Arizona republican., 1910-10-07
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
PHoENN, ARIZONA, OCT. '. 1910
Unhappy Portugal.

third the size of Arizona in area
 Portugal is managing to occupy a large part of the worlds attention
 In exchanging the monarchy for the
 republic, the people of Portugal have
 taken the course which has been pre-
 dicted ever since the assassination of King Carlos. And time passes so rap idly that it seems to have been only a few months. instead of two years and a half, since the ghastly tragedy in which the king and his older son lost their lives.
 When it is said that the people" of Portugal have decided to adopt a republican form of government instead of their monarchy, reference is had, of course, to the governing class. which is the educated class. Of, the popuIa- ton of more than five millions. less than one fourth can read and write, and the ignorant peasantry are gen orally peaceable. Much as they dis like turmoil, however, the masses of Portugal have been forced to engage in more civil wars than the people of any other nation. Controversies be- have made war a familiar feature of Portuguese life.
 Blessed with a most pleasant eli mate. and with an exceedingly fruitful soil, Portugal ought to be a happy country. At one time a powerful na- tion, with great colonies in various parts of the earth, Portugal for four hundred years has been a country of decadence, like Spain. Of her i'm mense empire of Brazil in South America, nothing remains but the Portuguese language; Brazil is an in dependent republic, progressive, en- frightened and prosperous. Of the once vast Portuguese possessions in Africa and Asia, but insignificant remnants remain.
 The chief part of the story of her downfall is told in two words: re- ligious intolerance. Tn the latter part Of the sixteenth century the Jews, whose wealth and enterprise and keen business judgment had placed Portu- gal in a foremost place among the great commercial powers, were ex- pelled from the country. From that period until about a quarter of century ago, Portugal was steadily travelling down hill, although relig- ious tolerance was established more than half century ago.
 A republican party came into ex- istence in 1881, and has since been carrying on a more or less active propaganda, which was stimulated in 1889 by the success of the republican revolution in Brazil
 Strangely enough, the assassination of King Carlos and his son, February l, 1908, while it was hailed as a victory for the republican element, was in reality the result of a conspir- acy of grafters. In all but name, the republic had been in force since 1895. That is to say, successive acts had transferred power from the throne to the people until Portugal in 1895 went under a government which was very similar to that of England. The two houses of parliament-the lower house elected by the people-had practically supreme power. and the king became a nominal ruler. But for years prior to the murder of Carlos, corruption had permeated ev- cry bureau of the government. In ev- cry appropriation bill of consequence there was a huge graft for the mem- bers of the cortes or parliament who voted the appropriation.
 The weak and amiable Carlos was unable to deal with the distressing situation. Some two years before his death he had called Premier Franco to his aid. Franco was an honest man, and he undertook to re- generate Portugal by severely re- pressive measures, among which was a censorship of the press. He ig- nored the constitutional rights of the cortes. and attempted to run the gov ernment by himself. In statements to representatives of the foreign press he frankly admitted that he was a dictator, ruling in the shadow of the throne and in disregard of the consti- tuition, but he asserted that he had no personal ends to serve; that his policy was necessary if Portugal was