El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-22

f, cortes He came into office immense
| " popular and wholly pledged to anti
| clericalism. He had not been in Of
| flee a year before he was pretty gen.
orally charged with having entered
upon his duties under a complete un-
Outstanding with the church that moth
! ing prejudicia1 to its interests would
be done under his regime. Several laws,
among them the paddock" law, were
suggested ostensibly to regulate the
orders, and received the support OF the
anti-clericalists in the cortes, but were
found when sffted to be "fangless."
Paper Reforms.
The Canalejas program, upon paper,
was an excellent one. 1t included anti
clerical legislation. tax reform laws.
land rent reform laws, laws to facili-
tate the formation of practical labor
unions; laws to regulate contracts be-
tween employer and employee for the
interest OF the latter; laws to regulate
the labor of children and women, and.
in fact, a model program of reform
legislation looking to the carrying out
of his much vaunted ambition to "Eu-
ropeaniZe" Spain Had the program been
carried out. Spain would have emerged
from the darkness of the middle ages
into the. light OF the twentieth century
to stand near Great Britain in democ-
racy. But in the light of events IS 1t
reasonable to assume that senior Ca
nalejas ever expected to see a tenth
Of 1t enacted into law?
The UpheavaI of 1910.
In the summer of 1910 the people had
become SO disappointed with what was
considered the double dealing of pre-
mier Canalejas that an upheavaI re-
suited a huge meeting of protest was
held in Madrid after certain election
frauds had accomplished. according to
common report. in the interest OF the
clericalists to affect the personnel of
the cortes. Republicans and Social
lists pooled issues at this meeting and
Meliquades Alvarez, who formerly ia
vored a monarchy democratized like
that Of Great Britain. went over to the
Socialist camp and stood shoulder to
shoulder with Pablo Iglesias. the one
Socialist member OF the cortes
This demonstration Of popular rage
frightened premier Cana1ejas into un-
wonted activity. He again took a po-
sition against the church, but nothing
material resulted. other than the issu-
ance of a royal order requiring the
enforcement of an edict eight years
old compelling religious orders estab-
lished In Spain after its proclamation
to register and to pay tax on trades
carried on by them The church party
either took this modest step of the for
mer agitator as an earnest OF real ac-
tivity. or pretended for tactical reasons
to do So and a prodigious to-do fol-
lowed.
Archbfshop's Defi
The archbishops OF Toledo defied the
authorities to attempt to enforce the
decree. calling Rome and not Madrid
the seat of authority insofar as the
t.
teemed with articles speaking of the
intention of Canalejas to destroy the
church and the religion of the people
Of Spain. But the Intelligent man in
the street laughed at the whole per-
Torrance and declared that Canalejas
was as likely to harm the church or
effect the curtailmeht OF its rights
and privileges as II he were himself
a monk.
Corruption the Rule.
The record of premier tCanaleias.
with all its flaws. is not as discourage
ing to the student OF conditions in
Spain as that OF many other leaders.
The history OF leadership is one of dis
appointment to the hopeful As yet no
heroic figure has arisen to point the
way out OF the wilderness Caciquism
continues uninterruptedly to run the
government from the management OF
little municipalities TO that Of the
state. Corruption IN office Is the rule
rather than the exception. Lacking
schools. lacking initiative. lacking hon
est leaders. overtaxed, discoura gec, the
masses curse the existing conditions
without having any great hope Of any
better conditions developing.
Reform parties multiply IN number