The Washington herald., 1922-10-24
King Alfonso Wins Army
Militants by Cleuerness
.junta, Union of Reforn,ers in Ranks, Exists
But PolDer Is Clipped.
ByTHoMAs STEWART RYAN

still unbroken. Twenty-Five young
officers. whom the government had
induced to declare themselves anti
tunta. were dismissed at the junta's
command. nor have they ever been
reinstated. Under villalba, minister
Of war for 1890. the tuntas secured
offices in the war ministry itself.
The crushing disaster at Mount
Arruit in 1921 awoke the juntas to
fresh activities. and they resented
particularly the honors awarded
Gen. Bersnguer., high commissioner
to Morocco. whom they disliked. La
Cierva, again war minister. felt
strong enough to adopt the hign
manner. but he found his list OF
awards blocked In the Cortes.
Showdown Comes.
Early this year came the show
down. Maura was premier, La
Cierva, minister for war. A young
oficer-with influential connections.
say the juntas-had been ordered
back to his post in Morocco. It
later developed that a special order
from the war ministry had trans
ferrsd him to a hospital instead. The
juntas demanded that he obey his
army superiors. La Cierva stiffened
He was willing TO make conces-
sions in other respects. He held,
however. that the war ministry
controlled the army, and he de-
ded that he should appoint the
juntas' Representatives in his ONCE.
When the juntss broke forth in =
roar of protest he wrote a decree
for their virtual dissolution and set
it before the King.
Alfonso now appears on the scene.
.ie had kept ms ear to the grouno
through all the dangerous days of
the juntas' power. and at this mo-
ment he knew that the rebels were
riding to fall. He bided his time
Hs wouldn't sign the decree. but
when Maura offered his resignation
the King said there was no hurry
sit around and wait a while" was
the substance of what the King said
to Maura.
Meanwhile there was no legitimate
government. Public op;nion-which
in Spain means the press and the
upper classes in the cities-blamed
all the country's ills on the juntas.
Spaniards. in fact. are prone to at
tribute social benefits or disasters
to one person or group of persons,
a phenomenon due. perhaps. to the
lack of a thoughtful middle class
A week passed. while the press and
the upper class were denunciatory.
and the lower classes. mostly illit-
erats and hence generally inarticu-
late. worked their farms and herded
their stock.
CIinches It.
Then the juntas knuckled under
One by one-cavalry. Infantry and
artillery-they announced that they
hadn't really meant all they said and
that they wanted to be good and
obey the government. The Kings
moment had come. He told them,
in effect: Now. you see. there was
no trouble after all. You and La
Cierva go back" Ara he signed the
decree which practically dissolved
the juntas as a secret body and
placed them under the ministry of
war.
Then the King clinched his vic
tory. In June he went to Barcelona
and delivered before the officers
there a speech which he had not
previously shown to his prime min
ister-an irregular act. He said:
This situation independent ac-
ton by the 5untaD cannot be per-
manent. II he who commands you
fails in his duty there are legal
means by which justice can be had"
and he went on to tell them that no
army can function with two heads.
There was a great ovation. Officers
of field rank broke down and wept:
others grasped the Kings hand. and
there were shouts Of ''Wiss Kingi
Good King!
Men who were present say that
the good sense and personal charm
Of the King won back the loyalty of
an army that was smarting under
political and military defeat. Again
Alfonso had proved himself the best
politician in Spain.