THE DESPOTISM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 111, 3 February 1908, Page 7

THE DESPOTISM.

' WAS IT BENEVOLENT? CROMWELL'S EXAMPLE.TI, P story of tho lattor-day. dictatorship leading article:on November *1.., Both Parties Failures. ; : e u of tho causes and nature of the precounts of tno c _ I)ortuga i. For many s °nt dl ,^^°h a( i been an alternating succesyears theie M ueu e L ; bcrft l Gorcrn--V f Theso proved accommodating to one H®' less advantageous, to tho another, bit found'its. debt increasing, its countiy. . au d many 'of the most education sta _ ts 0 f Administration important departmen tho . King ne iWI to power the present Premier, Senhor C T In Franco a voung and energetic leader Joao 111 >. • u j ua i complaisance of the opposed to t sis mol)ths > struggle with Cortes wedded to the time-honoured system , ( M twt" Ministries, he was authorised ?f rotatmst Mims , a Govcnl . by t le ,masfi ted by Parliament. Sonhor ™ ent ' .' ~olicv endorsed by tho Sovereign, fntroduco ordor into' tho finances,, pro--18 fn a better educational system, raise tho m i • o of underpaid underlings, and ims;sVksr:F"ffi«. m ti» «»>. TW O Years' Dictatorship. ■■For this ho considers a period of rest from Hip ordinary extremely democrats Constituton under a virtual dictatorship unimpeded i Vl.« faction of parties, is essential. The ueriod required is estimated by the Minister, •it eighteen months' or two years. After this ho is pvopwed to call tho Cortes, pass a new electoral law annulling tho present_ system, fvhich was, ho says, specially established to ovchido liis party from power, and then retire into private life. Such drastic purges we been found necessary (it crises m the Mstorv of various nations - Cromwell, for oxamplo. "over did better for England than when ho abolished tho Long Parliament. Some Reforms— Many. Enemies. ; "The wisdom of any such experiment can, l of course,' only bo measured by the sagacity

>f the Minister's acts and' by his ability to ;arrv the population with.lmn. ... Already oohlor "Franco, ill a few months, claims to havo jffected many. most necessary : reforms. • in spite, of many considerable improvements in :-he. salary of State officials,, lie has. reduced ibe, deficit from thirty to'ten,million francs; :io has had the courago to expose irregular payments made to t,no; Crown bj' formei Ministers and to put: tho -Civil " ls y:-.. 0n .. * proper basis; and yet"ho has imposed lib new taxes. In many other ..respects Jio.Jias .-.shown himself a vigorous and liberal-minded rcrormer. On the other band,. odly lost the support even of " the'political party under Senhor do Castro, who originally supported him in the Cortes, and iioiv has Conservatives, Liberals,.and ..Republicans all united in one bloc agtiin.'jt;'bini> The .consequence has been that repressive measures have been necessary ngainst the-. very numerous and vehement newspapers ranged against him,'and that-, though hitherto there has been no disorder-of'consequence, Ins carp of tlie army, and his precautionary watchfulness show that the Prime Minister'is quite ready' to put down opposition with a high hand. : : .- Reforms v. Constitutionalism. " The strength of the' King', and' his Minister- lies in the fact-'thHbthey.-havo already shown their .determination- to correct abuses, that temporary dictatorships were even under the present Constitution ;jiot. unknown in Portugal, that tho' peoplo : liave at, present shown: 110 resentment at the absence of a Cortes, and that the.army is.apparentlyjoyal to the Throne. Further, the Opposition, though important as representing many sections, has this weakness, that-: th6''Republicans and Monarchists composing"its inust find it difficult, lo act for any length of time in common. Their streugth lies iii'their obviously standing for the law and iii' the powei which' articiilato .critics;- always : must. haw against a" personal atid comparatively isolatec authority with lio sucb direct,;,means,of .ex pression. Whatever may bo ,the, final, issue of this interesting conflict, it may bo liopct that a death-blow will have been-struck -at the wasteful'"arid- undignified methods ol government against which Solihor franco!: plucky attack is directed;" , " My Aim Is Order and Pcaco." ' On November 13 last King'Carlos avowee tho dictatorship with, his own lips, ana par ticularly gave offcn&A'by'choosing- 'as hi: channel of publication a French jhurnal. Oi that date, Lo of Paris, publishec an interview which otie'c'f its. representative! had with tho King of Portugal at Cnscnea The King is represented, as having declare*: that the situation before the dissolution o ' Parliament haid'. become impossible; It'wai nccessary to put an end to the; .confusion and lie* had, therefore,', entrusted Sciihoi Franco with the means, of governing. Con ! tinning, His Majesty ■ said that lie and tin Premier were in complete Thi dictatorship would b&'-continued' in the in terosts of ; tho ? country,, and tho election! would' not take! place:utttil^lie and St-nhpi Franco considered that the' moment yjis.op portuno. They couiiEetl'on"*a majority whicl would eriablo them to restore flic equilibriun of the Budget and wipo off the deficit.: Aftoi declaring that this-army was and wouldre main loyal, King - Carlo's repeated that hi had only acted iii the interests of tKq cou'n

