King Alfonso by this time is inured to danger. He nevertheless appears to be facing a most serious menace to his sovereignty in the latest out burst of revolutionary activi in Spain. If the various ant! monarchical groups had betwee} them more than their antagonisi to the King as their bond of union, His Majesty's position might well be regarded as des: perate, As it is the stern tion taken with the rebels in the abortive rising at the Pyrennien town of Jaca showed that he felt the need for unmistakable proof of his intention to suppress subversive movement with all possible severity, This points to a sense of the widespread character of the disaffection of which signs have b constantly vouchsafed to him during the last few months, Generally speaking the mass of the people are believed still firmly monarehigal, The syndicalists who are virtually Communists, in Barcelona and the socialists in Madrid have remained implacable. 'The latter have evoked from students considerable sympathy of late. There are also the liberal intellectuals who are not satisfied with what they believe to be the Government's undue reliance' on clerical advice: Economic difficulties have produced a large crop of strikes of which the Catalonian syndicalists have' naturally taken full advantage and the socialists have followed suit in the areas where they can claim dominance.
Yet, when all is said and done, the Syndicalists, Socialists and Intellectuals make an unpromising team. If the Army, remains staunch the measures which the Government are tak: ing to suppress the sporadic ria", ings may prove effective. King Alfonso is not blindly acting on the autocratic plane. He for ally approved last month of Decree which alled elections fo the Cortes in March next, These elections are designed to. put end to the present dictatorship and restore the system of constitutional government,—The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.