Evening star., 1926-06-06
The Story the Week Has Told

thuiasts for the capital levy. AS
BRAND does not see eye to eye with
the Right on most matters other than
financial or fiscal, his position Is OBJ
viously more precarious than ever
the strain on his funambulatory gen
ius more severe.
Under the circumstances, 1t is eX-
ceedingly fortunate for the govern
ment that the Moroccan War has been
ended successfully, and that the Syr.
ian difficulties are close to a satisfac.
tory settlement. Some doubt on the
latter head is permissible. but NJ. Jou
venel, the French high commissioner
emphatically asserts that very little
remains to be done toward com
plete and satisfactory pacification. He
Is on his way to France and would
hardly be doing so were he not con
vinced in that sense.
The French Senate has ratified, 272
to 6, the Locarno instruments.
Portugal.-After one knows not how
many insurrectionary fiascos since
the last previous success in that kind,
a successful coup has been put across
After some waverings the army and
navy were won completely to the
movement, of which the leading
spirits are Gen. Da Costa and Comdr.
Cabecadas. The latter is born revo-
lutionary. He was conspicuous In the
revolution of 1910, which overthrew
che monarchy and set up the repub-
lie. and he was the leading spirit in
the mutinies of April and July last
wear. The movement. entirely blood.
less. smacks not a little of Primo de
Rivera's affair and apparently de-
serves the name of revolution. It's
slogan is Down with the politicians"
But though the ministry was, OF
course, sent packing, apparently it
was hoped to keep President Machado
on the job Machado, however, failed
to oblige. He invited Cabecadas to
form a government, and, upon the
commanders presenting provisional
cabinet of military and naval men
resigned. Parliament Is not in ses
sion. and, indeed, immediate disso
luton seems proposed.
The provisional cabinet has given
place to a formally constitutional cab
met of eight members. The premier
and minister of the interior is Comdr
Cabecadas, the minister Of war and
colonies is Gen. Da Costa, the min
lister of foreign affairs is a general
the minister of the navy, naval
commander; the ministers of instruc
ton, Justice, finance and agriculture
are civilians undemoralized by polltl
cal associations. The ministers of the
interior, foreign affairs and war con
stitute "a supreme committee. One
infers a dictatorship in essence. But
is the dictatorship a triumvirate' OF
does the committee of three cor
resnond. on a smaller scale, to the
Snanish military directorate. Cabe
cadas as premier playing role cor
responding to that of Primo de
Rivera. president" of the Spanish
military directorate? Cabecadas has
informed a protesting delegation OF
the Labor Confederation that military
control will be maintained only long
enough to purge the body polite and
establish things on an efficient basis
SO much accomplished, the control will
he turned over to a purely civilian
government Of non.party men,. A
rather vague assurance.
The causes of the revolution are
fundamental. Fisc and finance are
a. mess. But the cause is worse
than that. The whole economic
structure requires drastic overhauling
The natural resources OF Portugal
are ample. She should be economicall'
self.sufficient and solvent. But manage
ment is lacking-has immemorially
been lacking. The political chaos
since the revolution Of 1910 has ag
grayated the economy maladies. or
rather. there has been vicious politica
and economic interaction. Can thu
military and naval gentlemen supply
the management required? Is, or Il
not, the parliamentary sysetm dis
credited for Portugal? What price eff
ficiency? We are asking. the sam'