Evening star., 1916-05-14
THE CHANGING SPANISH SITUATION

Spain becomes the center OF interna.
tional attraction. No one thinks that
Spain win abandon neutrality. Tho
peninsula has been compared to sort
of Sale des Pas Perdus.' or ante
chamber of a tribunal for the other ma
tions of Europe whose destinies will he
decided there. with Spain. perhaps. as
the arhiter. Has Spain some idea that
her former grandeur may be returned
to her? 1t Is not impossible that Europe,
wasted and worn by war, might re-
qure some great force such Spain
may be to preside AT least Professionally
over peoples whose governments had
been paralyLed by war. Besides, COM
mercial unions were already forming.
and Spain independent and unscathed
by war would prove n dominating force
! among these.
These considerations, without the
mention of others wholly speculative,
may be developed I'm the course of the
ultimate negotiations for peace, as yet
far distant. Meanwhile il will help us
to appreciate passing events by recall
ing certain incidents which have led to
the present situation.
The revolution of 1865 overthrow
| lisa bella, and Marshal Serrano held the
executive honor up to the advent of
Amedee l GS70). Amedee abdicated in
1878. when the republic was proclaim
ed and a Carlist insurrection arose, but
which was crushed to the profit of AL
fonso MI. who was succeeded in 1856
by his son. Alfonso MIL
The year 1898 was a new era for
Spain. The loss of her colonies obliged
her to fall back on her proper
| sources and break with her old fnan-
cial methods and adopt new ones more
in keeping with her European situa-
4 ltion. The HispanoAmercan war was
Lucrative and salutary. The advent OF
the young king opened the door to all
initiatives. and, the king, imbued with
sincere liberalism. Spain's diplomacy
entered new channels. with policy or
realism. Germany had turned her back
on Spain in 1895. Spain then turned to
France and England.
| In 1902 the liberal cabinet of Sa.
| easta favored an alliance with France.
| and at the same time a treaty pro-
! posed that the sphere of Spanish influ-
ence should be placed at Fee and the
| valley of Sehou. The cabinet Sflvelo
in 1904 adopted the policy ito be on
good terms with England. but on bet,
| France, it is recalled. were then bitter
rivals in Egypt and Morocco.
| In 1908 rumors announced that neEo-
tiations between the Quai d'orsay and
the British foreign office
| Germanv had been opened with the
view of regulating pend
ing questions. W Oul1
arrangement he made at the expense
of Spanish pretensions in Morocco?
| Germany was on the qui vive. The
German amba dor. Won Radovitz, and
Prince Henry conferred at Madrid in
May, 1903. and in March. 1904. the
! kaiser and King Alfonso XIII met at
! Vigo.
| Meanwhile July Il. l903) Silvela
made a speech in the cortes. in which
he declared that France and Spain
should live in complete harmony and
. friendship" After the fail of the Sill
vela ministry Canalejas insisted upon
an alliance with France and an agree
| ment with England Moret favored
3ritish alliance Villaverde, president
| of the council hesitated.
| April S. 1904, the Franco British en-
| tente was signed. The Spanish press
| was disappointed and reproached the
ministry that Notwithstanding two
| years of conversations had Iot
| placed Spain at table with France anu
| England" The liberals and conserva-
tives wrangled and charged each other
| with responsibility for these tergiVer-
ations. ,,,
| Germany, far from accepting her elm :
ination from the peninsula muI.lpiasI n;.,
her efforts to modify the commercia
negotiations inaugurated by the hostlie
| ministry of Canovas. She commenced
| first by solicitation and finally by per
emptory demands. Alfonso MI was
| to be impressed: he was young ana
| impressiona BILE. Wilhelmstrasse neg
| lected nothing to capture the young
monarch; naval demonstrations, prince
Iy embassies. military missions: ete.
| The interview between the king ana
| his imperial cousin at Nigo was made
| most suggestive and impressive. but
the kaiser nevertheless was authorita :
tive and condescending. and the I'M,
i preston was disastrous. Alfonso hlll
| was in Berlin in November, 1908. Inc
| emperor was overZealous that me
| Franco-Spanish relations should moi Dc
| frightened. In a protecting way ana a
| very relative sense of the opportunity
J he recalled to King Alfonso that MS
father had acceded to certain sugges-
tions of their imperial cha ncellery' anu
he then asked Alfonso Nil IT In case
| of war between France and Germany
! Spain would not proceed TO partial
| mobilization (200. 900 mem on the
| pyrenees frontier" The memoirs or
| Prince Won Hohenlohe subsequently at
| tested the truth of this assertion.
| &
During the visit of King Alfonso
XIII to the Prussian capital he is 50 ID
to have remarked that he
Alfonso,s saw nothing but police
and soldiers. soldiers ana
SiSlt. police The imparcial OF
Madrid. referring to the kings visit
to Berlin, said: Germany cannot
mean for Spaniards a political policy
but only intellectual indications Now,
there were in Berlin establishments
where Spaniards might have wished u"
leo-institutes. universities. laboratories
I-but the sovereign was not shown
, these
The Moroccan question passed to the
front place in European diplomacy ana
| served as the touchstone OF 'he
Franco Spanish entente. The voyage