A Dictator Defends Dictatorship

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 81, 29 December 1928, Page 13

A Dictator Defends Dictatorship

AN important witness for the defence in the trial of Dictatorship v. Democracy is noted in the appearance in a press interview of Spain’s dictator, General Primo de Rivera. Coming shortly after the celebration of the fifth anniversary of’his dictatorship in Spain,

his brief but cogent testimony, as given to the London Referee, attracted wide attention in the European Press, and seems of especial interest to the Paris 7'cuips, which notes among its salient passages the following:— “There are few who can deny that from a material point of view, dictatorships in Europe have, on the whole, proved profitable to the countries in which exercised. This is easy to understand. In the first place, government ministers under a dictatorship are not obliged to be present almost every day at parliamentary sessions, and thereby gain precious time devoted to the study of the problems that surround them.

“ I am not an enemy of assemblies so long as they work seriously and conscientiously for the greater good of the nation. But I condemn, and from the point of view of the real interests of the nation, noisy and sterile assemblies, which imagine that their principal task is to overthrow governments.”

In expanding his ideas of parliamentary government, the Temps finds Gen. de Primo Rivera citing the ease of the Government of Erance, of which he says:—

“ It is true that when nations and their parliaments reach a high degree of culture they escape the above-named peril. For example, the French Parliament very wisely suppressed certain of its rights during the summer

of 1926 when, in order to save the franc,' it permitted Mr. Poincare to establish a veritable financial dictatorship. It is not hard to imagine what the fall of the franc would have been if the French Parliament had not acted as it did act.”

Turning then to Belgium, this Paris daily notes that in his interview with The Referee, Gen. Primo de Rivera pointed out that the Belgium Parliament showed real patriotism in momentarily yielding its prerogatives to allow the Government full financial authority, and the Spanish Dictate is quoted as follows: —

“Mr. Mussolini has declared (hat a democratic parliamentary regime is the luxury of rich nations, lie is perfectly correct. In rich countries and highly civilised ones, Parliament has its usefulness, because u representatives know their duty, and that it is not necessary to make much ado about nothing. —

“ Parliament has its usefulness, I shall add, as long as the situation is normal,, but in days of crisis, parliaments should willingly limit their prerogatives. Whatever may be the differences of opinion as to the political status and the political aspect of Spain’s dictatorship, nobody can deny—for the facts would contradict him—that during the past live joins that country has accomplished a material progress entirely notable which shows itself in all branches of economic activity. As for Italy, everjbodj is aware that chronic strikes have ceased, that the lira has been stabilised, that the provinces of the South are making progress, and that regions formerly uuhealthful are now being developed.