Evening star., 1938-11-11
Franco Victory Held Essential
To Future Of Spain.

To the Editor Of The Star:
1t was with no little interest that I read
the statement by DR.. Ephraim Cross In
The Star of November 4. DR.. Cross ap-
pears to be pessimistic about the future
of Catholicism in Spain because the senti-
ment Of the church seems to favor the
cause of Generalissimo Francisco Franco
He adds that a woman Of Catalonia, in
formed that his eminence Patrick Cardi-
nal Hayes was praying daily for the
triumph of national Spain, responded
with "a gasp Of horror"
DR.. Cross does not tell us whether he
or his associates or his anonymous wit
nesses were deeply moved at the failure
Of the Barcelona authorities to permit
the public worship of God according to
the rites Of the traditional faith Of the
Spaniard. Nor does he enlighten us as
to the feelings of his colleagues when
they saw the ruined churches, the desc
Grated shrines, the gutted seninaries
which testify to the activity Of the Marx
ist elements, whose hatred Of religion
draws its inspiration from Moscow. Why
could not DR.. Cross have allowed himself
one sigh for the hundreds of thousands
Of innocent men, women and children
who were murdered in cold blood during
the Red terror in Madrid, Barcelona and
Valencia?
There is no mystery about the facts.
During the past summer visited in
Nationalist Spain, following the course
of the advance of Gen. Frances
troops from Saragossa to the Mediter-
ranean. It is still possible to see the
bombs which the Republicans, during the
days when they enjoyed supremacy in
the air, dropped on the Cathedral of Our
Lady of Pillar. And the high altar in
the Cathedral of Huesca which was de-
stroyed by a Barcelona bomb. And the
cemetery at Huesca which was desecrated
by the leftists. At Benicassim on the
coast sanity parish priest, Padre Fran
cisco Vigo, related the two following in
cidents:
when the Republicans held this town
two young girls, whose father lay i'll, were
unable to secure medical attention
for him because as a fervent Christian
he was hated by the agitators Of the vii
lage. The man died. His daughters had
to dig his grave within the house with
their own hands because they knew that
revelation of his presence, even after
death, would have meant their own as
sassination.
1.-TWO priests, my assistants, were tor
tured for Is days, before they were dis
patched by revolver shots. I could add
hundreds of similar events"
At Saragossa itself I conferred with
one of the best informed members of the
British Parliament on the development
of the struggle in Spain. He had been
in Madrid two years ago when the mur-
der squads were decimating the popula-
ton Of that city. He assured me that in
the course Of single night 1,762 citizens
were slaughtered. Perhaps a report of
this character would not be received with
wondering eyes and open mouths" but
1t would elicit grief and sympathy from
every right-minded person.
In the hospitals of Nationalist Spain
Republican prisoners receive the most ex-
pert medical attention and hospitaliza-
ton. At Burgos met q Spanish nurse
whose husband had been put to death
by the leftists in Madrid. On i've differ
ent occasions she had donated her blood
for transfusions to be administered to
wounded Republicans. Her generosity
was prompted by motives Of religion and
patriotism. Gen. Franco, am prepared
to repeat without apologies. u the high
cot type Of Christian gentleman and h1a