The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07
Copyright. 1913. by Curtis Brown.)

t1opyflght, 1915, by Curtis Brown.)
IsBoN, December 6.-(SpeciaL) )-Un-
happy Portugal is under the heel
- of despotism more cruel than any
which marked its career as a monarchy.
Compared to the democratic" government
of DR.. Alfonso Costa, the strong man of
present day Portugal the regime of Man
uel's father. King Carlos, under which
the people were goaded to political assas-
sination, and the later regime of Manuel
and his avaricious mother, were Area
dian. Today the life and property of ev-
cry man. woman and child in the whole
country are at the mercy of a hard,
Z cruel, indicative, ambitious man; and,
despite the fact that Portugal has passed
through one revolution and three counter
revolutions in the past three years, no
statesman with even hint OF the power
necessary to challenge this political ad-
yenturer has made an appearance.
1t Is a sad commentary upon the moral
degeneration of this country, this poverty
of strong men. This same weakness man.
ifested itself in each of the three counter
revolutions and particularly in the most
recent when hundreds of suspects were
arrested without even show of resis-
tance. And it is responsible also for the
success of men like Costa. The inner
history of the rebellions of 1910 has never
yet been told and 1 have not here the
room to do SO, but in few words 1 can
relate enough to give good idea of the
ridiculous situation.
Alfonso Costa has been for years an
agitator against the monarchy. He was
the leader in the public agitation and
the secret Vaccinations that led up to
the revolution that sent Manuel skedad-
ding out of Portugal and established
the present republic. But an examina-
ton of the real facts of the case does
not reveal Costa and his fellow conspir-
ators in any heroic light. The plotters
thought they had everything arranged
in apple pie order and gave the signal
which they expected would bring the
best part of the army out in open re-
volt. Instead, much to their astonish-
ment, not single regular officer re-
sponded and only about 800 of the 2500
troops in Lisbon marched out of their bar
racks. This forlorn contingent took up
a position in the Avenida Liberadade, the
finest street in Lisbon, close to the out
mand of one Machada de Santos. a for
mer clerk in the commissary depart
ment of the army and handful of nom
commissioned officers, they proceeded to
barricade Themselves.
Meanwhile the real leaders of the re-
VOLT including, of course, Costa and 9TH
ers of the present government, receiv-
ing word that most of the army and all
of the regular officers had remained loyal.
decided that the game was up and left
the city of Lisbon In hurry. While
they were speeding to the north, the rev.
olutionary ''fiasco' was pursuing a
strange course in Lisbon. Much as the
800 troops barricaded in the Avenida
wanted TO follow their leaders they We're
hemmed about by four times their num-
ber of loyal troops, so they had no
choice but to remain and fight. Fortu-
nately for them and for the success of
the revolutionary movement, their leaders
had selected time when practically
every responsible military officer was out
of Lisbon and In their absence the 2Ooo
outwardly loyal troops. without officers
to lead them, proved absurdedly helpless
against De Santos and his 500.
Another circumstance conspired TO help
the revolutonaries. The largest of the
Portuguese gunboats began sheling the
Necessidades palace where Manuel was
entertaining the officers of a Brazilian
dreadnaught. Without waiting to pack
Manuel skipped and news of his flight
quickly spread through the city. 1t was
this circumstance more than any other
that demoralized the loyal troops and de-
cided the day. 1t is an almost laughable
commentary that one round of shot from
one of the forts in Lisbon would have
sent the Vasco De Cana to the muddy
bottom of the Tangus in double quick
time,t yet there was not officer with
moraJ courage enough to give such an
order nd see it carried out.
1t i hot strange, then, that a people
again = whom it is possible to do these
things should lack the stamina, the in
itiative and the moral and physical
courage to break the yoke imposed by
Costa. Yet Costa is clever man, a man
strong enough to WELD immense influ-
ence, even among a strong people Now