The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-23
FOES ARE CONFIDENT
Scandals and Looting OF
Treasury by King Are
Powerful Weapons
ALL EYES ON FRANCO
Fate of Minister in Coming
Revolutionary Campaign
Eagerly Awaited

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LISBON. Dec. 22.-The result of
the political crisis here may not only
determine whether new and better
order of public administration is to
prevail in Portugal, but-remote as
such change appears to the ordinary
observer-whether the whole mo-
narchical regime shall not give way to
republican form of government.
/ The republicans, small though their
ed suffrage. believe that France. by ex-
posing the practice of the monarchist
parties. has administered a blow to the
prestige OF the king and the monarchy
from which it can never recover. Hence
they af1rm that a republic is near
possibility. Certainly Franco. by his
revelations. has placed powerful wea-
pons in the hands of the republican
leaders. which they intend TO use to the
best advantage.
To conjure with they have Frances
own avowal that the country for years
has been the football of the monarchist
parties with the sole object of distrib-
uting graft to their clients. There is
also the scandal OF the advances sur
reptitiously made from the public treas
ury to the royal family the arbitrary
manner in which these advances have
been flidusadted by decree. and lastly
the alleged repression of the die
tatorship."
WILL PRESS ISSUES
Their plan is to press the issue as
soon as the restoration of legsIity
permits them to open campaign in
the newspapers, and later, when the
cortes again assemblies to play their
trump card This will be nothing else
than motion TO impeach Franco for
his action in ''liquidating7 the kings
debts to the treasury. and as logical
corollary TO demand the abdication of
King Carlos for abetting the move,
under clause of the Portuguese con
stitution. which compels the abdication
of the monarch when he is adjudged
morally incapable OF governing
The opinion of conservative foreign
ers who have lived long in the country
is that outside of the capital and Oporto
the masses will remain absolutely in
different to the mutations OF politics
until system of general education
awakens their consciences to de-
mand for broader political rights
WATCH FATE OF FRANCO
The fate of Joao Franco, the dictator,
who as a monarchist processes to seek
the financial and political regeneration
OF the country. viii be well worth
Watching Franco is man of SO and
practically his whole life has been
spent in politics. Regenerator and
progressist by turn, lie headed a bolt
from each of the old parties and, pre-
vious to his present accession to power.
was a member of two cabinets When
he began his present war against the
old parties as the leader of what he
called new liberal progressist party,
he made public proclamation OF his
confession and repentance for his
political past. His charges against the
old parties and assumption of the die
tatorship turned the hands of the poll
ticiaus of every shade of opinion
against him.
Is FEARED AND HATED
The old parties fear and hate him
the republicans join in the denunciation
because he has arbitrarily stopped their
agitation The only thing his enemies
do not reproach him with is a desire
to line his own pockets. His wealth
excludes such a motive and as this
motive seems to have been the end and
aim of things political in Portugal for
years it's absence to the politicians
is the most mystifying feature of the
dictatorship.
Bankers and businessmen regard the
situation. from q financial standpoint
as being much more critical than from
a political point of view. Since the
bankruptcy of 1890, when the foreign
debt was scaled one half there have
been constant succession of deficits.
- ~,,,~o ,,ie45 ff,e ba-Tira~~