The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-20
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King Aifo,,so Il Wise R,,icr. 81
- ING ALFONSO has once again
W. given evidence OF II sagactty
d dar bdayond Is years ~ n o.
y - tho remnins OF Emilio CASTELAR,
\, to the Church of st. Francis
tIle Great. but In likewise travelling all
tie way from his country seat mt La
offend the ceremony OF the Illumination
IN this, the national Pantheon Of Spain.
f,or castelar, wns not only ono of the
most celehrated orators and able states
,i,, !, =, o. the peninsula, but likewise
lnr,ougfout his life an uiicompronlisinS
and ardent Republican, the Lender, IN
i aact, OF the Republican party from ! s6b
and i. even We, earlier until the day OF hio
actors n the revolution which brought
about the overthrow OF tile monarchy
~ I ~ strenuously opposed the offer
q the spanish crown two years later
With Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern
and ending with Prince Amadeus OF
Italy, Duke OF sAosta. was consistent
roe of.the latter throughout. his reign
ct Madrid, and on Amadeus's abdica-
ton became. Prime Minister OF the
second Spanish republic. He avnilad
!limself OF his tenure Of power as such
TO effect the abolition Of slavery ~.
Porto Rico and when the Bourbon
dynasty was restored in the early part
OF 1875, under Alfonso Nil. he took his
scat In the Cortes as the acknowledged
chief Of the Republican party.
That party. became very powerful to-
wards the close of the reign of King
Alfonso xII.-powerful, indeed. enough
to have brought about once again the
overthrow OF the Bourbons when Queen
Christina, then comparatively unknown
and extremely unpopular, as foreign
er, found herself invested with supreme
power as regent. for herasltttle s!S.
year.old daughter, who had succeeded
to the crown as Queen Mercedes. AL
fonso XIII. being born only. six months
10 ter as q posthumou5 child.
took place between the leaders OF the.
three great political parties at Madrid.
which deserves to be recalled here, not
only BY reason OF its unusual character.
but likewise because 1t illustrates that
strain Of chivalry which Is one Of the
most attractive traits In the national
character OF Spain. Canovns Del Cas-
tillo, leader OF the Conservatives anu
himself the most rcactionary of states
Reailzing the critical situation by
which the monarchy. was confronted.
he called into council his lifelong ad-
versary. Sagasta, chief OF the Liberals.
them that it would be ungenerous to
take any political advantage Of the
helplessness OF the young widowed
Queen. OF little Queen Mercedes. and
that. as an evidence of his sentiments
and OF those Of the Conservatives in
the matter, he had, after consultation
With his colleagues, decided to sur
mending sagasta rs their chief, to
effect then and there some sort of truce
with Castelar, and the Republicans. SO
as to tide over, at any rate, the frst
after consultation with his friends and
principal followers, agreed to UNDER
take the task OF forming government
and at the same time drew up pro-
gram OF Liberal. reforms OF such an
extensive character and Of so. far.
reaching n nature. to which he pledged
himself and his party. that Castelar,
was forced to admit that the Repub-
leans, even under the most favorable
circumstances, could not do better
at any rate. without plunging the
country into bloodshed and civil war.
The .tri.ning fact that the Conserve
tives had an overwhelming majority
in the Cortes did not matter one way
or another. or interfere with the exc
cution OF this arrangement, for where
as In most parliamentary countries the
ACCESS to power of new Cabinet -
viz SCSuAS " NASloA 7SS q - S"SA'Aa $50
ton. in Spain the general election is
the logical result of the formation oil
a new Cabinet. follows the construc.
ton OF the latter. and by virtue Of
thorities always ends in victory OF
The truce thus arranged between e ;
at any rate, during the early years
of her regency was wholly free from
any anxiety on the score Of the Repub-
licans. who are particularly strong IN
dustrial and manufacturing districts OF
the North Of Spain. Indeed. the truce
may be said to have endured to the
majority of the present King, since the
opportunity afforded to then BY Tie
Ito SpaiOEso disastrous wa, with
America in 1898. It is no exaEgera-
ton, in short. to assert that Alfonso
generous forbearance of Castelar, dur
Ing hin childhood, and his royal ac-
Acknowledgement OF the debt by ordering
can LEADERS, remains in tho national
Pantheon. and his own presence at the
ceremony. are calculated TO stu 1ur-
Their ccnciliate the Republicans and
the young monarch is imbuel with
sentimants both progressive ana lib
eral. and honestly bent on DOING the
very, best possible for his reopla and
tor5l'iS country
Castelar, was not only tina most Won
lderful orator in a country where all
men. from the grandees down to the
very peasants. are eloquent but was
also famous as a conyersationalist. FIe
rivaled the late Mr. Gladstone. how.
ever, in. his marked monopolization Of
the conversation. no matter VIII etheri II
was in Spanish or French, which latter.
he spoke with the utmost fluency.
remember dining with him on one oc-
caston in Paris some twenty years ago.
We were about a score Of people at
down until the end OF dinner he talked
the entire time In that loud, sonorous
VOICE of his, which filled the ROOM,
and even at moments caused the very
decanters on the table to tremble. And:
to make matters worse, lie. ACCOMPANIED
almost every word with violent gestic-
aulations 50 much so that when the
finger bowls We're brought in he mad
Vertently sprayed many Of us with the
water that was scattered IN every d.
.rectton by his fingers, Not one of us
had been able to say a thing during