Evening star., 1914-02-08


and is passing from the old to the new
under the regime of AL
Alfonso fonso XIII. who has won
pr.;s.a the title OF the demo-
@' cratic king" The Espagna
recently published a letter from the
Duke de Montpensier in which. re-
ferring to his cousin the king. he said:
The day l read in the Spanish jour
nails the declaration OF republican
leader that the traditional obstacles
which had prevented an entente be-
tween republicans and the monarchy
had disappeared under the regime of
the king who had democratized Spain.
! said to myself: My cousin Alfonso is
truly a grand king"
And only recently King Alfonso has
given other proof of his grandeur and
independence in the prompt dissolu-
tion OF the cortes at the suggestion of
Senior Dato. the president Of the coun-
ell.
BY virtue of article Of the constitu
tion the king recently signed the de-
cree of dissolution OF the cortes. Ac-
cording to the constitution parliament
must assemble three months after the
dissolution Such being the case the
president of the council will conyoke
The I'd ultimo Senior Dato invited a
group of journalists to tea at his
ministry He sketched the general
lines of the liberal conservative pro-
very much that outlined in the remark
able speech at St Etienne of ". BRAND
the former French minister Senior
Dato invited the attention Of his guests
to the following: The labor problem
social reforms, emigration. treaties of
commerce. etc
A journalist Invited the premier's at
tention to what a certain journal had
said with reference to his having
formed his majority by the aid Of
more than forty members OF the aris-
tocracy- And Senior Dato replied that
II was precisely by such coalition
ne hoped to consummate the immense
force OF the iberal-conservative party
The cabinet. he said. had taken the
initiative in solving other perplexing
questions. the arrangement of strikes
which threatened the economical de-
velopment Of the nation. The royal de-
generalization tended to produce inn
lportant results not only in Catalonia
but in those provinces which had been
the cradle of the monarchy.
Eleven provincial deputations were
preparing to establish unity of action in
accordance with the law and In their
common interests.
Senior EasqueZ Melia. the cariist lead
er. in an interview on the subject of de-
Capitalization.
Carlist Leader which was be-
on Decentralization. ing .sa S. $50
declared that he favored the royal de-
cree He recalled that it was Jacques
II. King of Aragon. who in the cortes
|of Barcelona delivered his speeches in
Catalan without ever raising the ques-
ton of national unity.
Senior Gabriel Maura son Of the lead
Ter of the conservative right, sees in the
royal degree of the .'Mancomunidades
the triumph of the theory of his party
On the other hand. Senior Count
iRomanones had published in his own
journal the declaration of his intense
satisfaction as to the decree 1t was
posed in the senate at the risk OF de-
Istroying his own cabinet.
Senior Dato thus finds himself in the
position to solve by the aid of former
being able said one of his parttsans OF
solving the question of establishing the
equilibrium of an egg after the simple
plan of Christopher Columbus.
1t may be recalled just here that the
original cause of the fall of the Roman
ones cabinet was the question called
.Mancomunidades. which had provoked
dissenson in the ranks of the liberalists.
Count Romanones. for a fact. inherited
from the Canalejas cabinet the project
of the "Mancomunidades." which granted
to municipalities and provincial deputa-
tions general councilsD the faculty OF
forming among neighboring provinces ad-
minsfrative unity. A sort of regional au-
tonomy which would he a solution OF the
Catalan problem. the perpetual cauche-
mar of Spanish politics.
Now. Senior Montero Rios. the chief of
government. fell in 1905 because of the
Catalanist troubles at Barcelona and OF
his known hostility to the law Man
communicates and AGAINST which he had
protested and resigned the presidency
of the Senate Senior Garcia Prieto. his
son-fn-!aw although he had accepted the
project when a member of the Canalejas
cabinet seized the occasion to manifest
his latent rivalry to Count Romanones
by overthrowing the cabinet.
The day preceding the crisis. which had
been foreseen the Catalanists. fearing
the definite failure of their hope. organ
lied great meeting at Barcelona. which
recalled that of the Catalan Solidarity
League in l!siS. The Cataians demanded
that whatever happened the cortes should
not be dissolved before voting the Man
comunidades.
When Senior Dato assumed power he
found himself face to face with this
difficult question and no
Catalanian one knew how he would
or could solve it. Al any
ASSue. rate this was the point OF
view of the Spanish press. but the SIT
uation did not appear 90 difficult when
II is understood that the conservative
right. under Senor Maura. was commit
ted to the Catalanist project, In tacI
senior Maura was the author in ls"'
,f the project called local admlnistra-
f;on.- which was nothing less than
that of the .'Mancomunidades winch
took its inspiration therefrom
The coming of Senor Dato. however
sipnitied the exclusion of scnor Maura-
senior pato hesltated to conNoke the
cortes and thus risk being placed IN
the minority, it being understood that
In spain il was customary on every
change Of ministry that the cortes
must be dissolved and renewed py eiec-
ton. Senior Dato nevertheless mad re-
course to the decree Of December io,
IS13 which was promulgated with the
Following explanations:
First the attitude of the conserva-
tires on IN question of local adminis-
,,ravincpS. second. tnat