New-York tribune., 1904-10-23
PRINCE OF THE ASTURIAS.
u:,r AlfonsOis I'hnee-Year-Old
,-.,be,D InUested sCith This Title.

Ia
hp@--s .Ee ,ate Infanta Maria de Las Mercedes.
son :, s,.S so nrsrnature1y last Sunday. Succeed
VIZ - lights. as next heir 20 the throne Of
@ ss .s,+teen-year-old uncle. King Alfonso XIII.
S..ovnas thereby invested ipsO factO with
- s,,,. which for some five centuries has been
- c.s,ssh counterpart OF the dignity OF the
-. ~ wales in England OF Dauphin in
-. OF Prince OF Orange IN the Netherlands
-ososolzos in Greece and OF Czarewitoh in
o,,ta differing from all OF them IN this re-
-. that its holder enters into possession
80 ex oficio. without its having 70 be con-
s strictly speaking, IL Is the only pTincsly
- An spain. The members OF the Aolgning
-, ere STYLED Infants and 'Infantas." For
80 tbere was one other prtnceiy title. namely.
-. oonssrred as the close OF thu eighteenth
- ,nor Codoy. the ignoble and universal
e.-.craosd favorite Oe King Charles " and
-, Iousss. ana who gas created by tasAS-S
Spsnca OF the Peace a dignity now extinct
-, Aetz,rAas Is one of the most ancient prov
s-.,s ~ epain. Il IS now know as oviedo. and
- ,,a invasion OF the Peninsula by the
.roorx was ths only portion Of ths Kingdom that
--,,area 20 keep tho dusty ensrny beyond its
orders and 20 retain its Independence Unu4
-. sunday thsre was another Prince OF the As
80 namely Don Carlos OF Bourbon who
- che title by virtue OF his Oonsorts position
= no,r apparent, husbands N Spain invar4a-
- .-pring the honors which their wives may
-. IN their own Fights But through her
S.s.b he loses the dignity. which has now passed
:. b,s little boy and from hsncefoTth he Will be
,,ovyn as the Infant Carlos OF Spain. among the
o.hs- D,.ubers os the reigning family who, after
bolaing this ancient title. have been compelled
- surrender So 20 some relative nearer 70 the
,b,oDe being the Infanta Maria Therese. who
~.,t.d as heir apparent from the time OF her
-frfn, 80 Ra-.R R.vOf
Alfonso XIII, and The Infanta Isabella, eldest
r,s,.r OF the late King, who was Princess Of the
Astu-ias untu his birth and again from the time
NJ his restoration to the throne until the birth
~ her niece who died last Sunday.
Il is doubtful whether people IN this country
.,nreciste the extent OF the loss sustained by
snsin through the death OF the young princess
VINO reigned as Queen during the six months that
interyened between the death OF her father. Don
Alfonso XII, and the posthunous birth Of her
brother. the present King. For her demise means
thai in the event OF anything untoward happen
ing 10 Alfonso XIII before he marries and has
children OF his own her boy. the new Prince Of
the Asturias. now three years OF age, would Sue
ceed 70 the throne as Alfonso XIV, and that there
might be another long regency until the youth
ful monarch attained hiC majority at the age
q sixteen. i would be a regency under far less
favorable auspices than that during the minor
ity OF the present King. when Sagasta and Cano-
vas. statesmen Of commanding power and IN
fuence, who dominated the Conservative and
the Liberal parties respectively, chivalrously CO.
operated with one another TO strengthen the po-
Fition OF the widowed Queen as regent, making
the preservation OF the throne the keynote Of
their policy. Senior Sagasta being. moreover,
fortunate enough 10 secure from the republican
.a-sa.. CasfsLa- ara Salneron, something very
much akin TO a truce that was TO last until the
young King attained his majority. Sagasta was
able 10 effect this arrangement by pledging him
self TO q number OF reforms. But he died with
out any OF these promises being fulfilled, and
The republicans. who feel that faith has not been
kept with them have resumed their warfare
upon the dynasty, and would be unlikely to
show again In the event OF another regency the
forbearance which they manifested during the
childhood Of the present King
Moreover, all kinds OF trouble would occur In
connection with the choice of the regent Ac-
oordng to the terms OF the Spanish constitution,
The regency. in the event OF the minority of the
monarch. or Of his being incapacitated by physi-
cal or mental malady from administering the
government Of the kingdom. belongs to the adult
spanish prince or princess of the blood who
stands nearest 10 the throne During the child
hood OF Alfonso XIII this clause was frequently
Invoked by the foes Of Queen Christina to de-
y
not the enemies OF the dynasty that is to say,
either the Carists or the republicans. who raised
inns objection to her assumption OF the reins
O government, but the ultra-Conservatives
among thelr number being Don Romero Robledo
ana me late Duchess Canovas, widow OF the
0oi-seINsuFe Premier, who was assassinated by
an anarchist in 1897 Canovas himself gave no
connienance 10 these attacks upon the Queen
Regent But his wits old. and there Is no doubt
lii@t II The la;e Kings eldest sister the Infanta
'Ssoeils, widow Of the Count Girgenu had given
me Conservatives any encouragement
whatsoever they would have raised the issue in
me cortes and would have demanded that. il
teooraanoe with the terms OF the constitution
he regency Of the kingdom be transferred Il
me hiIanta Isabella as the adult member Of the
Eegnlhg house nearest the throne and q Span.
4@fo oy birth whereas Christina, they claimed
was foreigner and only Spanish by marriage.
But this virtual violation OF the constitution
which was in the instance OF Queen Christina al
to me advantage OF ths dynasty and OF the ma
non would not be tolerated IN the case of the
'alher of the present heir apparent and anJ
AVtenp' by him 70 secure possession OF the re.
Ee'loy IN the event Of the succession OF HIS sor
tAe throne while stu a minor. would NEE
win such widespread opposition throughout tn,
'e''gla and breadth OF Spain that the safety o.
me throne would be thereby imperiled. Tn,
-iIant Don Carlos belongs by birth TO the Nea
p'ii'ah and most reactionary branch Of the his
i'S mouse OF Bourbon. and IS on this account
'aenuhed IN the eyes of the Spanish people Il
Fueh degree with everything that is anti-lib
efal retrograde and b!goted that the celebration
u Ais marriage four years ago led TO public dis
'ofbanoe ali over the country, even in Madrid
winch were not suppressed without considerable
S'oeashed, while every unpopular move on tn