try,' which' was in need of calm. - His aim was ] order and peaco. nnd'i the dictatorship would j be abolished as soon lr ns;.R normal condition ] of affairs had been restored, 'for, lie had , nover forgotten his duties'to his country. , Angry Critics—Repression. ( .When the was.published, the Opposition papers denounced the mode and channel of communication. employed by His Majesty as unpatriotic;-and -derogatory, and as inviting Press criticismlint" the Monarch's statement that' he was responsible for, and had confidence in';' Senhor Franco's ■ ad;, ministration, was chief griovance. Senhor' Vilhena, leader ..of, the Conservative . party —who has lately loomed ottt 'asHho probable leader of a bloc of all tho .narljameiitary parties, l directed against tho dictatorship— in h published'intdtview'expressed his disbelief in the possibility - of a" Portuguese Republic. Ho anticipated, a; pacific- dentil- , stration for January 2. The' Republican Press questioned how.,the .Opposition parties could remain monarchical. .' Abbut ,the. same time' (November. 17)' a 1 bomb was ,discovered in Lisbon.' Repressive meamrcs were then adopted by,the Cabinet, which 'decided not to permit meetings for.'the purpose of political agitation,-and to forbid discussion, in the journals' (except 1 on- abstract questions) and, tho .-criticism'.''.'of the: acts of tho Cabinet Administration.' The publication of news, rumours, or comments to tho,prejudice of credit, or. calculated- to " promote 'financial speculation,- was'also 'forbidden. . Itwas cabled on December 20 that the dictatorship ;had been made- complota'by'tho is-, sue of decrees appointing. administrative commissioners to supersede'tho Consuls-Gen-eral, and'the municipal and parochial consuls. That was the 1 last notaWo , cabled referenceto tho crisis. . - ~ Previous Attempts.; ; : i Since tho middle, of last year there hayo been intermittent threats and outbreaks. Tho Premier, Senhor Franco, had to appear" guarded in tho streets of Oporto itr Julie, and his escort was stoned -uy -the -pooplo. Riots against "Franco, caused fighting m Lisbon and Oporto, and tho troops wounded a number of civilians. In August it was stated that the premature explosion of a bomb killed ono of tho conspirators, and thus revealed a plot' to assassinato tho King and the Premier;, thirty Republicans wore arrested. Again, in November, two men were -accidentally killed in Lisbon while manufacturing explosives for criminal; purposes, ,0n December 9 an Italian electrician, employed n t the San Carlos Theatre,, Lisbon,', was, arrested after tho discovery.: under, tho floor of ' tho Royal box of two" bombs/connected by wires reaching behind tlio' This man committed suicide.' A-littlo pfior to-this an official statement had been published denyin" thb current allegations regarding lmpend- ! in! oivil war and widespread disorder. i