The Washington times., 1902-10-03

~"osSo ehe idtter 10 WrlIe pampnleS
at his expense (which was circulated
through Spain by means of Carlist
agency in which the priest as
serted in the most positive man
ner rs the former chaplain of
the Queen that her boy, Alfonso
XIII, was not the offspring of the late
King, but the issue of an intrigue on the
part of Christina. one of the most blame
less women who has ever occupied an
Old World throne and who has intro
duced an atmosphere of purity and re-
spectability into the court of Madrid
to which the latter had been Il complete
stranger since the year 1900, when the
Bourbons secured possession of the
crown Of Spain.
The Queen has likewise been accused
of atheism and of having the young King
brought up as a Free Mason, which in
the eyes of the Roman Catholic peasan-
try Of Spain is the same thing as an
atheist. She is charged with having be-
trayed the land of her adoption and
with having extorted from it every pen.
ny that she could for investment abroad,
although throughout her sons minority
she restored regularly every year to the
treasury the handsVme allowance to
sovereign. In fact, everything has
been done that could be done by Don
Carlos during the past sixteen years to
vilify Christina and her son and to
poison the minds of the Spanish people
against them.
Don Carlos. like that other pretender,
the Duke of Orleans, is saddled with the
unfortunate reputation of being defi-
cient in courage, and people of this kind
are always disposed to resort to cal
umny. Each one of the Carlist wars
that has taken place in Spain and with
which Don Carlos has in any way been
concerned have been started by his fol-
lowers in defiance OF his entreaties and
peremptory orders.
Thus when in the summer of 1872 the
northern provinces were reused to arms
in favor of Don Carlos their leader was
his brother, Don Alfonso, and they rose
despite all that Don Carlos could do to
prevent them. In fact, he was shamed
into joining the adherents of his cause
after they had obtained several bril-
liant victories. He does not like fight
ing. and his sordid avarice leads him to
avoid everything that could involve him
In any expense other than for his life
of idleness and luxury with his young
wife at Venice,
But it is by no means improbable that
his hand may very shortly be again
forced by his adherents. as it was In
1872, and that they will take the field
under his son, Don Jaime, the pretender
himself only joining the insurgent forces
after they have achieved some sue
cesses.
/ should be sorry to see my readers
attach overdue Importance to the mani
festo recently issued by Don Carlos,
which says that the time had not yet
come for any rising, that he thorough
tivity in that direction, and that any
thing that was done would be in def
ance of his positive commands.
He may be sincere in what he says |
He issued, however, "a similar mani !
festo on the eve of the last Carlist war
of 1872, but had his hand forced. as l |
have described above. and as he is like
ly to have it forced again, for the lead
ers of the Carlist cause are exceedingly |
busy just now. and arms are pouring |
burnham in England, the Count Urbain |
de Maille and the Marquis de Chauvelin |
in France. and Senor Rafael de la Cor |
tina in the United States being busy all |
the time in behalf of the cause, while |
the Duke of Solferino and the MARQUIS |
de Cerralbo (the latter in spite of his |
quarrel with the pretender) are en-
gagged in Spain In getting everything |
ready for the rising in the northern
provinces 1t is there that Carlism has
its stronghold. Even the Popes admo-
nition to Spanish pilgrims and to Span
ish clergy to give their allegiance to
his godson, Alfonso XIII, have been
without avail. The inherent love for
legitimacy, combined with longing for
their ancient autonomic privileges
known as the ''fueros.' keep the masses
Of northern Spain true TO Don Carlos,
who promises TO restore the ''fueros."
as well as all the clergy's former power
and possessions.
l am requested to state that the pal
ace of the late Empress Elizabeth on
the island of Corfu has not been sold
by the imperial family of Austria, nor
is there the slightest truth in the story
according to which it is to be used as
a casino for gambling.