Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-17
Reports Persist Gen. Saro,
Rivera's ight-Hand Man,
Will Head Government.
POSSIBLE REVOLUTION
is TALKED ON STREETS
Confused Situation Results rs
Sanchez Guerra Fails to
Form Cabinet.

BY the Associated Press.
MADRID, February II telephoned
via London). AS King Alphonso strove
today to give Spain a responsible gov
eminent all indications were that a new
military dictatorship would be set up.
Long-range guns were trained ON
inously on the city and machine guns
had been placed strategically in prep
aration for any eventuality. Persistent
reports gained credence that Gen. Leo
poldo Saro, former chief of the King S
palace guards, would be the new die
tator.
Censorship was again established to-
night.
Supplementing the reports that Gen.
Saro would take the power were addi-
tional ones to the effect that mill
tary clique had recalled Gen. Martinez
Anido from the Balearic Islands. Gen.
Anido was one of the former Dictator
Primo de Rivera'S right-hand men.
Those most closely acquainted with
events said the situation was uncer-
tain and fraught with grave possibili-
ties.
The streets were thronged with men
tonight and with the talk of dicta-
torship was mingled that of a possible
revolution.
Sanchez Guerra Fails.
The new political crisis was thrust
upon Spain with failure of Jose
Antonio Sanchez Guerra to form gov
eminent on a basis of liberal constitu-
tional revision.
Sanchez Guerra, designated by King
Alfonso yesterday to get together cab
met. went to the palace at noon today
and informed the King that he had been
unable to secure the collaboration of the
Republicans and Socialists, radical left
groups, and would have to renounce his
task.
He advised the King to call upon
Melquiades Alvarez, another advocate OF
constitutional revision to limit the pow
ers of the throne, and leader of the ire
formistH. group of the Spanish conserva-
tive party. Alvarez, If anything, would
be regarded as more radical than San
chez Guerra, whose designation by the
King yesterday was regarded by Mon
archists as a surrender to the extrem-
lists.
The development, which came with
astonishing SuddenneSs, threw the po-
fusion and made developments extreme
ly uncertain.
A large military clique is extremely
dissatisfied with yesterdays events,
which they consider constitutes an un-
necessary surrender by the King of royal
prerogatiye.
One story current today was definite
ly disproved. The correspondent visit
ing the military base at Jetafe, where,
according to rumor, the artillery de-
King, found everything there quiet.
arisen from q soldiers brawl which oc-
CURED there during the night.
Sanchez Had Liberal Program.
Sanchez Guerra failed to get to-
gether cabinet on what probably was
the most liberal program a premier
designate has advanced since the days
Of the Spanish Republic in the early
seventies.
Before accepting the Kings invita-
ton to head a new government to re-
place that OF Gen. Damaso Berenguer,
which resigned Saturday, he exacted a
promise from the King to call a con-
stitutional convention which would re-
write the constitution of 1876 and de-
eide what form the future Spanish
government was to take.
This convention would have had
prerogatives superior even to those of
the King, and almost certainly would
have shorn the throne of many of it's
powers, II not taking more drastic &C.
ton.