Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
TREND TO REVOLT
GAINS IN SPAIN
Masses Wish for End of Die
tatorship and Return of
Regal Power.
2 LELAND STOWE,
snecial CORRESPONDENT Of The star.


MADRID. February 29-After all else
has been spoken or written about the
uneasy political situation in Spain to-
day. you must come eventually to what,
in the ultimate sense, is unqueStionably
SPANS most important problem. IN
side the Spanish borders 1t is usually
referred to with utmost delicacy or
merely limited at. Outside the frontiers
it is probably given little or no thought
by the average person.
Nevertheless. in the long view this
problem superSedeS all others. Express
ed concretely, ii is this; What effect
vii. the dictatorship Of Primo de Ri
vera have upon the Bourbon dynasty in
Spain? You can lay aside great many
other products and by-products OF the
Rivera regime, but this question is one
which no thoughtful Spaniard ignores.
Again and again I found it creeping,
directly or by innuendo, into the words
of Spanish citizens of many different
classes and professions with whom !
talked here.
FiguerOa Talk Recalled.
Perhaps there is no clearer or more
authoritative example than the refer
ence made by Don Alvaro Figueroa, the
Count de Romanones. He is a former
d
politics, an extremely rich man and at
the same time for years a friend of
King Alfonso. Despite all these factors.
the following words crept into his dis
cussion of SPANS present governmental
crisis:
The Spanish people are very patient,
but there is a limit to their patience"
the Count de Romanones declared. 1T
may be tested too far-even to the
point of ultimate danger to the mon
archy.''
This amounts to saying that there is
point in his support Of the Rivera
dictatorship beyond which it would be
imprudent, if not dangerous, for King
Alfonso to go. It is tacit admission
that it is entirely possible for the King
to jeopardize his succession-and pos
sibly even his own throne-if he fol-
lows blindly- any extremes to which
Primo de Rivera may feel justified in
attempting to 90. Likewise, it is EVIL
dence that, in the minds OF many re-
sponsible persons, some of whom (like
the Count de Romanones) have great
influence, the hour is approaching
when Alfonso ought to step from be-
hind the figure of the dictator and
assume his full and royal responsibility.
Possibly the Kings contention with
OfCI JUIAbASuA NAAa1CSts Ava
ows that he, too, has concluded to take
that step.
Revolt Tendency Seen.
A similar view, perhaps somewhat
radical, since 1t was expressed by a
Spanish officer in the artillery, was
voiced in this fashion. THE Spanish
people are reaching more and more
frame of mind favorable to revolt
some of them even favorable to revolt
against the King himself" This
opinion is probably overdrawn. for one
still finds everywhere in Spain EVIL
dences of genuine and great affection
on the part of the people for Alfonso.
In Barcelona young Spanish BUSH
ness man expressed the feelings of the
public In undoubtedly more accurate
fashion. He said, quite simply, THE
Spanish people are Alfonsist, but they
are not monarchist."
Which is striking way of saying
that today in troubled Spain 1t is Al
fcrso XIII who is loved and revered
by the people rather than the dynasty
which he represents. One of the in
evitable results of dictatorship is to
rub some of the regal luster from the
ancient and one-tine divine right OF