The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-01
PORTUGAL IS NOT A
HOPELESS FAILURE
Steps Being Taken to Root
Out Corruption

| London July 1.-(Special.) AFTER
well nigh a century of forgetfulness
Europe has of recent years had its
attention called to Portugal by Sc
ries of sensational events-the dicta-
torship of Senior Joa Franco. the as
sassination of King Carlos and his
son. the revolution. and flight of King
Manuel the establishment of the re-
public and the monarchist fascos of
1911 and 1912. says a special dispatcn
to the Chronicle.
fierce light beats on republics as
we'll as on thrones. and Portugal and
its new government have come in for
much criticism. which. however we'll
meant, has. in the main. been marked
by ignorance or forgetfulness OF con-
ditions. deep-rooted. which existed long
before the revolution of October s.,
1910.
Why" is it asked. for example, do
not the republicans consult the coun-
try in fair election? Why should LIS
ben and Oporto rule the nation?p
NOW how can anyone seriously talk
OF a fair appeal to the country when
the percentage of those unable to read
and write Is commonly put at 10, and
when the only existing election law.
heritage from the monarchy, Is that
appropriately styled by Franco, arch
monarchist though he was, "the shame
less job" when no idea of what we
mean by fair election exists or has
existed. let alone the machinery for it ?
Under the Monarchy
As for Lisbon and Oporto ruling the
country, are there not concentrated in
these cities all the conscious, active.
corporate life of the nation, whether
political, Industrial or social and, de-
spite Coimbra. three parts of the edu-
cational? Under the monarchy every
species of chicanery and administra-
tive abuse was used to gag and de-
fraud the cities. Lisbon and Oporto
We're practically disfranchised. BY the
Juggling of electoral areas, the incor-
poration of vast stretches of circumja- :
cent? land, by fraud, by the voting of
police, by every possible device, it was
sought to stem the ever rising tide of
republican votes. The landlord and tho
priest brought their ignorant peasant
voters to swamp those OF the progress
sive cities.
Today tho tables are turned: the
sceptre has passed from the landlords.
the priests, and the so-called governing 9.
families to the industrial and com
mercial, the progressive classes. The
NitiSS nave iCdItu themselves ABOVE the
vast unorganized' and uneducated mass
of the country interests which hitherto
have held them down.
why are you 50 bitter In your feel
ings toward the church and the
priests?" That is another question often
asked. Let good republican answer.
where" said he, "is my country to-
day? IL she is poor. who was rich. ig
norant. who was cultured. despised
who was great? Why is 1t, but tina
the church, which has built up Its vast
prison-like converts in every village
and township and grown rich while
the people have become poor has
crushed out all learning but its own.
and has practically let the nation die
Tor lack of knowledge. For us, there
fore. the enemy is clericalisin
Let the student turn for a moment
to those vivid pages in which Lord
Macauley describes the last days of
the reign of James 1.-THE ever grow
ing unpopularity of the King and the
court. the anti-papist plots, the fierce
tide of popular hatred against the
Jesuits which swept all before 1t and
left the King and Queen. abandoned
and betrayed, to flee. hunted fugitives
from court and capital. That is fit
ting parallel to the precipitate flight
of Queen Amelia and King Manuel
from Necessidades and Cintra TO the
beach of Ericeira
Discoveries of Abuses
So. few years after that happen
ing, 1t Is not strange that some peo-