THE MAN OF THE HOUR IN SPAIN

Evening Star, Issue 16627, 9 January 1918, Page 8

THE MAN OF THE HOUR IN SPAIN

» \) ' PREMIER INTERVIEWED. " TRADE WITH~ ENGLAND. - Sonor Dato, tho man of the hour in Spain, received me (Filson Young, ' Daily Mail' correspondent) the other day, ana talked to me for a little while on some of ' the Questions out of which history is being mado. i He is one of the very few Mioisi ters who have not left Madrid, but have toiled on there through the burning days of August; and it was in Madrid-that I ■', saw him, in bis great room in the Presidency, which, once a palace of the Prince . of Astnrias, and later of Count Romanones, now serves as the chief office of tho Ministry. Senbr Dato belongs to the type of fa- > ' mous men who are of slight and spare physique. It is a spiritual rather than an animal force that animates his refined countenance and casts its pleasant spell upon you. The eyes, wide set beneath a roomy forehead, fasten themselves upon you with a regard both questing and bestowing; , they seem to search you for what may be in your mind, as well as to communicate to you some of the mental energy that lies behind them. I thought more than once, as we sat talking in a corner of this vast room in a foreign country of affairs all strange and well-nigh indecipherable, to me, yet with a sense of friendliness and understanding, that. Mr Lloyd George and Senor Dato would understand one another. They have many things in common. Both were lawv yers before they were politicians; in both the methods of the politician are applied frankly to statesmanship. As soon as we had sat down and achieved those preliminary civilities which Senor Dato raises to the level of a charming art, we plunged at once into the purpose of my visit. " You will understand." he said (and he made me feel that he did),'" how much I .. appreciate the object of your visit to our country. It will give you an opportunity of studying the real circumstances of the kingdom and of observing the friendliness i which is felt towards England. When you publish in the ' Daily Mail' what y>u •have heard and seen, the result of your mission will, I feel sure, bo beneficial to the friendly relations which continue to Unite this country with England." —Coal the Great Problem.— We spoke for a little on the war, and be expressed "some views which were personal to himself, I imagine, rather than official. B,pt he added: S "It _ will not have escaped your notice how vitally important this war has made Spain's international commercial relatiba<j. The geographical position of this country, for one thing, and the measures necessitated by the military operations for another, oblige His Majesty's Government to pay special attention to all questions relating to exports and imports." I asked him what was the question most occupying the attention of the Government at the moment, and spoke of the strikes at Gijon, Bilbao, and elsewhere. But he shook his head. " Coal," he said. " The coal question is as urgent with us as with you or with France. It is the subject of uninterrupted negotiations which the Marquis De Lema, Minister of State, and our diplomatic representatives are carrying on with notable activity and success. The statistics published in England with reference to the rnal nrtA nnh-a rananfK. *. v - n ~~*...J *~ o~._:„

coai ana cote recently exported to Spain make one think what an excellent effect would be produced on the good relations between the two countries if the vessels which come from Great Britain, calling at French ports, were to bring on to Spain some portion of the coal which they leave on the French coast." (Trajeran -A Uegar a los nnestros alguna parte del carbon que en equellos dejan.) * It was easy to see the President's point of view„ but I had a vision of last December in some French towns, and, inwardly gving thanks that I was not required to ame a diplomatic answer to this suggestion, I tongue. The President went on to speak of certain difficulties attending the export of Spanish fruit to England. " I await with confidence." he said, " the result of the present negotiations. I need hardly tell you how important it is for the fruit-producing districts of Spain, especially those of the eastern coast' to see the difficulties smoothed away, and to retain (as far as possible) such a long-established and valuable market as that of .your country."; ; •k:;" ■>'■ —A Courageous Man.— ■"lyasked somo very direct questions about the industrial situation. Igive the President's answer in exact translation of his Own words: "From what you tell me, I see that you have followed very closely the course of recent events in Spainv You will see that those events are ceasing to be a matter of ■ burning interest. It is true that we have had disturbances, the work of those who , prepared the revolutionary strike here. But really throughout the country public feeling was so hostile to the disturbing elements that in most places the strike melted away for lack of propitious environment. Its repression -by the troops was only necessary in Madrid, Barcelona, Sabadell, and a few other places; and in some of these only on account of unimportant disturbances." I spoke of .the interest, common to us hoth, attaching to the prestige of the Crown in Spam and England respectively. "I quite agree with you," replied Seiior JJato. And I have not forgotten the sympathetic affection with which our. KinoDon Alfonso XIII., is regarded in the United Kingdom. His marriage, and the frequency with which, both before and since that event, he visited your country when circumstances were normal, have brought about a feeling of intimate friendship. Spain regards this as a special claim (Espana los mira corao titulos espe-cialesj.-and trusts to its beneficial influence to assist m the satisfaction of her requests ln .<T C ? nrso of the P endin g negotiations. In the preservation of order this influence has made itself felt in the happy termination of the events which, as a thing of the past, you have come to study The prestige of the Government, the moderate and liberal policy which our monarchy represents, and the confidence reposed in these by the public and the army, are the chief obstacles which the revolutionary elements have found in their way " „W* "characteristic 0 f Senor Dato's public attitude on all difficult questions, lie deals strongly with the difficulty, and then makes light of it. More than this he would not say to me at the moment. Clearly he is one of those who knows when to speak and when to keep silent, and we postponed to another promised meeting a discussion of the constructive programme , which the Government have in view rhe chief impressions left on me by Sonor Date were those of charm, ■ sensitiveness, anxiety, optimism, and, above all courage. '