Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-22
THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN.
1.-THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
By Frederic J.Haskin.

formed. with Canalejas as president. and
at the next elections Canalejas secured
majority in both houses OF the cortes.
He came into office immensely popular
and wholly pledged to anti-clericalism.
He had not been in office a year before
he was pretty generally charged with
having entered upon his duties under a
complete understanding with the church
mat nothing prejudicial TO its interests
would be done under his regime. Sew
eral laws. among them the paddock
law. were suggested ostensibly to regu-
/ ate the orders and received the support
| OF the anti-ciericalists In the cortes but
| were found when sifted to be ''fangless.
The Canalejas program. upon paper.
was an excellent one. Ii included anti
clerical legislation, taN-reform laws, land
rent reform laws, laws to facilitate the
formation of practical labor unions: laws
to regulate contracts between employer
and employe for the interest Of the lat
ter laws to regulate the labor of chill
! dren and women. and. in fact a model
program of reform legislation looking TO
the carrying out of his undetermined am
bition to EuropeaniZe" 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
democracy. But in the light of events is
| 1t reasonable 10 assume that Senior Ca
naleJas ever expected TO see a tenth Of
| it enacted into law?
! In the summer of 1910 the people had
become so disappointed with what was
considered the double dealing OF Pre-
mier Canalejas that an upheaval resulted.
huge meeting of protest was held in
Madrid. after certain election frauds had
accomplished, according to common re-
port. in the interest of the clericalists. to
affect the personnel of the cortes Re-
publicans and socialists pooled issues at
this meeting. and Meliquades Alvarez.
who formerly favored monarchy de-
| mocratized 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 Canalejas into un-
| wonted activ-
Was Frightened Into i,y. He again
Unwonted Activity. LOOK ossn Position ION
church. but nothing material resulted.
other than the issuance of a royal order
| requiring the enforcement of an edict
eight years old compelling religious or
ders esta blished in Spain after its procla-
nation to register and to pay tax on
trades carried on by them. The church
party either took this modest step of the
former agitator as an earnest OF real
activity, or pretended for tactical reasons
to do so. and prodigious TODD followed
| The Archbishop of Toledo defied the au-
| thorities to attempt to enforce the de-
| cree. calling Rome and not Madrid the
seat o fauthority in SO far as the church
| is concerned. The clerical press teemed
i with articles speaking of the intention Of
| Canalejas to destroy the church and
| the religion of the people Of Spain. But
the intelligent man I'm the street laughed
| at the whole performance apd declared
that Canalejas was as likely TO harm the
church or effect the curtailment of its
| rights and privileges as if he were him
self monk.
The record Of Premier Canalejas. with
all its flaws, is not as discouraging to
the student OF conditions in Spain as
that of many other leaders. The history
of leadership is one of disappointment to
! the hopeful AS yet no heroic figure
| has arisen to point the way out of the
wilderness. Caciquism continues uninter-
ruptedly 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. Lack
ing schools. lacking initiative. lacking
honest leaders, overtaxed. discouraged,
the masses curse the existing conditions
without having any great hope OF any
better conditions developing.
Reform parties multiply in number
without gaining in aggregate strength:
elections continue to exhibit an utter rot
! tenness that would surprise the most cor
rupt election worker in America: mem
bers of the cortes continue to make the
air sulphurous with denunciation of inn
morality in politics while holding their
| seats as the result of it, and a muZZled
press continues to print only what it 10
| allowed to publish.