The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-04-21
SENIOR SAGASTA.

| And so it is to Senor Sagasta himself
 that one really looks to ascertain the strength or weakness of the party in
 power, and not to the justice or the pop
 may introduce. At first sight the odds
 seem to be very much in his favor. He
 has come into office apparently with one
 clear and decided poicy-to live; to re- main in power; to survive this year,
 and, if possible, still longer term, at
 all costs and at the sacrifice of any prin-
 ciples. To tell the truth, he has not
 many principles of his own to sacrifice;
 he has never been man of ideas, and
 there has been hardly single important
 question to agitate the country which
 has not found Sagasta wavering first
 on one side and then on the other. But
 he has the qualities of his defects, and
 those qualities have rendered both him
 self and the country good service at
 more than one critical turn of Spanish
 affairs. Because he was pledged to no principles and bound by no faith of his own, he was able, in the troubled times
 before the accession of Alfonso XII, to reconcile with himself almost every va riety of political creed and he succeed ed, as no other man could have succeed ed, in welding together the chaos of warning Liberal factions into one Lib- eral party in support of the monarchy.
 He was the worst enemy of the Span ish republic then; it is to be hoped that h. .l,- l. z, 4
 Spanish monarchy now. Whenever he has been called upon to declare himself upon some great question, to decide in a matter of life or death such as the colonial policy or the war with the United States, he has failed lamentably
 But at the moment, unless it is created for him by his own colleagues, there is no one great question to decide There are very many that require solution sooner or later; and he possesses an un- rivalled dexterity in avoiding difficult ties when they can be avoided. Age has not dulled an intellect which was al ways more astute than daring. And to this natural gift of deXterity is added an unequalled experience of men and affairs. He has been seven times pre- mier, and has held every office of the government with the exception of finance.
 But, though he may be determined to do nothing but follow the line of least resistance, it is by no means so certain that all his ministry will oe of the same mind. He has chosen to ally himself with progressive Radcalism in the shape of Senor Carnalejas and Senor Montillor. He will surely have to pay something for that alliance. The terms were probably settled by Senor Moret and Senor Canalejas in the programme which still remains cabinet secret; but conventions of that kind require a wid- CT ratification, and it is possible that | pressure from outside may make it diff 1 ficult for either party to abide by their | pledges. As it is, the more advanced of | the Liberal newspapers are already for some visible sign of the l intentions. General Wey- | ler too though an indispensable sup | porter is the least docile of allies. He | has discovered a means of acquiring | popularity ir tho army and the country at the same time, by the ruthless re- | tirement of old or inefficient officers eff 1 fecting at once a considera ble reduction in the estimates and a more rapid pro- motion for the officers who remain But General Weyler thoroughly appreciates he strength of his position, and is far more inclined to dictate terms himself han to listen to dictation. Senor Moret s, perhaps, the one important member )f the cabinet whose support can be relied on; for Senor Moret. n the interests of the throne, is as ,nxious as Senor Sagasta himself to tave off another political crisis Iadrid Correspondence London Times.