ALFONSO STANDS FIRM

Hawera Star, Volume L, 20 February 1931, Page 5

ALFONSO STANDS FIRM

RETENTION OF PREROGATIVE SENSOR GUERRA’S INTERVIEW A HINT OF THE BURLESQUE. . (United Frees Association —By Electric Telegrapn Copyright.! Received 10.15 a.m. to-day. LONDON, Feb. 19. Tlie “Daily Telegrapn’s” Madrid correspondent transmits an interesting story of how a plot to involve King Alfonso in renunciation of the Royal prerogative broke down. It is known that Senor Guerra took to the palace a document for Royal signature committing His Majesty to immediate political inactivity and impotence. It is also known that he had in his pocket for the King a list of nominees for the Cabinet. It is known, further, that Senor Guerra came from the palace saying he never produced the list to the King owing to its inherent unsuitability. Everybody is asking why Senor Guerra changed his mind in regai-d to ( presenting the list, and the answer generally accepted is that King Alfonso flatly refused to relinquish his prerogative and that Senor Guerra, foreseeing that this would involve a conflict between the Crown and the country if stressed 'by him, came from the palace with the list still in his pocket, confessing his own failure at the psychological moment to produce it.

The situation is not dissimilar to that in Bernard Shaw’s play “Applecart,” in which King Magnus upsets the Ministry’s “applecart” by agreeing to abdicate but announcing his intention to become a Parliamentary candidate for the Royal borough of Windsor. The Ministry, foreseeing that Magnus would be elected and form his own party, preferred him to stay on the throne.