PLOTTERS AGAINST SPAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19781, 31 October 1927, Page 9

PLOTTERS AGAINST SPAIN.

SOME CROSS THE BOEDER. IBANEZ AS RINGLEADER. GREAT UNREST IN DISTRICT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received October 30, 6.80 p.m.) A. and N.Z. PARIS. Oct. 29. The newspaper Echo de Paris says some of the Catalonian conspirators succeeded in crossing tho Franco-Spanish border. The novelist Blasco Ibanez is, it asserts, one of the ringleaders. There is the greatest unrest in the district. The paper says the anti-Spanish plot was financed from Central America and Russia. The presenco of Ibanez is considered to justify extraordinary precautions being taken. The Spanish author, Blasco Ibanez, has been resid'ug in France for three or four years. From that country he has conducted a campaign against King Alfonso. In December, 1924, the Procurator of the Supreme Court, Madrid, after inquiring into the publication by Ibanez of his pamphlet entitled "A Sequestrated Nation: Spain Under the Military Terror," found that the author was guilty of the crime of lesc ..joste. The pamphlet contained violent attacks on the King and the Spanish Directory. It had the appearance of an ordinary Knjrlish newspaper. Senor Ibanez announced t hat »2,000,000 copies had been printed in a first issue. Others were foreshadowed The first issue was introduced into Spain from France by means of two aero planes bought for the purpose by the author and, presumably, christened by him "Liberty" and "Spanish Republic." Concluding his introductory arfirle, Senor Tbanez quoted the battle orders of oldtime admirals: "Do not fire at the masts, fire at the hull." "The masts in the present case," the author declared, "are the comic opera generals forming the Directory, the hull is the King." The Spanish Monarchists' answer to Ibanez's attack on King Alfonso appeared in four languages, and was placed on sale in as many countries as possible The answer was entitled "The Novelist who Sold his Fatherland." It contained devastating information concerning Ibnnez s life, as well as proof that his assertions concerning King Alfonso were false. Ihe only result of his campaign against the Spanish Sovereign was to arouse the patriotism and monarchial loyalty of practically every class of the Spanish people Even the Republicans and the Catalonian Separatists hastened to disown him in 1924 and to condemn his attacks upon the King. It was said that where Ibanez made one of his most foolish mistakes, from the point ot view even of his sympathisers, was when he accused the King of being pro-German during the war. This accusation was contrary to the known facts of the case and the testimony of all re putable evidence, which showed Kine Alfonso's earnest effort throughout the conflict to maintain strict neutrality, even acainst the wishes of many of his advisers. Tn an open letter to the novelist Senor Benign Varela, director of the Royalist weekly newspaper, La Monarouia. challenged him to a duel. Senor Varela announced his intention of £r«'>in or to find Tbanez. whether he were in Paris or Mentone. and "slap h ; s face in nnblic, so that the romancer will have to fight or be for ever dishonoured as a rownrd in the eves of his own countrvrnen." This open letter was published onlv after the challenge itself was sent to tho novebst. ft was first despatched by telegram, but 'he Snnnish censor suppressed if. Then the Monarchist nenirnn sent it hv post.