Evening star., 1924-11-17
|ALL SPAIN APPEARS
| BESET BY UNREST.
Strict Censorship increases
Revolt Fever, But Conserv-
atives Are Strong.
BY OLIVER FOX.

BY Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
MADRID, November IA strange
situation has arisen in Spain. There
is abundant evidence that the authori-
ties are engaged in a struggle to the
death with the many forces of disorder
The battle at Vera last Friday be-
tween frontier police and a we'll armed
oand of half hundred desperadoes
who had been sent from Paris by some
mysterious organization; an attempted
assault by the Communists on the mill
tary barracks at Barcelona on the same
day, for which two men. captured red
handed, have been summarily tried by
court martial and garrotted, and many
arrests reported from all parts Of Spain
point to widespread unrest.
|. Distrust Is General.
Nevertheless, the censorship remains
inf1exlble, and the anxiety of individuals
IS increased by wild rumors, which are
not allayed by the statements of the Off
cial 'communiques press" owing to the
distrust of the public for government
news.
This distrust is general, but it must
be added that il is not altogether juSti-
fed, for the history of the military
directorate shows that no event of any
real importance has been willfully with
held from the public.
Only Official News.
Extreme prudence has characterized
the manner in which news has been
divulged, but news has reached the
public. Recently a press association o!
Spain petitioned the directorate to abol-
ish the censorship, arguing that it was
1t, M {
strangling the press to death. The reply
was ii rebuff. coupled with the frank ad-
mission that censorship is necessary to
the existence Of the directorate. There
is no news, therefore, except the OFF,
cial news, plus the wild rumors that
nothing can stop.
The question one most often hears
is: is this the long expected reVolu-
tion?" 1t has often been put In the
course of the last two decades when
the latent unrest of the country
whose political equilibrium is still
unachieved, has riZen to the surface
in a distinct wave.
But always the great conservative
strength of Spain has come to the
rescue and has overridden the tenn
porary crisis.
Spain is faced once more with a
dilemma and the uncertainty 1t i'm
plies. and he would be foolhardy who
would dare TO prophesy its outcome
But the lesson Of history allows OF
optimism and the belief that the
forces Of law and order will come
out again on top.
The situation, nevertheless, is grave
It is authoritatively described in the
words of Admiral Magaz, vice presi-
dent Of the directorate, who is acting
for Gen. Primo de Rivera while the
later is in Morocco and who said
In recent speech at an official cere-
mony attended by the King:
THE hour is grave. Allow me to
digress from the subject of olive oil
the national conference at which
the admiral was presiding-"to con-
trast the useful activities of the agri-
cultural element with the conduct OF
the other elements who, calling them
selves the directors of the intellectual
youth of the country. impatiently SOW
alarm and contribute to and spread
the pessimism which is incompati-
BILE with the tranquil evolution of a
government.
There also Is a great contrast with
the activities of those who in the
name of a false liberty organize, be-
yond the national frontiers, armed
bands composed of the scallywags
of humanity and the cast-offs of the
Great War and send them TO Spain
in an endeavor to provoke revolu-
tion."
The gravity of the situation in
Spain, thus described. is overshadow-
ing for the time being even the tre-
mendous struggle of the army in
Africa.
Copyright, 1924. by Chicago Daily News Co.,