The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-05-22
SITUATION IN SPAIN


Alfonso and his royal family, the last of the de-
generate Bourbons, have fled the country, but
from his refuge in France he is substituting the
monarchist counter revolution which is being aid
ed and abetted by the Roman Catholic church
whose 100000 priests and nuns are campaigning
for the election of faithful Catholics to the con-
sttuent assembly at the general election to be held
June 81 which assembly will decide the form of
government for Spain and its relation to the
church. The monarchist government paid the
Vatican treasury annually $1SOO0,OOO besides sup
porting the church in Spain, all of which came out
of the pockets of the people. Naturally the Pope
is for Alfonso.
The Catholic church also holds immense areas
of land which it exploits. The church and gran
dees practically all the soil of Spain The
masses who brought about the overthrow of the
monarchy, insist on the separation of church and
state upon the naturalization of church property,
which in fact belongs TO the government, and the
confiscation of the lands of the grandees the dis
tribution of the lands among the people, and the
curtalment of the privileges of priests and mobiles
which are still feudal The provisional govern
ment in the hands of bourgouise reformers, CAPT
talists and social democrats with an itch for Of
flee, already compromising, hesitating and
treating with the priests and mobiles, have aroused
the suspicion of the as to the sincerity of
their pretensions and fearing betrayal have under
taken to see to it that the fundamental changes
are made, and that the revolution far accom-
plished shall not be blighted and defeated in the
June 21st elections or in the constituent assembly
thru retreat and connivance of the liberals now
in power.
So far the masses have been quite successful
they have made up their minds not to "let George
do it," who doesn't seem to have the nerve to do it.
but to do it themselves. The government goes
only so far as it is forced by the masses. Since
the demonstrations it has taken a few positive
steps, 1t will take more as other demonstrations
occur but not until they do.
The great American liberal" bourgose weekly,
The Nation writes of the outbreaks in Spain as
follows:
(From The Nation.)
"The outbreaks against the Catholic church
in Spain are not surprising. If ever there
was priest-ridden and nun-ridden country it
is that. Under the old regime there were full
ly 100000 or more priests, nuns, and monks,
one for every forty families, all of them en-
joying special privileges and all immune from
civil punishment except for serious Offenses.
Not only did high church dignitaries occupy
important posts in the government, they were
prominent in the personally chosen assembly
of Primo de Rivera. In addition, that dicta-
tor subsidized the religious press, the Jesuit
periodical eel Debate" being practically an Of
fetal organ. Small wonder that the church
should seem to the public to have been part
and parcel of the monarchy, or that the re-
public should have moved at once to separate
church from state. These fact would seem
to be sufficient explanation of the public
hostility which was unquestionably further
aroused by the pastoral letter issued last
week by the Primate of Spain, the Archbish-
Op of Toledo, in which he called upon all
Spanish Catholics to vote for deputies i'm the
coming elections of the National Assembly
who would defend their religion What
could be more stupid tactless than
such an appeal at sucll an hour? It there
fore does not seem to us necessary to attrib-
ute the, deplorable mob excuses wholly to
Anarchists or Communists as does the Span
ish government. Beyond question, however
the new regime lis still in a critical stage
We hope that it will profit by the sad ex-
ample of Kerensky and that it will act
promptly, vigorously land radically.
The last lines of the Nations editorial are from
the innermost heart of that liberal" publication.
1t sees in the weakness of the provisional govern
nlent its inability to do the things that must be
done, its bourgoise policy when face to face with
reality, shortness of life, and fear the passing
OF the power to the communists who only have the
will to accomplish the revolution and Iiberate the
people of Spain. It sees "Kerensky' overthrow
Dy Lenme again IN that country, and the Soviets
of Spain and Portugal where the revolution is al.
So rising against the capitalist government of that
capitalist republic, which it deeply regrets. Al
the final test the liberal" is a capitalist and be-
lever in capitalism, reformed of course and more
humane.
The government of Spain is spending its time
and energy trying to lay the blame for the recent
uprisings. One day it blames Alfonso and hi:
royalist hackers; the next the Catholic church anC
Cardinal Segura and his tactess letter that let thu
cat out of the bag; then it bames the communist.
and anarchists and the left wingers for incitine
the riots
The blame lies on the government itself and it,
compromising and spineless policy The inspira
alton of the outbreaks was the instructive realza
ton of the betrayal of the provisional government
which coused the masses to take matters in thei
own hands before it was too late and to do thos,
things that must be done which the government
had failed to do and even gone so far as to prom
Use not to do
Had the provisional government carried out it
pledges and programs with vigor and prOmptnes