The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1911-11-09
Why A1phop,so IS
Hard to Dust.
From the Literary Digest.

Va ~ AAsAhi l.
uprisings have come to nothing that
observers are growing a little skeptical.
Alfonso seems to stick to his throne
with a persistent and n~oncbalance that
pafhe the ~surgent or progreSS1veS,
or whatever they cali them in Spain.
Why is this? In Portugal one king was
assassinaIeu anu the next one sent out
of his realm on the run, but they We're
both unpopular. Alfonso Is thinner
than the Portuguese rulers. and lacks
that look of we'll fed indifference that
rouses the rage of the hungry poor.
That may seem q slim reason. but it
appeals to Vance Thomson, who writes
In Golfers on Spain as the Next Re
public" We read:
Had a fat boy sat on the throne of
Spain, there would have been long ago
q republic in that iberian land. But
the Spanish king is not like Don Car
los. He is the hardest king to over
..llrow in Europe. for he has all the
qualities that appeal to the ordinary
nEn and woman-especially if they are
Spanish.
Before his marriage he used to go
often of a morning to. the law school
In Madrid, sit anon the students, and
listen to the ecture. One day the Re
publican Deputy Accurate lectured on
he superior advantages of the re-
publican form of government. When
he was done, the young king went up to
him, smiling, and shook and
SACGSpl lAS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES piOISS-
sor." he said, "but-every man TO his
:rcae, Q
, n he is a master of that archaic
rade of his. Do you remember the be-
inning OF his reign? The gray squares
-, ii streets OF s;S;;:a.:;;; ::::o::s=a with:
1 Aople; suddenly the cannons doomed
y times, to say the king had come. In
SIDE the palace stood old d~isnitaries,
old ministers OF state, envoys from all
the courts of Europe. knights of the
[Nn1IA, TIArn .rNn~ ln,s = 40, aa mr.
the stately Duchess of Medina, bearing
on a golden platter the naked new born
king. Came ever a king so pictur-
esquely to an aSe-old throne! And
there was another day. after he had
been solemnly consecrated to the
Black Virgin of Antoeha (the protec-
tress of the royal family, when he
presided at the opening session of the
cortes. Cooling in his gilt chair Of
state, he listened; and the grave states
men debated affairs of state.
Now Il rational. time serving, pro-
g~ressive man would snort with dis
lain at this idiotic travesty of royalty;
and, Of course. il is absurd n me-
dieval and all that; but 1t preserved the
Spanish throne for over 20 years. You
see, some people are sentimental--ever
revolutionists are. Until he grew W.
the spaniards could. not be ~persuades,
that the tyranny of "Alfonsito
weighed heavily on them. Even when
~ 'sts - 'hi ~ LIZ 49, W ''N i'tN 'iSA-
him with his knife felt that way. The
little King was entirely at the mans
mercy, so he stood still. The anarchist
looked at him critically, then dropped
his knife.
NO" he said regretfully. "no-you
are too young"
And vent his way. Later, bomb
throwers took pot shots at him in We .
rious capitals of Europe, including hi.
own< but they could not kill him, and
they could not get the Spanish people.
as q whole, tc realize that Alfonso XIII
WIS al anachTonisfri d relic CT baf5ar-
ism. a parasite, a tyrant. and all the
rest Of it. He is such a frank, demo-
cratic youth, so gay and bold-in the
old French way-in the face OF death;
so full of wit and comradeship, SO dar-
ing and expert In all the sports; so
good a husband, father, son; so essen
TALLY q fine fellow that it is hard to
prod Demos up to the point of taking
his throne-or head.
And without Demos there are no rev.
olutions.
The theorists, the idealists, the hui
manitarians, the flnanciers, can only
blow on the Goals and hasten the blaze
l AVE said the kings personality is
the chief obstacle in the way of the
revolution which is being organized al
this hour in Spain. Here is an illus
! Barcelona the constitutional guarantees
> were withdraw for that province. There
was widespread terrorism there. The
i; anarchists were sullen and dangerous;
labor was angry and disconnected. This
! worst elements in Catalonia swarmeC
l into the city. And the king went tc
Barcelona. The police took every pre-,
caution. Their spies lowered every,
wherein cafes, streets, and squares
! Uniformed men lined the streets
, Troops We're under arms. When the
! king came he ordered all the guards
, sent away. The officials who were re
! sponsible for his safety protested.
{ "They must be all removed" Alton,
. SO insisted; and without Il uniform o.
4 sword in sight he went down amons
! the sullcn citizens of his disloyal city
Not a stone was thrown. not a seditiou:
:, cry was raised; here and there cam
! cheers for the king.
Another thing will delay-though I
cannot stop-tlle revolution. That Il
= the fact that the queen OF Spain wa
taken from the English court. TIL,
u English money which backed the Por
tuguese revolution and that Of tn,
young Turks is sentimental where tn
u English royal family is concerned. a
much as her royal husband, Queen En-;
whose bridal veil was torn by a piec
of the Moral and Ferrcr b~omb-stand
for the protection OF the old Spanisl
monarchy. These sentimental reason
=; Will pass away. With bioodshed o
without bloodshed. the new king
Democracy-will come to his throne i
Spain. as elsewhere.
u
Forbidden Fruit.