The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-22
HEDGED BY RULE
SPANISH SOVEREIGN HAS NO \ EASY TIME.
His Ideal is the Kaiser-Kept in 1g- norance of Recent Events
 Importance.

William E. Curtis writes as follows to The Chicago Record-Hcrald fr Isn Madrtd:
 The life and habits of Alfonso XIII, are very methodical, and the more I zee and hear of him the more am convinesd Of what I told you the other day. that ii Is no fun to be king. especially for young man. Everyting he does Is resu- lated by rules of etiquette, traditions of generations. national prejudice. and the effect it may have, upon the politics Of the country. He cannot move n ithout an escort, he cannot leave the palace ex- cept he goes in state, acc )mpanied by general or an aide-de-camp, and usually wherever he appears he is saiutea by the roar of cannon. Some months ago he tried to break away if rgn the customs that tic him down, but t was a failure. He has read good deal about the Ger man emperor, and would like to take i'm as an example for imitation if he could do so. With that idea in his mind, he rose very early. one morning, put on his uniform as honorary colonel of a certain famous regiment of guards and appeared at the barracks before anyone was up. The sentinel gave warning; tic few officers who were there pulled on their trousers and wrapped ihams elves in their oyercosts as rapidly as possible, but the older officers who should have heen on hand to receive the king were at their own homes or some vlsre elsc. This lt:tis episode created a great sensation. S5lh- ina of the kind had ever happened in Spain before. It IS not u conni.y "f ir- novations or ,ur ;es, and the v .ns king was called dowE. The government and the army do nos pro? Jse to have him initiating any of the tricks "f the ka.ser; the Minister of War brought the matter up in the cabinet, aaf tho Prime M'.ist"r mad to go to the palsce with a heavy frown upon his face mi notify .his r al master that he must quit all such non. sense.
 Although Alfonso is we'll posted in mod ern and ancient history and European politics, there are several important events of recent occurrence that he knows nothing about. It is considered necessary to conceal certain matters from him. which is easy to do. because he Is almost entirely dependent upon his ministers and tutors for information. Occasionally, however, he finds out something by acci- deaf. and this happened not long ago. A uif%nguished American being in Madrid VIZ granted an audience, and the conver- satlon came around to the St. Louis Ex- position and then to previous enterprises that had been undertaken in the United States. The Pan-American Exposition was alluded to, and the visitor remarked 6 but for the awful tragedy which occurred there. The king inquired what that was and the visitor explatned that he referred to the assassination of President McKin- ley. To his amazement, he discovered that the king had never heard of 1t. The facts were undoubtedly concealed from him by his ministers and secretaries for fear of disturbing his mind, but his curi- osity would not be satisfied and he cross examined his visitor until he had ob- tained every detail of the event. What he said to his family and aides for hid ing this matter from him no one knows.
 Other information of similar character Is withheld from him. Hc knows nothing of the political disturbances in Span; nor of the anarchist conspiracies that are fre- Quently discovered in Barcelona and other parts of the country; he does not know that newspapers are suppressed and that members of parliament are arrested al- most daily for political reasons; he is not aware of the bitter attacks that have been made upon his queen mother in the cortes and upon the platforms; nor of the criticisms directed at himself. Every thing that may disturb his peace of mind or afrect shiS temper is concealed from him just as he is protected against cun- tagious diseases and violence. This, how ever, cannot always continue and 1t must often be difficult for his advisers to sat- isfy his fnquisitve mind.
 He cannot visit certain parts of his Kingdom for fear of assassination. He was compelled to abandon a tour upon which he started few months ago be- cause of canspiracies discovered by the police, but other reasons were given for the change of plans, and I suppose that he was satisfied with them. He has not the slightest suspicion of the unpopular Ity of his mother, nor of the popular dis approval of the recent marriage of his sister to the son of Carlist general.
 Some months ago he went to Carthe- gena to inspect the French fleet. There was a splendid assemblage of modern battleships and cruisers, and they were the first that he had ever seen During his childhood days he occasionally visited one of the seaports and had been on board several Spanish men-of-war At the Columbus celebration eleven years ago he sailed from Cadiz to Huelva upon the finish ship in the Spanish navy, es- corted by vessels from the navies of all the great powers, twenty-five in num- Der. There was a great naval demon. stration in honor of the memory of Co., lumbus, and the little caravels that are now at Jackson Park. Chicago, sailed at the head of the column and furnished a striking contract between the ships oi the fifteenth and those of the nineteenth centuries. But then he was only 6 yearz old and could not appreciate the signih- canoe of the display.
 At Carthegena, however, he went aboard and inspected some of the finest fighting