THE SPANISH SITUATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 280, 26 November 1938, Page 8

THE SPANISH SITUATION.

One can understand "Inquirer's" dilemma as to the "real" truth about Spa-in, but »s for "Irish" and "Franco," their attachment to their faith would seem to outweigh ©very other consideration. One is at a loss to know what they seek to prove, if not to establish Franco's claim to represent the people *6 Spain. The following facts speak for themselves: The Republican Government was elected to power under conditions which gave the anti-Republican forces every advantage. Franco and his supporters «re rebels in the propef meaning of the term. The "Reds" (that is, I presume. Communists) were absent from the first February Government, and became powerful only after the uprisinjr. Thousands of Republican troops, detached from the main body, fly across the French border, and when given the option, prefer Barcelona to Burgos. Franco and his foreign accessories bomb peaceful. defenceless towns. Republicans repudiate such measures and invite neutral and impartial commissions to rei>ort on the spot. The Spanish population is overwhelmingly Catholic, and there must be millions of that faith supporting the Republican Government. The Republicans agree unreservedly to withdrawal of volunteers and invite the League of Nations to supervise the completeness of such. Mussolini says he will not tolerate in Spain any regime hostile to Fascism and retains tens of thousands of his regular troops to ensure this. The Republican representatives agree to aibide by a plebiscite of the Spanish peoples. Franco spurns this suggestion. Franco proclaimed two years ago that he would be master of Madrid by November, but the Spanish people fight on, conscious of their historic purpose an convinced that victorv will finally be theirs. " M. L. McNAMARA.