Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-10


And then again. one might feel sorrier for
Portugal but for the fact that the man who
engineered the whole affair Is Alfonso Costa.
In all the confusion of information about the
Portugal of the last few years one name has
kept bobbing up at every turn of events. That
name is the name of Alfonso Costa
For several years there has been general
expectation that any day the world would
hear of the assassination of this foppsh-ooE-
ing tenth-class lawyer and first-class unscru-
pulous politician. A British publicst, a couple
OF years ago, declared that what is almost
certain is that Alfonso Costa will soon be
murdered by some of the republican extrem-
lists" and he added that, with all his faults,
there is nobody to replace him" For Costa is
the man who has kept the ship of state from
running on the rocks he it is who through
hypocrlsies and trickeries has enabled his ma
ton to weather the storms of domestic mutt
nies and conspiracies. He controls the shaky
destinies of "the nightmare republic"
"Assassinations" That Failed
1t hasn't been clear sailing for the country
since the monarchy was overthrown by the
murder of Carlos and his son and the deposng
of young Manuel. 1t has peen a period of
speechless pusllanimity on the part of "the
people" of Portugal, Elections farce, politics
Conspiracy has become a business 1t Is at
present the only business that pays in Portu
gal. Moreover, II produces a vicious circle of
plot and counterplot like the bogus plot and
counterplot so profitable to the Russian secret
police" How far matters have improved is
shown by the fact that Costa still runs the
Government. Costa is Costa and so long as
Costa is boss Costa is Portugal,
Costa has filled other important offices since
then and is now Premier and Foreign Min
lister, but he hasn't changed his spots. The
ablest man in Portuguese political life, he Is
demagOgue through and through and a man
of unsavory repute in both private and public
life. He schemes out" his every action. A
writer who knows his character says that
now, if the worse came to the worst, he would
run for cover. He has done it before, so
there is no libel in the statement. Was it not
he who hid in a newspaper office when the
revolutonists in Lisbon were iamming the
Rotunda and the boy king in flight? So
history sayeth. Was it not Costa also who,
when the danger was over, valiantly rushed to
the City Hall and proclaimed the new repub-
lie? History so records, 1t also records GER
tain incidents of that exciting period in Portu-
guese affairs which, il Portugal were not the
funny country it is. and Portuguese states
men not such a self-seeking lot. would read
like a comic opera lbretto."
You see he hasn't been assassinated yet by
royalist republican extremist, or anybody
else. Costa became Minister Of Justice in the
first Cabinet of the first Government under
the republican regime In seven years, by the
way, there have been seventeen different Min
istries. Costa chose the job because he knew
the "pickings" would be good. In this office
he Immediately began a long series of Sup
pressions" calculated to down his enemies and
raise his own prestige (such as 1t was. and Isl.
Those opposed TO him were arrested not only
because they were said to have spoken i'll of
him, but also because they We're sometimes
suspected of laying plans to assassinate him.
At time, in fact, these suspected
"assassinations" became the cause OF amuse-
ment in Lisbon. One poor fellow. arrested in
the very act $50 it was sent out by Costa's
friends) was found to have nothing more ter
rible on his person than a blunt iackknafe
Another-this time a small hoy-was dis
covered with pistol IN his hand but kne# so
little how 70 use Il Ehsf when he nred at Tie
railway carriage II whIell EaaIa eas about e
travel q BE lailsa entirely e ~ Ihe eazslazs