San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-23
FORCE STILL
PREDOM|NATEs.
IN OLD WORLD
Decadence Of Statesman
ship Blamed for
Downfalls.
MOVE IS SPREADING
18th Century Political
Formulas Routed
Utterly.
nv ANDRE TARDIEU.

Copyright, by the san Antonio Light.
Paris, Sept. 22.-The Spanish pro-
nunciamento, which has been added
to the series of internal troubles that
have agitated the old world for the
last five years, furnishes one more
| proof that force still reigns as the
dominant power everywhere.
Its modern use in internal affairs
began in Russia where, undeS. the
pretext of Communism, Lenin, Tf6tzky
and their followers organized a die
tatorship surprising all in violence
and brutality.
Next came Greece, which in less
than four years overthrow two gov
ernments.
Bulgaria followed with the over
throw of Car Ferdinand by the peas
ant Stambouliski who himself was
overthrown, assassinated and dismem-
bered.
In Italy q Fascist army marched
on Rome, imposed its conditions on
the King and took over the govern
ment, over which its leader has ex-
ercised absolute authority.
Finally Spain comes on the scene
with Primo de Rivera's coup d'etat,
by which the Spanish chamber is
dissolved and constitutional guarantees
are suspended.
Can Add Germany.
One might add Germany with its
kapp putsch, its Saxon Communism
and its Bavarian nationalism giving
no particular spectacle of tranquility.
There is marked resemblance
among these movements.
That is the dsdainful abandonment
of constitutional forms, which the
nineteenth century considered as an
expression of the highest political
progress.
The soviet began by overturning the
constituent shooting its members.
The Greeks and Bulgarians took
almost unheard of liberties with the
elections.
Mussolini retained the italian cham
Der of deputies, but only after its
members had been given their choice
of obeying or disappearing.
Primo de Rivera did away with
both chamber and constitution.
Even in the countries that still
remain faithful to these institutions
the italian and Spanish coups pro-
voked none of the emotion they would
have 80 years ago. 49,.
The immediate reason for this state
of mind is that in many countries
the parliament is decadent, both as
regards men and methods. An old
stenographer in the 'Reichstag told
me ten years before the World War
that he had seen every parliament
since the founding of the empire
and that they had constantly lessened
in intellectually and productivity.
Weakness Of Middle Glass.
Parliamentary rule originally was
the creation of the middle class.
Those countries in which it has
failed are precisely the countries
which lack a middle class.
One concludes that the weakness
OF parliamentary institutions is synony-
nous with weakness of the middle
class.
Is this phenomenon to become gen
eral?
It is difficult to judge.
No doubt there exists, even in
France, certain detachment re-
garding the present regime.
believe, however, that a military
operation like the recent one in
Spain would be absolutely impossible
here.
With England We are the cradle
OF parliamentary institutions and
even when we recognize that they do
not work well, some secret instinct
warns us that experimentation is
costly.
There is no doubt that in a large
part of Europe the political formulas
of the nineteenth century have been
utterly routed.
Will the twentieth century bring
new formulas that will last?
do not know.
But 1t is clear that If the parlia-
mentary. system is TO last it must be
reformed and amended.