Evening star., 1934-03-25
SPAIN MOVING TOWARD
REPUBLICAN DICTATOR
Failure of Left Wing Groups to Reach
Accord May Swing Pendulum
Back Again.

to the conservatives. According to
the 1882 judiciary report, there were
126609 criminal cases on the dockets
Intimidation of juries. employment OF
expensive counsel and plain defiance
of the law make difficult the admin
istration of justice.
Syndicalism and anarchism. move
ments which grew spectacularly after
the repressive measures Of Dictator
Primo de Rivera and Gen. Berenguer
were removed, are perhaps the great
est menace facing, Spain today. Syn
dicaliSm (the Confederation Nacional
de Trabajo) has unusual vitality ano
always emerges from repressive periods
more formidable than before. The
Republicans used the Syndicalists ir
overturning the monarchy. then found
themselves faced with a Frankensteir
in the organized workers.
Forced to take drastic steps, the
Socialists (under Premier Azana)
ruthlessly suppressed the Lobregat
Valley uprising in 1882. Stern meas
ures were also employed against the
peasant revolt in Casas Viejas last
year and against Gen. Sanjurjo':
abortive rebellion. But the iron hano
was always followed almost imme.
diately, by amnesties, such as Premier
Lerroux has just extended to politica
offenders. So soon as one uprising
is extinguished the government calmly
sits back and waits for the next one
taking no special precautions to fore
stall it.
Use of Army Taboo.
Use Of the army is still taboo ir
Spain. King Alfonso was turned out
by the workers, Socialists and Re-
publicans without bloodshed. Past ex-
periences had proved that army-made
revolutionS-and there have beer
many in Spain-were always followed
by army-made government. Divorce
OF both the army and the church
from politics is considered indispensa
BILE if Republicanism is to endure. In
the Guard Civile "a civilian police or
ganlzed on a mobile military basis)
the government has a powerful arm
While the average Spaniard detest
the military and hates the police, hi
tolerates the Guard Civile and re.
spectS it.
Although Spain's experience in CIV
ing political equality to women has
not been pleasant for the republic
there is no particular desire to revoke
universal suffrage. There can be nc
doubt but that the women were
largely responsible for the defeat o1
the Socialists in the recent election.
The church exerted a powerful in
huence in the election over the Span
lsh women. Explicit commands are
said to have been given to them, not
only to go to the polls, but to vote
for certain specified candidates. With.
out these heavy odds against them
the Socialists, despite their normal
losses, probably would have returned
a powerful group to the Cortes.
Accord Possible.
SO long as they control the Union
General de Trabajadores (the So.
claist workers organization) the So
clahst party can still play a formida-
Die role in Spanish politics. There i.
also the possibility of their formine
a loose collaboration with the two
N-NN- INV 1CAG SIOupS-tIl6 Anarchists
and the Communists, who are still a,
odds-and with the Syndicalists. ir
order to combat the menace of the
reactlonaries in the Cortes and To
preserve the constitution as it now
stands.
U pom the governments ability to
deal with the economic situation and
the industrial depression and unem-
ployment depends to a large extent
lts chances of remaining in Office
The Socialists threat to fight it ont
IN the streets"-a general strike-and
the increased activity of the Fascists
may force the government to take .
strong stand and seek a "nationaI
unlon," as England and France have
done. 1i"'e
At this writing the Fascists. led bv
Jose Primo de Rivera, son of the
tormer dictator, are seeking to COM
pine with the juntas of National Svn.
oIcaIsts into phalanx of the
D. q. N. S. Their program calls for
natlonal unity, economic reforms n
ala the peasants, workers and trades
men: suppression of Communism and
parilamentarism. Though increasing
IA membership, they are still far from
tne point where they can successfullv
cianenge the parties In power.