Imperial Valley press., 1939-02-26
Getting a Line
On Mr.Franco
BY CHARLES p. STEWART

Yankee diplomatic and naval folk
are trying TO get line on General
Franco, the Spanish Rebel leader
who evidently has his country's gov
ernment crowd licked to within a
second or two of knockout.
One ordinarily thinks of a Rebel
chieftain as a liberal or even as
extreme radical, in a state OF in
Surrection against a backward re-
gime.
This time, in Spain, it is different.
King Alfonso was an ultra-con-
seryative. He was SO much so, and
was so incompetent also, that his
administration became decidedly
rickety. Finally, in an effort to
stall off revolution, General Primo
de Rivera, one of AlfonSo's military
men (as reactionary as Alfonso
himself, but with more ginger), set
up q dictatorship. 1t did not dis
place Alfsonso. 1t was something
like the situation in Italy, where
Dictator Mussolini is the recognized
boss. with King Victor remaining
as a mere figurehead.
1t was too late, though. After
three or four years the radicals
chucked Rivera, plus Alfonso, into
the discard and established what
they called a republic.
They certainly WE'RE radicals.
knew Spain very we'll in later pre-
World War days. The then anti
government party was dominated
by the anarchists. Those were the
men who came into power. Anar-
chiStS are quite unlike Nazis or
Fascist. They often are confused
with Communists; as matter of
fact the two PHILOSOPHERS are down.
right hostile to each other.
Strange as it may seem, the aver
age anarchist has lovable person.
ality. He tosses explosives rather
literally, but he has high ideals
too high for the world we live in.
His theory is that, if We all were
real brethren, we should not need
any troublesome, interfering, eX-
pensive governments.
Now, when I say that anarchists
ran Spain during the post Alfonso
Rivera era I mean just that. News
paper readers will have noticed
that following the Franco rebels
conquest of Catalonia, their first
job has been the cleaning up of
the anarchists. Just SO. Anarchists
have been pretty thick all over
Spain, but in Catalonia, and eSpe-
cially in Barcelona, its provincial
capital, they have been as numerous
as TammanyiteS in Manhattan ever
were.
Who Is Franco?
What, then, is Francois program?
He is a conservative rebel against
radicalism, certainly. But is he try
ing simply to get back to rational
ity? Or is he a tool of FaScism,
backed by Nazi-ism?
Undoubtedly he represents a re-
version from anarchy-which most
OF us, tolerant as We may be, regard
as too much of a good thing, for the
present.
Maybe he wants to revert too far
however.
Even Alfonso and Primo de Ri
vera were not as intolerable as Herr
Hitler is. Does Franco want to be-
come as 100 per cent a dictator as
Hitler?-or, possibly, is he willing
to become dictator who is dictated
to by Hitler and Mussolini?
Washington does not know
enough about the general to be sure
on these points.
1t may not be any of our business.
Yet it is, indirectly.
Portugal is stirred into the equa-
ton. It is just pewee of a country
on the western edge of Spain.
Nevertheless it is extremely totali-
tartan. 1t used to be very democra-
tic. 1t was darned radical when it
overthrow King Manuel scant
generation ago. But today it is q
dictatorship-pro- Hitler and pro-
Mussolini.
Query:
Who cares for all that?
Why, Spain and Portugal, as COL
onial powers, control the South
African west coast opposite to South
Americas east coast. and are a
great deal nearer to it than any of
Uncle Sans ports are to sub-euua-
torial South America.
Who cares for that, too? Spain
and Portugal?
Yeah! But suppose that Spain
and Portugal provide jumping-off
places from their Southwest African
bases for German and Italian naval
and aerial activities in eastern
South Americas direction!
1t might develop into quite a fret
to Uncle Samuel.
Decidedly a Suspect
Thus General Franco has become
decidedly suspect to Yankee