The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-03-09

Jus who became a cadet in AlcaZar's
''West Point at IA, won mild fame
fighting the Moroccan Riffs at %,
and became the arny's youngest
brigadier general at "a. Since April,
1881, when King Alfonso fed the
country after republican election
victories, Franco has been closely
enmeshed in Spain's officialdom as
a man to be reckoned with.
Once chief of the foreign legion
and head of the war college, his
allegiance to the deposed Alfonso
was so renowned that the jittery
young republic quickly made him
military governor of the Balearic is
lands-his first Punishment" In
1894 Franco was rushed back to the
mainland to crush leftist revolts
against the newly established right
list regime 1t was then that As
turias and Catalonia dubbed him
''the butcher" a resentment which
probably accounts for the stubborn
resistance those provinces offered in
the civil war. But to rightist Spain
Franco became "the man of the
hour" certainly the strongest single
figure in the fight Catholics, capital
lists, monarchists and phalanxists
(fascists) were waging against a
growing Communist element.
The second Punishment, to a
dreary Canary islands outpost, came
Immediately after leftist victory in
the January, 1886, election. But six
months later mysterious civilian
CARRIED figure climbed into British
plane at Las Palmas, capital of the
Canaries. Next day, July Is, Mo-
roccans remembered the 23-year-old
youth who had suppressed the Riffs.
Within few hours Moors were raj
lied under the insurgent flag and
the war was on.
Frances Course Steady.
The next two and one-haf years
made Spain common battle-ground
on which all Europe's grudges were
paraded. Communist fought Fascist,
while democracies stood on the side
lines hoping vsinly that each would
slaughter the other. In far away
lands the issue of Christianity YER
sus paganism was held a vital is
sue III the war. The worlds eyes
were focused on a conflict where
American fought Italian and Ger
man fought Russian, where reli-
gious, political and economic issues
seemed at times to far outshadow
the mere fact of civil war in Spain.
Through all this General Franco
has pursued steady course, aided
by Fascists, ignored by democra-
cies for obvious reasons of political
eXpediency. But when Barcelona fell
in late January and the war seemed
headed for an ultimate Insurgent
victory, Franco began emerging in
his true proportions-the man of the
hour. His will shall probably be
done in Spain.
He is obviously indebted to Italy
and Germany. Rome admits 5000
Fascist troops have been killed in
Spain, and from Balearic island
bases a giant Italian air armada
has operated against the Loyalists.
Germany has been equally helpful
but neither nation has acted from
goodness of heart.
Iberian Peninsula Important.
First, the Franco campaign has
offered chance to fight Commu-
nism, but this has been more an
excuse than an end in itself. More
significant are huge imports of Span
ish iron by Italy and Germany, both
suffering acutely from lack of metal
resources. Still greater is the Iberi-
an peninsula's Importance in It
aly's campaign to control the Medi-
terranean and force territorial con-.
cessions from France.
Italy-German services have been
outright gifts to General Franco,
therefore he can honestly claim to
owe them no monetary debt. But
how about the moral debt? Can he