The Washington times., 1909-10-15
Ship of State Unable to
Weather Terrific
Storm.
DISORDER INDICATES
COMING CONFLICT
Relations of Church and Govern
ment Chief Drawback TO
Unhappy Ruler.

LONDON. Oct. liking Alfonso
throne Is toetering.
Spain is a seething sea Of intrisus and
revolution. on which the royal shin ~
state battered aud weakened hun :.
being tossed about in a last struggle
Revolution is inevitable. The fash may
not come within week or a month. II
may be STAYED OF for year. but there
Is every reason to believe today. foIIo~-
ing the white heat engendered BY the
states murder Of Francisco Ferrsr. the
outbreak is near at hand.
Moreover, developments If the lar
two days have Indicated clearly th,t
Once the fires Of revolution break ont in
spain, there viii be the gravest danger
OF the conhagration spreading TO sverv
Latin country OF Southern Europe.
Situation Worse.
The situation is 100 per cent
grayer than It was at Barcelona
during the uprising last July.
At that time the disorders we're
largely socialistic and antf-msIi-
tary. Since then the anti-elerIcal
factor has become vastly larger
and anarchistic Propaganda has
spread throughout every district of
the peninsula. So universal has
become the disanection and snlrst
OF revolution that in my opinion
no scheme Of evolution can he
made 70 solve the problem.
a Cortes to Meet.
ne Spanish cortss has been csg;e5 -
vt today, at the instance OF Premier
Maria The call was issued At a time
when the government had BY DIM 81
s2ecisl effort created semblance Or
order and when it was possible to is-
sue the call without appearing to do a.
under stress OF public demand. At thai
time no member OF the Spanish rovsl
party was far-sighted enough TO i'm
sgine the fuFore that was 70 be created
by the execution OF Ferrer
Today the alarm IN the Spanish csni-
tai Is 50 great that every government
in Europe is on the anxious seat. lest
the opening OF the parliament be char
aeterized by a bomb outrage.
There is going to be trouble with the
cortes. The liberals have long been t..
majority over the conservatives, btIt tba
former have hitherto been split in e,
many factions that the conservative.
had a greater strength than any one
branch Of the liberals. and Alfonso has
been able 70 have his own way. SIM
the suspension Of the constitution. how
ever, the liberal factions have unjtas
and agreed their first action win be fo
demand auti-clericsl legislation along
lines similar TO those enacted reeentIt
by the French assembly This demand
Is apt to be the one incident which viii
set the country afame
Church and State.
The church, which has for genera
lions been frightful burden upou
Spain, has recently become weII-nish
bic, not because il is the Catho-
lie Church, but because il Is the state
Church. 1t controls an immense, IN
earned share Of the country's wealth
and pays no taxes The people are in
humanity taxed 70 support IT, Indus
rally, it completes ~ an unfair ad-
7antage with Spanish workmen and il
he vested interest Of the nation.
Alfonso realizes his hold on his NO.
pie has been broken. He looks to the
church for support and viii never con
ent 20 its separation from the state
4 he ciings to his present course. sis
'verthrow is inevitable The fail OF the
present dynasty VIII assuredIy be fol
owed by the establishment of a repub-
io. The pretender is little known and
ess liked. His party is small and the
Ountry is sick OF monarchy.
Owing TO the exercise OF censorship.
he rigidity OF which has never been
qualed even I'm Russia. 1t has been
impossible to give an accurate detailed
ay by day account Of the disorders In
spain A brief size-up OF the situation
nay not be amiss.
Under Martial Law.
At the time of the Barcelona rios-
pain was placed under martial
his act, instead OF checking seditt-
utside the Catalonian province. eausea
to spread all through Spain. Premier
laura saw the necessity OF restofine
he constitution and converting the cor
es. He must have some excuse other
han a popular demand. He ordered
General Merina, commander of the
panlsh forces in Morocco. to furnish
he government at once with a victory
r something that looked Ike one.
a real victory was impossible. The
.iffs insisted on a guerrilla campaign.
m imitation victory was ga sier Gen
raj Aeriua began his widely ADVERTISED
forward movement on Mt Clrrueu
he RIMS saw no advantage in holdFne
worthless sand dune and retired
'uiy three rifle shots were fred by the
Tins during the engagement
Two days later a Spanish column un-
er General VicariO veutured gevy
lee ~