The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-04-06
IS
ngll HAVING
MUCH UNREST
Financial and Political Con
ditions Are Becoming Sc
rious al This Time.
REPUBLICAN REGIME
May Be Overthrow as Pop
ulace is Unprepared for
Free GovernSsnt.

LISBON, April 6.-The general SIT
uation in Portugal may be character
ized as becoming serious, both the
4 financial and political condition Of
the country being decidedly unsatis-
factory. This state Of affairs. how
ever. is viewed with somewhat pes
simistic indifference by the nation at
large.
!, At the beginning not only the Re-
Ipublicans, but q good many Monarch
lists welcomed the advent Of new re-
gIme; but the Republican leaders
promised a great deal more than they
have carried out The, law Of separa-
ton of church and state Offended the
religious sentiments of many people,
while the increased taxes on capital
and the Landlords Law alienated the
sympathies Of the wealthy classes.
The civil administration Of the
country has BY no means been sat
isfactory, many capable and intellec-
tual men being thrust aside. this
being due to the fact that they had
not become Republicans before the
Revolution. At first mistakes were
expected, and almost everyone was
DESTROYS OF giving the Republic fair
IIchance, but since the Republican gov
eminent took offee little has been
done to effect REFORMS. Since October
Is, 1910, the annual expenditure has
Increased, whiIe tiIe revenue has con
siderably decreased.
parliamentary debates have become
abortive. deputies merely making long
speeches which are frandcally cheered
by their supporters, but few laws are
passed. "A great number OF projects
are presented and then refer,td back
to committees for study. after which
no more is heard of them. Party war
fare and seli-interest which were the
chief causes of tn destruction of the
monarchy, have already begun to dis
unite the Republican regime.
Senior Almeida, the chief Of the
conservative Republicans, seeing the
danger of the situation, has recon
structed his party and instituted new
program, the chief feature of which
is the remodeling of the law of sep
aration of church and state, altera-
lions in taxation. new electoral law
and other liberal schemes, the idea
being to attract all the moderately
disposed Republicans and Monarch
lists. 1t Is generally considered more
than doubtful whether he will have
any success, as the greater part of
the country has lost faith i nall poll
ticians. Moreover, the opposition Of
the more advanced Republicans is too
great to permit of any Roadway in
this direction.
This condition of affairs reacts or
commerce. Trade is now considerably
Iparaiyzed, while the lack OF money
is great In Portugal the bulk OF
trade is effected on credit, the banks
discounting term drafts. During tho
last few months, bankers, due to the
lack of funds, have reduced such fac
ilities to one-uuarter of the previous
amount, while the Bank OF Portugal.
which was the principal bank assist
ing trade. has practically stopped all
private discounts, the cash it has in
hand being sufficient TO supply the
constant demand for the governments
depleted Golfers.
The state possesses nearly ninety
per cent of the total Of the issue Of
the Bank of Portugal The circulation
of notes has increased steadily from
the time of the revolution Of 1910
without a concomitant increase in the
metallic reserve. The floating debt
has also been augmented. The
actual deficit amounts to about ten
millions yearly. People are posing
the question of what will become OF
Portugal in the event of a political or
financial upheaval.
This unsettled. condition Of Portu-
gal is attracting the attention of Eur
ope, and fears are openly expressed
in responsible quqarters that Euro
pean intervention may become neces-
sary- The recent general strike in
Portugal, which started as a labor
movement pure and simple, was
seized upon by anarchists and mon
archistic agitators As a means 81
l16rthering their movements.