

| Louisville Courier-Journal,
 Alfonso XIII has taken the bath as | King of Spain. He was born King. for when he saw the light on May 1T, 1sS6, | his father, Alfonso XII, had been dead six months. At the tender age of l6
 years he is deemed fit to become in fact, as well as in name, the ruler. The re- gency which began before he was born has now terminated.
 Alfonso is a Bourbon, the descendant of Henry of Navarro and the Grand Mon- arch. Louis XIV, but has been reared
 and trained by an Austrian mother. deep
 ly devoted to him. According to Bourbon
 traditions he is not a lawful monarch.
 for ne traces his title through Isabella,
 his grandmother. who succeeded in spite of the Salic law, which excludes women from the succession. lsabellas father, Ferdinand VII. undertook tp set aside this law a few months before lsaheHa was born. thus excluding his brother
 Don Carlos. who was heir presumptive to the throne. In consequence of this act, which was held by many to be be- yond the authority>-of Ferdinand, Isa- bella succeeded in 1883. when only three years of age but a cruel war followed. Though the partisans of Don Carlos were beaten, his descendants still claim the throne. and his DartiSans, known as Carl ists are still numer 5us in Spain. Isabella herself is still alive, but ahdicated in 1870. in favor of her son, Alfonso XII. The new King has still to face the oppo- sition growing out of this controversy over the Salic law.
 The young Alfonso. therefore, succeeds to disputed title. and will rule coun- try by no means tranquil or contented. Of the policy of considering an heir to the throne of mature age at sixteen there Is much room for doubt, though there have been Kings who pretended to rule at an earlier age. Necessarily the actual goy' ernment is to a great degree tn the hands of Ministers, though the will of the young King will have very great influence in a country like Spain. There has conse- al, ,s,Ad q den1 Af iagifN f.NI ascertain what manner of man Alfonso is likely to prove. On this point the infor- nation at hand is not great. Physically he is not very strong He has been care fully trained, and has Given eYiaence that he has will or his own But whose iu fluencc will be predominant in his gov ernment is a question of great interest involved in much uncertainty. There will be, of course. a struggle among ambitious courtiers and mini -ters to secure and [ hold his confidence and to control his of ficial acts. The peace and prosperity of the country are t.--v much dependent up on his giving his vCrtidenCe to Wise coun- selors but whether h" viii dN. so or not cannot now be deteLmined with any cer- taintN. He is credited wi.n n a tali deS:'r of intelligence, but the mind Of a boy of Is is seldom capable of SraT9Nng with abstruse probiems of govern--nt.
 It is unquestionablv rood thing for Alfonso that Spain e2s Sarted with her American and Asiauc pnase ssions. These were a continual source Ot trouble and expense. But the government of tha home country presents prob" enough to promise a god deal of trouble All this for the present is cbscured bY the festivities incidental to the occasion. but when these are over AlfonsD will need good guidance and good luck to enable him to meet the duHes of his eXaeung position. Having had our tght out with Spain we are in . position to wish heT people and their new sovereign the peace and prosperity which they so much need.