The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-19
DUCHESS OF BEDFORD
Every Country Excepting Switzerland
Is Target for the Critics Who
Write for tho
Papers.


LONDON, June 9.-Republic-bait-
ing is almost as absorbing pastime
for some British editors as golf or i
cricket. n ga - -
The tory papers rarely overlook a |
favorable opportunity Of gliding the
United States-whether the question
be one involving the fracture of our
treaty obligations toward Japan, or
the misdeeds of Jack Johnson. With
manifest delight they chronicle the
periodical disturbance in Central and
South American republics, and with
real JUNCTION they comment on the j
troubles of the new. government in
China, About the only republic IN
the world that escapes their causttc
attention Is Switzerland. The Swiss
are quite all right just as they are
II they weren't all right they would
doubtless receive but passing notice.
1t would never do to foster a spirit of
dissension In country that is located
so close to the fulcrum of the Euro
pean balance"
Wherefore it isn't at all astonish-
ing that the duchess of Bedford man
aged to get SO much publicity in Eng
land with her recent expose OF atroci.
1 ties alleged to have been committed
by the republic of Portugal upon It's
monarchist prisoners ignoring en-
tirely the emphatic and categorical
denials made by the premier, DR..
Costa, and his cabinet colleagues to
/ the more serious of these charges,
and without stopping to investigate
4 the subject from other sources, a
large section Of the tory press imme~
diately began demanding diplomatic
intervention, If nothing worse. Even
such ordinarily level-headed publicists
as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were led
4 into writing to the Tines serious
ly suggesting that the British minis
ter at Lisbon be recalled as pro.
test
But now information is coming In
from reliable quarters showing that
the revelations" made by the duchess
were for the most part unfounded and
otherwise wildly exaggerated. No re.
Elections are cast upon her belief in
4 the genuineness of what she wrote or
upon the sincerity of her purpose In
writing 1t. Independent investiga-
/ tors-among them several OF her own
countrymen who have lived In Portu-
i gal for years-say that she was gross
ly imposed upon by persons unfriend-
ly to the republic and whose motive
obviously was to discredit the present
Lisbon government. in the hope ulti-
mately of causing It's destruction.
According to 8. H. Swinny. we'll
known English writer who recently
returned from the Portuguese capital,
the authorities have greatly modified
the system OF dealing with political
offenders that prevailed during the
monarchy, with the result that the
condition Of such prisoners there now
is even better in some respects than
it would be In England The cells in
the penitenciaria, where most OF
them are confined, are large, scrupu-
lousy clean, with semi-circular win
dows, and drinking water and cleo
trio lights in each. The prisoners are
now allowed to work In common and
for several hours daily the cells are
open 1t is admitted that there have
been several isolated cases Of harsh
treatment, but the government takes
adequate remedial measures when
i ,,,,.. 4basaI oro ronor%o ~ r.. a.,
stance, for example, the victim was
4 released and the governor OF the
post promptly dismissed from his
post.
The fact is, according to trustwor-
thy information reaching the United
Press that there is conspiracy on
. foot among the republics enemies "a
accomplish by indirect means what
the monarchists failed to do by in.
vasion last year and to make Eng
land party to the job, If possible
The treatment of prisoners is only a
pretext. Whether consciously or not
, those who have been disseminating
the stories of prison atrocities have
been playing directly into the hands
of the conspirators. The plan now S
to bring about an internal uprising by
creating prejudice against the repub.
lie abroad The conspirators figure
that If an uprising should take place
1t would likely be suppressed with
far greater severity than previous at
4 tempts and that the natural results
would be foreign intervention and
the downfall Of the republic. When
the abortive invasion of last year
/ took place it was openly stated In
Lisbon that both England and Ger,
many were in sympathy with the
movement That Spain not merely