SPECTATOR SUMMARY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 12

SPECTATOR SUMMARY.

(Week ending Saturday, 16th Oct., 1909.) THE KING AND THE LEADERS. In Home politics the situation remains virtually unchanged, though the tension has bean rendered more acute by Mr. Lloyd-George's unfortunate speech at Newcastle. On Tuesday the King gave audiences to Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Bsilfour, and subsequently to Mr. Asquith. These interviews have unloosed a flood of conjecture, for the most part sensational and unconvincing. The possibility of anything like intrigue is negatived by the publicity of the proceedings. For ourselves, we see no reason to modify the view expressed in our last issue. There has been no intervention, but the King has naturally availed himself of the opportunity of keeping himuelf informed as to the intentions of the Cabinet and the exact condition of the coutroversy, with a view, if possiMe, of averting a constitutional crisis. But we have no doubt that in summoning, the leaders of the Opposition the King was acting on the advice of the Prime Minister. The attempt to represent the King's action as an irregular interference is as unwarranted as the effort I to credit the Government with the deliberate intention to exploit the influence of the Throne for party ends. If there had been any ground for these rurnourß, we may be sure that neither Mr. Asquith nor Mr. Balfour would have left London. THE FERRER AFFAIR. • j The announcement of Senor Ferrer's j execution was followed by extraordinary ' ..outbursts of feeling in Europe and South j America. In Rome the Syndic, who is a Socialist, issued a protest on blackedged paper, and a general strike to last twenty-four hours was proclaimed. Similar demonstrations occurred in several Italian cities. At Lyons there were serious riots, but nowhere was disorder so grave as in Paris. There in the neighbourhood of the Spanish Embassy on Wednesday night thero was street fighting which reminded the Times correspondent of the Commune. One policeman was killed by a shot fired point-blank at M. Lepine, the gallant and indefatigable Prelect of Police, another policeman is in a dangerous condition, and seventy-five ■ others were injured. Omnibuses were burnt and) windows were broken. It is said that the riots were instigated by the General Confederation of Labour, which whipped up the scum of the city. It is easy to believe that many of the rioters scarcely knew who Ferrer was, but that is the deplorable part of this whole business, that the name of Ferrer has become the symbol of a rush of revolutionary feeling. Just as in 1848, so now such outbursts are contagious, and leavp no country untouched. We have no opinion as to the guilt of Senor Ferrer; but we do think that the Spanish Government has acted blindly, despite very clear warnings, in allownig his trial to be plainly open to the charge of prejudice. DIFFICULTIES IN GREECE. The Greek Chamber is trying to save to itself some remnants of independence, and has demanded time to consider the programme which the Military League required it to pass without delay. ivl. Mavromichaeli, the Premier, no doubt hoped to be able to guide and check the league after swallowing its mandate. He is apparently discovermg that to be a hopeless task. On Wednesday the Cham&er was invited to discuss proposals which had been put in the hands of deputies only a tew hours before, and when M. Dragoumi and M. Theotoki (whose followers ionn a majority in the Chamber) demanded that the proposals should be referred to a Committee, M. Mavromichaeli was unable to resist. Yet he has at the same time to own the mastership of the Military League, and the league is openly and. violently threatening the Chamber with a purge. On Friday the Times published from its correspondent a remarkable letter by a Greek, who describes the bitter feelings of the King. The King speaks as though he had been "thrown over" by the Powers in the matter of Crete. We can believe that he was encouraged to hope for impossible things, but we are nevertheless quite sure that the greatest need of Gneece in the last few mouths was to be saved from a war with Turkey. We trust that the insurgent Greek officers will not be mad enough to force the K.Jng to abdicate, for no one has served his country bo faithfully and well. A CHINESITIJTATESMAN. The Times correspondent at Peking states in Monday's papers that overtures have been made by the Grand Council to Yuan-Shi-kai to induce him to return to office. His abrupt dismissal by the Prince Regent on the pretext that he had rheumatism in his toot and needed rest in the country is now generally admitted by the Chinese to have been an unpatriotic blunder. The Central Government apparently cannot get on without Yuan-Shi-kai, who is certainly the ablest statesman in China. He, however, is displaying a suitable reluctance to accept the invitation to return. The correspondent says that the Central Government has never been so badly in need of strengthening. The Prince Regent, in attempting to increase Manchu authority, has actually weakened it, because Eiiblic resentment has been excited by is practice of giving the best posts to his relations. It is satisfactory, therefore, to hear that Yuan Shi-kai is certain to return to public life sooner or later. We must add that on Thursday the new provincial deliberative Assemblies, which are expeced to have much influence in the development of Constitutional government, met for the first time.