New-York tribune., 1910-10-06
80 p0RrrGrEeE RETOLrTTON.

I Z 1
Believers in omens. fatalities and coin
cidences will be encoura ged by the tragic
occurrence in Portugal The first King
Manuel four hundred years ago raised
his kingdom To perhaps its most splendid
estate. but marred his reign with abom-
Unable cruelties. The second King Manuel
has been one Of the most amiahle and
benevolent of monarchs. but there is
danger that his line will end with him
I'm 2 series OF tragedies. Less than three
wears ago the young Duke Of Beja was
unexpectedly summoned To the throne
over the mutilated corpses of his father
and elder brother. Only the other day
he entertained the President of Brazil,
celebrated the centenary of Busaco. ac-
cepted the German EmperOr's invitation
for a state visit 10 Berlin in December,
and was at last. as he hoped. emerging
from the oppressive gloom Of the tragedy
Of 1908. To-day he is q refugee, or at
the mercy of revolutionists who demand
the expulsion Of the dynasty. the aboli-
ton Of the monarchy and the establish
ment Of q Lusitanian republic.
causes of the revolution. For years the
kingdom was misgoverned and plundered
nv political rings. the grimly misnamed
Receneradores and Progressistas main
tanning a compact at Lisbon whereby
they alternate1 in Office under the ''rota-
tivismo" system. and pursued a con
sistent policy Of doing as little for the
good Of the country and Of stealing ds
much public money and running the ma
tion as deeply into debt as il was pos
sible for ingenious and pertinacious
human rascality 10 do. The dictator
shin Of Air Franco interrupted this sys-
TEN for a time. but the murder of King
Carlos ended his authority, and despite
innumerable good promises the old sys-
tenn has since that time been steadily
reS11nlinc control. 10 the mingled eXas-
peration and despair Of those Of the
neople who have anything like An in
telligent opinion concerning governmental
affairs. When the other day rep
resentative Of one Of the old parties
murdered n leader of the refOrmers. the
limit of endurance was passed and the
signal for the long impending revolution
was given
II is significant of the changed aspect
OF affairs in Europe that the first
thought is not Of Intervention. Time
WAS. not beyond the memory Of living
men. when such an occurrence would
have been the signal for an fDmarching
of nouar,-hical armies from other lands
10 crush the popular uprising France
thus sent an army into Spain. and Rus
sia gladly aided Austria In suppresslng
Hungarian aspirations toward freedom.
But nothing Of that sort II likely 10 hap
pen now Republican France will not
interfere with rising repubiicanlsm IN
the Iberian Peninsula, and mOnarchlcaI
Spain will scarcely venture 10 send an
army into Portugal lest the next morn
ing should see urgent need of its recall
10 quell a republican revolution at home
Porrugars best friend and practical ally
i Great Britain. whose interests III tnat
country are paramount. and II IL nat
ural that British ships should hasten
thither for the safeguarding Of British
interests. much as our own ships went
10 the Nicaraguan coast, But beyond
the protection of foreigners, unless some
most extraordinary conditions occur,
the Portuguese. Notwithstanding Great
Britain's treaty with Portugal, are likely
10 be left To work out their own saliva
tion.
How they will do it is problem
which we cannot regard with confidence
Of its easy solution. A nation in which
fewer than one-fourth Of the people can
read and write. and which has had 10
experience whatever in self-government,
il not an inspiring candidate for repub-
lieanism The Republican party IS
numerous and has intelligent leaders.
whose capacity for efficient leadership l.
yet 10 he demonstrated. Mr. Machado.
the titular head Of the party, was once