Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-19
New Government to Submit
Proposal for Parliament
to Decide.
$50, 600, 900 CREDIT PLAN
TO MONARCHY REJECTED
Elections to Assembly, First Set
for June, to Be Moved For.
ward to May.
By the Associated Press.

MADRID, April 1S-Fernando de
los Rios, minister of Justice. who has
been given Jurisdiction over the new
governments relations with the Cath
Ollie Church, said tonight the cabinet
would prepare for submission to the
Parliament q proposal TO separate
church and state
The cabinet itself, he said, would
not take 50 important an action with
out the authority OF the people. This Is
matter which only the Parliament
can decide"
He said the present proposal is TO
"confine the priests exclusively TO their
religious missions, to guarantee freedom
Of all religious creeds and to secularizc
all cemeteries previously controlled by
the Catholic Church"
Provincial governors have been IN
structed by the government not to at
tend church services in their oficial
capacities but they may 60 as citizens
II they wish.
Elections In May.
The new republic is planning to hold
its first elections early in May to set
up national assembly" and establish
a constitutional government, succeed
ing the present provisional government.
The Associated Press learned from
reliable sources today that present
plans are to speed up the elections,
scheduled for June by the former gov
eminent, and to hold them at the latest
within the first two weeks IN May
Members Of a constituent assembly viii
be selected, it was said. but senator's
and deputies to Parliament will not be
voted on.
this assembly will write q new Repub-
lean constitution and arrange for 80
transfer Of power from the government
Of President Niceto Alcala zamora TO
a permanent one.
-Four Parties In Field.
Presumably the Monarchists, Social
lists, Republicans and Communists will
advance candidates for these elections.
The Socialists, lately allied with the Re-
publicans, may give them o stir night
in the balloting. The Communists, Of
course. will fight al three groups. How
ever, the vote may be divided between
Republicans, Socialists and Communists.
the total vote against the monarchy Is
expected by the Republicans to give
to former King Alfonso the answer he
Is waiting for in Paris. He has said he
would accept the verdict Of the people
as to his permanent exile.
After this program Is completed, It
will be the problem Of the Republicans,
Socialists and Communists to work out
their own rival claims for political
power. The proposed National Assembly
may name Republican cabinet TO sue
coed the provisional one, confirm the
present cabinet or order future elections
to elect a permanent President by direct
vote.
The Republican government an
nounced that it had decided to rescind
the $50, 000.o00 foreign credit contract
recently negotiated by a group Of inter-
national banking interests. on the
ground that there was no oflc1al need
for the credit.
Credit Still Intact.
The announcement was embodied in
lsconic more issued at the end Of cabi-
net meeting tonight.
It is understood that the credit Is stiIl
intact and that 1t was deposited with
the understanding that it would be used
or not as the Spanish government saw
ft.
For the present. the republic will con-
vert into public parks, Fairgrounds and
schools the great landed estates of the
royal famil yin Madrid and elsewhere
In Spain. The governments decision
does not mean confiscation of the pri-
vate property of the nobility and
grandees. That may come later but
there is no indication Of such a move
yet.
Steps to prevent the continued trans
fer abroad of money and securities by
members of the aristocracy is being
seriously considered by the government.
This attitude is not justified. officials
say and unless there Is a change the
government will require that banks put
such funds and securities in separate
accounts, properly safeguarded by legal
trusteeships but forbidden to be sent
outside of Spain.
The constitutionalist bloc, headed by
Melquiades Alavarez, pledged itself to
do everything possible to aid the
Republic without renouncing individual
political views"
Col Francisco Macia. provisional
President of Catalonia, said in Barcelona
he would issue long note explaining
the details of the accord with the
Madrid cabinet delegation whereby his
province will become an autonomous
state within the Republic of Spain.
Foreign Minister Alexandra Lerroux
said here that Portugal, Czechoslovakia
and Jugoslavia had recognized the Re-
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