Evening star., 1936-10-01
SPANISH CONGRESS
|G|VES AUTONOMY
TO BASQUE REGION
Home Rule Allowed Area
Mostly in Hands Of
insurgents.
REBEL RING OF STEEL
is CLOSING ON MADRID
Parliament Meets, With Planes
Roaring Overhead as Guard
Against Air Raids.

BACKGROUND
Rerolt OF Spanish conservatives
against popularly-elected coalition
OF Letttst parties iDas directed In
early stages at capture OF Madrid.
but government defense stemmed
the tide. Realizing weakness BY
dispersion OF forces on seueral
fronts, Fascist insurgents turned
to concentrate attack on northern
key cities before returning to
Madrid assault. Irun and San Sc
bdstian haze jdllen; Bilbao is be-
sieged, and noW the rebels are
once again smashing actively at
the Madrid detenses. Toledo, in
their path, ipas occupied this ueek.
BULLETIN.
LISBON, Portugal, October I
Pl.-Six hundred Fascist insur-
gents in Fort Estrecho de Quinto
are surrounded by 5000 Spanish
government militia in q critical
siege similar to that of the Alca-
Ear fortress at Toledo, the Huesca
correspondent of the Por uguese
Diario noticias reported toe y.
(Copyrisht. 1896. by the Associated Press.
MADRID. October 1.-The Spanish
meeting for the first timt
since shortly before the civil war. to.
day approved an autonomy statute fol
the Basque regions Of Northern Spair
and heard Premier Francisco Large
Caballero announce his determination
to force workers republic"
The statute will give the three prov
inces Of Alava, Guipuzcoa and Viscays
a regime similar to that of Catalonia
within the Spanish republic. The,
will receive home rule for local affairs
while the Madrid government vii
control matters of national interes
affecting the area.
The Basques long have demanded
autonomy, and the government fell
the measure would increase their al
legiance to Madrid. However, Of tn,
three main cities Of the region, thu
controls only Bilbao. Sar
Sebastian and Vitoria are in the hand
OF the insurgents.
Full Power Given Regime.
The Congress, in one Of the mos
extraordinary sessions In the histor!
Of Spain, also prorogued the 1891
budget and granted the government
full powers to conduct the war. I
met while the guns Of civil conflic
roared on fronts scarcely more than ,
score Of miles from the capital.
Among those in the diplomatic gal
lery was Marcel Rosenberg, the nev
Soviet Russian Ambassador, to watcf
100 Deputies, virtual!
all Of them representing popular from
parties, gathered in the historic Corte'
under heavy guard.
A squadron of loyal airplane!
overhead. Anti-aircraft gun
strategic capital points, t,
beat of any raid by insurgent plane
during the session. One anti-aircraf
battery was posted in Central Cibele
Square.
The Parliament adjourned until De
cember l after a brief session.
Rebels Push on All Fronts.
A concerted Fascist attack on al
fronts against government position
was reported by the war ministry in al
oficial communique today. In addi.
ton to the offensive from the south
fresh assaults began north of thu
capital In fortified passes long held By
the Socialist defenders, the com.
declared.
Government military commander,
indicated the insurgent attack wa,
planned to cut the vital line of com.
to the southeast and tht
activity in other sectors was . diver.
sion to prevent the hard-pressed gov.
eminent from pulling out reinforce.
ments for that area.
O. At his headquarters at Aranjuez
communications center
30 miles from Madrid, Gen
Jose Asensio, chief of staf1 Of tn.
army, undertook complete reorgan'
lzation Of his militia forces to beal
ICae SPAIN paoe All