The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1917-09-14


9sEfelte1 WasA gesa. ut ~ ysllsw
OstAl y q daecsant ard her peepls
nostiy going without su11eisot % ct
-eeems 70 kesD intsEnat1oaal cheesv-
>ss here % IT, bsink a paunging Int
q stats Of disocdssiy turmoll iks tAat
recently witnessed n Russia.
ne sangu1naly events Of the world
var distr4ct attention. from King ~.
1cnso XuTs country. But history 10
being made there, which In normal
timss would MI - fren1 pages q tse
newspapers and b the principal topic
At discussioa hsre from the tea table
TO the cabinet room.
Spain II probably the hardest hit
By tie war Of all the nations except
those actually in the conflict. In the
early part Of the war the agitation
between pro-aIly and pro-Gefman
groups was looked upon ~ Q possible
source Of trouble. but this interna-
tional question IL now overshadowed
BY q multitude Of internal maladies
any one Of which would ordinarily be
considered Of major Importance.
Alfonso 10 HIsssd.
Alfonso. the athletic young king.
has lost his former popularity. BE
10 Missed In the theater and stays
away from polo games because Of an
tcipated disagreeable hostile dem
onstratiOns. This IL because he Is
blamed for the series Of impotent gov
ernments which battle weakly and
Intellectually against the nations null
hplying difficulties. But Alfonso Ii
NO kaiser. He Is as much at the mercy
Of the conflicting political currents
n his subjects. However, It IL the
prerogative Of kings subjects to
blame him for everything that hap
pens.
Mall dispatches received here de-
scribe the labor disorders in Spanish
cites. which have resulted in several
hundred deaths. as likely to Increase
rather than diminish. Perhaps this
Ii the most serious of the dangers
threatening Alfonso today.
The radical workmen. to be COM
pared with the Bolsheviki Of Petro-
grad, are pursuing course Of sabo-
tAge and destruction Ia an effort to
intimidate the authorities. But the
outbreaks In different cities appear to
have little connection and the move
msnt II not well organised.
Whatever power the workingmen's
revolution has arises from the fact
that II costs two and o half times
% much to live In Spain a. It did be-
fore the war. while wages. contrary
to the experience In most other coun-
tries, have remained stationary or act
ually decreased.
Many lines Of profitable manufac-
turing have had to close. because their
markets In the Teutonic countries
and In Russia have been cut Of
By war lines and because England,
Efance and Italy are stringently linn
itlng importations. In few lines the
entente allies have demanded all Spain
could produce and have made mer.
chants and manufacturers wealthy be-
yoAd their widest dreams. But these
exceptions have not relieved the gen-
eral situation.
Army lts Own Mastsr.
The army 20 far has proved depend
able when Get to the task Of putting
down the revolutionary workingmen.
But SPANS army Ii almost self-gov-
erning, - Russia's was for many
weeks last spring. before Kerensky
was able to use the spectre Of defeat
by Germany to restore discipline.
Every army corps and smaller unit
has. It appears. council Of defense.
This 10 especially representative Of the
noncommissioned oflicers and commits
sioned officers Of lower grade. who feel
themselves ill-treated by the bureau
cracy at Madrid. It win be re-
membered that In the army crisis
Of few weeks ago the officers were
able to force the release Of their lead
~ who had been thrown into fortress
prisons. The army trouble IL not set
tied. The oficers demand technical
changes In organisation. more pay. and
less favoritism In promotions.
A third clearly defined source Of
trouble is the separatist movement In
Catalonia. The Galatians speak q diff
1erent language from the people Of
Madrid. It might be described as mid
way between French and Spanish, a.
Catalonia lies between France and the
rest Of Spain. The Catalan II insult
ed II called a Spaniard-.Catalan II
what he likes al designation Of ma
tiouality.
The province Of Catalonia IL the
wealthiest. most prosperous and most
progressive In the country. Its cap
ital, Barcelona, II the center and hot
bed Of most revolutionary movements
in Spain. Most Of Its people would
rather be part Of France than OF
spain. They believe hidebound, In
curably antique government at Ma
trid L. preventing their taking place
with the most advanced peoples on
the globe.
Other Spanish provinces would also
like to break away from the Madrid
government, perhaps partly In imi-
. <a$ann af Catalonia hl1f mora on nc.