The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-18
King Alfonso's Choice
Premier Not Regarded
Favorably.

SSSA4AASS wv S>~0ee
Favorably.
BY La MARQUIsE DE FONTENoY.
r ROM dynastie point Of view. Al
r fonso XIII has been singulariy
4 unfortunate in his selection OF
Count Romanones Is his new PREMIER
In succession to the murdered Don
Jose Canalejas. For Romanones.
(whose patronymic 10 Ftguerea. ano
whose family have been In Malaga Tor
some generations what the FugSers
were IN the middle ages In Au9spurs,)
is generally credited throughout Spain
Justly or unjustly-wtth having ms
young sovereign In his financial Tolls
to such an extent that the latter 70 NOT
a free agent. Indeed. 1t 10 claimed that
all the military operations around MO
lila. which cost Spain 90 much hfe
and treasure. and all the trouble with
France, which inflicted such tncalcu-
liable injury upon the industry OF
spain and her trade with her northern
peighbor, were. due to the syndicate
headed BY Romanones being bent ON
securing the hinterland OF Melilla Tor
its great mineral wealth. In fact. tine
RomaEoEes syndicate has long mao
concessions Of all mineral rights In
the district. but was naturally unable
to turn them 70 account. or to work
rule and sovereignty over that por'
ton OF the Moorish empire. That h
understood to have been the reason
Of the Spanish war upon the Rim
Aoors. and Of the long drawn out
crisis between Spain and France re-
gardinx the formers pretensions to
territorial rights In Morocco. More.
over, the Republicans. the carlists.
and the other foes Of the crown ana
of the present Liberal regime. do not
hesitate to proclaim on every occasion.
and to promuIgats In the press. the
idea that all the Spanish lives tnat
have been sacrificed In the military
operations In Northern Africa. and all
the fortunes. the business concerns.
and the industries that have been
wrecked through the recent trouble
with France. may be laid ut the door Of
Count Romanones. and Of his Rin
mining syndicate. adding that through
the large sums Of money which he has
loaned to the King. he has been able
to compel the latter to conform the
policy of Spain In Morocco and In
France to suit the selfish interests OF
the Romanones syndicate. rather than
those OF the nation.
Now these popular imputations
against Alfonso XIII may not be true;
at any rate perhaps not In their on
tirety. But that they are widely be-
Meved throughout Spain It 10 impos-
sible to deny. Equally incontrovert-
ible, is the fact that Count Romsnones
and his financial ring have vast mining
interests in that portion Of Northern
Morocco which has finally been recog-
nized by France n the Spanish sphere.
Under the circumstances, the selection
by the Kink Of Count Romanones rs
Premier in the place Of the late Jose
Canalejas 10 most unfortunate In
every way.
Count Romanones IL enormously
rich. even from an American point OF
view, and owns most OF the country
around Malaga, where he 10 extremely
influential have referred above to
his family as playing In Malaga. In
present and Immediately recent times
much the same role that the FugEers
did at Augsburg in the middle ages
But whereas the Fusgers enjoyed a
world wide reputation for financial
and commercial honor and integrity.
the new Premier Of Spain has been
the leading spirit In all sorts OF un-
savory financial operations: operations
which have usually eliminated In the
mulcting Of the state ana the people
for the benefit Of interruptions hnan-
cierS.
Among the operations In which he
has been involved have been the Rio
de Ora business. the tobacco monopoly,
the bolstering up OF the Transatian-
ito Line, and last, but not least. the
mining concessions In the hinterland
1T. n
tained in the drst place from tn
Moorish bandit and pretender Ell Rogh1,
but which, Of course, were practically
valueless until Spain acquired control
OF the country, and subdued the tur-
bulent population which rendered the
exploiting Of the concessions impos-
eible.
A former associate Of Count Ro-
manones, and one with whom he ha
since bitterly guarded. Il Senior VIII
lanueva, who. until his differences
with the count. was president OF the
latter's Spanish mining company In
Nelilla- villanueva, who u . former
Liberal member OF the Cortes, has not
hesitated to publicly assert. In his
speeches and In print. that the murder
by the natives Of the four Spanish
workmen outside AeINla. which fur
nished Spain with . pretext for the
military operations around Aeljl1a
three or four ysars ego. operations
that have continued ever since, was
deliberately organised with this object
in view. Nor has Romanones ever
made any attempt to bring Senior VII
lanIeva to book f0e this amazing &C.
cusation. which, In consequence. there
has come to be widely believed
Associated with Romanones are the
Duke of Tovar. the Marquis CamaIlas.
the Count Guell. the latter . morga-
matte connection OF the reign1ng family.
II IL only fair to Alfonso Kill to state
that II he has became involved In op-
pressive and almost in0upportable n
nancial obligations towards Roman
ones. IL has been due to his extrava-
gances In maftsrs q sport and Of
charity. out not In those OF vice. II
has been Justly said Of the young
monarch that he II without vices. that
his life h sinEulariy clean ~ tar a.
morality 10 conc srned. that he has kept
clear from all those extra-domestic