Imperial Valley press., 1915-02-25
Don't Want W ar.

Lisbon, Feb. 5-(By mail to New
York)-Dozens of times dispatches
have been sent out through English
or French sources representing Por-
tugal as about to plunge INTO the
GREAT war on the side of the Allies.
Americans may well have wondered
why this much -heralded event failed
to happen.
The British wish is father to the
thought. There is war party here,
but the mass of the intelligent Por-
tuguese realize clearly the folly OF
embarking on hostilities if the peace
can possibly be kept. As in the case
of Italy, sentiment for peace has been
augmented steadily by the recurrent
object lessons of misery caused by
the war from Belgium, France, Poland
and Servia.
The war question has caused
grave political crisis in the Portuguese
republic, now five years old. The
country is now under military gov
ernment. The new cabinet is war
cabinet, but it found the opposition to
its policy far greater than anticipat-
ed. One month after the war cabinet
took office the president suspended
il and called General Pimenta de
Castro to form the military govern
ment which now rules.
The cabinet had put the control Of
the government into the hands Of a
secret revolutionary party called the
White Ants. The cabinet found its
stumbling block in the army itself,
for the Portuguese officers are op-
posed to joining an expedition To
England.
The anti-war newspapers were Sc
verely suppressed, but nevertheless
the insurrection against the war cab
met became so alarming that on Jan
uary 20 sixty-four officers were ar
rested in Lisbon. Several officers
retired when they learned they might
be ordered to Great Britain.
The arrest of these leaders only
added to the discomfort, and when
it was seen that the movement was
gaining power the military govern
ment was installed ostensibly to
take the government away from the
political factions and put it into the
hands of the people As General
Castro is opposed to sending troops
to England until Portugal is threat
cilCt, IL II llOb llhtlN llldb lDC WdE
enthusiasts will have much to do with
the new regime.
General Castro's first act after as
sumlng charge of the government was
to release the sixty-four officers and
restore their swords to them He
annulled the suspensions of the news
papers and re-established the freedom
Of the press.
The insurrection is merely an echo
of the great popular belief that, de-
spite official statements, Portugal has
no cause for war in Africa. The
government has announced that Ger
mans have invaded Angola and has
given out the list of dead and wound
ed. But, despite popular hatred of
Germany the government has failed
to convince the public that it did not
take the first step.
This belief has been strencthened
by the surreptitious circulation of pri-
vate letters from reliable persons de-
scribing what has taken place.
When the first expedition went to
Angola the commander had sealed or
dcrS which Wc.o nC' TO he opened un-
til his troops landed. Renorts from
Angola insist that these orders told
hm to attack the German province
at once and take it by surprise. The
attack was made before the troops
were inspected, with the result that
when it came time to shoot, men
armed with one make of rifle found
that they had cartridges which should
have been given to someone else. The
sight of Zeppelin flying over them
added to the CONSERVATION of the
troops. All the modern rifles had
been sent to England.
These reports from relatives and
reliable friends have strengthened the
Portuguese determination to fight
only when Portugal has cause for
war. Germany's patience with the
tactics of the war party has added
nrnatl1, To ILn Lnlinc