Evening star., 1934-10-28
SANCUINARY CIVIL WAR
In PROSPECT FOR SPAIN
Governments Hold ON Office Is Pre-
carious in Spite of Suppression
Of Uprising.
BY ALBIN z. JOHNSON.

publican Spain has started out
along the road that leads to
. prolonged and perhaps sangui-
nary civil war. Although the
government, headed by the crafty
Alexandra Lerroux, and backed by the
military camarilla, has suppressed an
abortive uprising-an uprising which
its serious-minded leaders never in
tended as more than a demonstration
of Socialist Strengths hold on
office Is precarious. Either Lerroux
and President Alcala zamora track
along with the reactionary groups,
thereby provoking interminable dis
orders, or they will have to seek the
rehabilitation Of parliamentary gov
ernment. There is one other alterna-
tive-namely. the establishment of a
republican military dictatorship. TWO
generals, Coded and Franco, are the
mainstays of Premier Lerroux at the
moment. But militarists cannot be
trusted in Spain and the people still
remember Primo de Rivera, Berenguer
and the "dictatura" of King Alfonso's
last days. Blood will flow copiously
before they submit to any such regime
again. In Spain today anything is
possible.
However, one thing that appears
reasonably certain, after the recent
disorders, is that Alfonso has not the
slightest chance Of coming back The
Monarchists, Clericals and Agrarians
who form a majority in the Cortes,
might want him, but they are not
willing to pay the price which the Re-
publicans, Socialists, Communists,
Catafonians and other groups would
exact. The big industrialiSts and
landowners will be content with a
conservative republic. with order.
They prefer that to King Alfonso with
disorder. There is reason to believe
the church feels the same way.
Beginning Of Struggle.
What happened in Spain the past
few weeks is not difficult to under
stand. 1t was the beginning of a
serious struggle between reaction and
Socialism. Since the elections Of last
December. when the Clericals. by vot-
ing 5000, 900 women. to say nothing of
priests and nuns, obtained an impos-
ing representation in parliament, the
Conservatives have been gradually in
creasing their hold on the government.
With the largest group, numerically,
in the Cortes, they have had every
cabinet at their mercy. Through legal
procedure they gradually began to
undo all tfe advance social legislation
the parliament had put through dur
ing the first three years Of the repub-
lie. Soon the Socialists. and many
other groups, began to lose faith in the
Cortes. They say the constitution
undermined the land laws, the Cata-
lonian statutes, labor rights and the
anti-church DEGREES were swept aside
or nullified. All Of which is more or
less true, or would have been had the
Socialists stood silently aside and per-
mitted the reactionarieS to have their
way. While there are some leaders
who believe the republic can still be
preserved without bloodshed, the ma
jority of the Socialists (whose leaders
are intellectually and the Trade
Unionists, Communists. Peasants
party and Anarchists are convinced
that third republic will have to be
established.
THE overthrow OF Alfonso was too
easy" a prominent Spaniard. whose
identity cannot be divulged, although
he perhaps is known to every reader,
told the writer. I'VE should have
done as other revolutionists-wiped
out or driven from the country the
reactionsry element which will always
be a source of trouble. Far too few
heads fell back in 1881. Next time
there will be more"
The reasoning-from a revolution
ary standpoint-is sound. More than
one Spanish Republican has regretted
that King Alfonso was allowed to get
away with his life, especially now that
he has broken his pledge not to seek
restoration. Obviously his renuncia-
tion of the throne was made with his
fingers crossed. The return of the
Bourbons, however, is long way of.
Many of the supporters Of Gil Robles'
Catholic party, and certainly many
Agrarians and Conservatives, are not
monarchists. Nor are they Socialists,
hence their fight against the party Of
Don Manuel Azana, Indalecio Prieto,
Largo Caballero and other popular
leaders. It is also significant to note
that aside from President Alcala Ia
mora and Prime Minister Lerroux
there is scarcely a member of the
present government who can claim to
be one of the original founders of the
present republic. The venerable Count
Romanones fought against King Al
fonso, but he is still monarchist
The youthful Gil Robles, leader Of
the Clericals, whom the Socialists call
the Spanish Dollfuss," came into the
spotlight only after the December
elections.
Military's Role Draws.
An element which may play an i'm
portant part in the Spanish picture
again, after being in the background
since the passing of Dictator Primo de
Rivera, is the military. The Social
lists, under Premier Azana, very deftly
clipped the army's wings. Most Of
the generals" were retired, and
younger men, Of republican tenden-
cies, were elevated to oficerships
However. a skeleton Of the old "Ca-
marilla" remained and 1t was that
group which aided Lerroux in sup
pressing the recent disorders. Had
the Socialists planned real revolu-
ton, rather than a demonstration"
which went astray, Spain today might
be q semi Communist state. As it
was, Gen. Coded and Gen. Franco
(not the erratic airman. Maj. Ramon
Franco, but his brother) convinced
their men that they were preserving"
the republic, and the troops remained
loyal to their oaths. In reality there
is a new clique forming. It was the
army which staged the periodic revo-
lutions of Ciudad Real, Jaca and
other centers during the last decade
of Alfonso's rule. Again it was the
army which half-heartedly backed
Gen. Sanjurgo In his feeble blow at
the republic two years ago. The army
and the church have been the power
behind the government in Spain for
generations. They still want to have
say in running the republic. Gen.
Batet's action in ruthlessly suppress
ing the Catalonian revolt was typical
koI I'D kal