The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-11
BY CHARLES y. STEWART.

~ CHARLES +. StTEMART.
LISBON, Feb. IL BY Mail to New
York. THE greatest surprise the ne"
republican administration of Portugal
has met with has been the delay by
other republics, particularly the United
States, In recognizing the new gov
eminent
We were anxious for recogni-
ton" Foreign Minister Bernardino
Machado said To me, and we took
il for granted that your nation was
great enough and Independent enough
10 grant il without waiting fer the
great monarchies TO do so first,
ITO what do ! attribute the deiayf
Well, there is the matter of the
Panama canal America may feel
in connection with that enterprise
Perhaps the Washington administra-
ton is waiting to know what the
British would like"
President Tafts reference to the
new republic as a de facto" govern
ment has proved distssteful to Por-
tuguese offcialdom. why should the
phrase de facto' be applied 10 the
government OF the republic of Portu-
gal ?" Machado asked me, ANY more
than to the government of the repub-
them derive their powers from the
same source-the will of the people, "
In the organization of the perma-
nent government of Portugal.
Machado said that the trainers of
the constitution would probably be
governed more by the French par
liamentary model than by that OF the
United States. admitting that the
other systems place too much power
in one mans hands.
We contemplate no such program
OF legislation as England Is now en-
acting TO improve the peoples condi-
tion," Machsdo said. What we pro-
pose to- do is TO give the people.
through a Just government. an oppor-
tunity to improve their own condi-
ton
To this end there win be no attempt
10 lower the exorbftant tax rate In
Portugal, but serious effort will bt
made to give the people honest re-
turns on their taxes. Summed up
the republican leaders practically tel
the people that all the government will
do liz 10 remove legislative restraints
against an Improvement In their con
dition. The people are accepting the
dictum in way that can only lead
to trouble.
If the trouble fails 20 improve CON
ditions. the people are sure to turr
against the present government. There
will be another revolution and another
provisional Republic car
again. But II will surely be a worse
government than the present one fol
there are literally not enough, com.
petent and incorruptible men in por.
tugai to form another as good as the
present one. So. | am convinced, Their,
will be successive upsets until somt
man steps into the situation witt
strength enough to establish order by
the use Of force
Officials Are Visionary.
This may happen while the present
government lasts, but II will not bt
dofie by tine Revolutionary leaders al
a body. because as a body. although
clean. most OF them visionary
mere theorists, writer's and philoso.
piers. Moreover they are already
spill; 4Iate factions and intensely JeaI
Gus of one another.
To illustrate the point that the new
government Intends to give the people
chance to improve themselves, Ma
chatiu spoke CT the prevalence Of strikes
since The establishment of the repub-
lie. Under the monarchy" he said
there was a law against strikes II
Ia our view that workers have a right
to ask for what they want and tc
strike IL they don't get 1t. So we re-
pealed the old law and naturally strikes
resulted. The strikes. however, are not
anti-repubiican in the least"
Machado says that Portugal has no
aggressive military plans for the fu :
tlre and that while the constitutional
convention will likely provide for brief
compulsory military service the army
will be maintained only for defensive
In ha
There is absolutely no chance OF Por-
tugal forming a union with Spain, Ma
chado says
No Restoration for Manuel.
One thing that Machado and his Sec
rotary. Senior j. BataIha- Refs con-
vinced me Of was that there Will be no
restoration of exKink Manuel, no mat
ter what the outcome of Portugal's
governmental efforts. Batalha Refs
characterized what Is undoubtedly the
overwhelming sentiment regarding
Manuel by declaring:
THE people don't think anything
about him--good or bad. We don't
hold him responsible for anti-repubii-
can r7isgoverument. Here was mere
boy and mediocrity. He was merely
"A victim of circumstances and his reign
is ended forever"
Nor are there any Indications Of the
slightest hope for the pretender, Don
Miguel, His name Ia hardly mentioned
in Portugal
While the possibility OF return to
monarchism may be slight, there is
danger, as ! see *. of the establish
ment of military dictatorship. The
present governments hold on the people
is of the slightest. The vast majority
~ the people are densely ignorant and
have only "a slight conception OF what
are public means. The new govern
ment has not brought the expected
relief and the people are gradually be-
coming more and more dissatisfied.
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