WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1908. THE ROYAL ASSASSINATION.

Bush Advocate, Volume XX, Issue 939, 5 February 1908, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1908. THE ROYAL ASSASSINATION.

♦ AYhen si 1 1 the circumstances prevailing in the State of Portugal are taken into consideration, no one can experience much surprise at the. horrible crime, which has just robbed that unhappy country of two members of its Royal family. According to the London Standard misgovcrnmont by groups of politicians who placed personal and party interests before thoso of the country has been largely responsible for the present state of affairs in Portugal. Popular discontent was aggravated by instance after instance of political immorality, such as the creation and duplication of sinecure posts and the renewal of the tobacco monopoly, this latter iv particular being denounced as a flagrant example of mismanagement and corruption. Party strife and rancour in the Cortes during the early part of the. year (1907) reached a height that formed an effective hindrance to legislative work, and the constitutional machinery of the country seemed to have come to a deadlock. Under these circumstances, the King and his Ministers cut the Gordian knot by dissolving the Cortes on May 12th. No dato was mentioned for the general elections, which, in tho ordinary course, should have followed this procedure, but, on the contrary, dictatorial powers were vested in Senhor Franco, the Premier, and his Ministers, and the country has sinco been ruled without representation. The new order of tilings was not allowed to pass without protest on tho part of tho Republicans. On June 17th and JBth rioting occurred in Lisbon in which four persons wero killed and several wounded. Deputations fiv.m Conservatives and Republicans alike approached King Carlos to ask his .Majesty to return to constitutional methods of government, but in each case the reply was that he had full eonliden.ee in Senhor Franco, and that the country would not be asked to elect a new Parliament until the moment- was opportune. This •iutemem was practically repeated by his .Majesty in aii interview given at Casciies to the Lisbon correspondent of the Pari-- Temp*. The ru out re-

markable, of the Premier's acts has been the treatment of the monetary advances made to King Carlos, which were the chief bone of contention of the Opposition (says the Standard's Lisbon correspondent). To put matters clearly King Carlos owed tho (Government something like 800 eontos of re is G 180,000), which the Republican party were demanding should be refunded to the State. Senhor Franco, by an .adroit move, arranged that his Majesty should nominally transfer to the Government his private yacht tho Amelia, together will) tho free use of various buildings previously rented from him by tho C'ovornment, and thus extinguish the King's indebtedness at one. stroke. Nor is this all, for his Majesty's income of £200 a day £73,000 per annum), having long been found to be insufficient to meet the Hoyal expenses, was increased by Senhor Franco to £300 per day, which moans a considerable extra annual increase to come out of tho State revenues, and it is easy to imagine that- this step \in.~, not passed without exciting loud protests from tho entire country. No new nreans of increasing tho revenues have b.een found, and, consequently, it is not difficult to understand that the financial situation has gone from bad to worse. »-; is proved by the- Budget issued at the end of September last, which shows the startling increase in the deficit by nearly £1,000,000, making a. total floating debt of £15,200,---000. Portuguese foreign stocks within iho last twelve months have dropped from 70 to Gl, a fall of nino points, and the exchange, which formerly was practically at par, has to-day dropped to tho extent that one pound sterling commands a premium of 2s — 3s. The result on commerce has been disastrous, and there have been many failures throughout the country. The banks refuse to discount any trade bills. Out of the heterogeneous mass or conflicting" elements previous to the Dictatorship there is now forming a solid body of Opposition, which is receiving recruits from all the preexisting political parties. This is the Republican party, and much depends on the ability with which it is led. At the present moment several hundreds of arrests have been made, mainly amongst the Republicans, tho charge being that of conspiring against the State. "What becomes of these individuals it is difficult to ascertain. Many are confined in out-of-the-way fortresses. As it is lose majeste to refer to such incidents, and as the authorities decline all information, the general public arc left ifi the dark, and the wildest rumours naturally receive full er<-denro.