THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 29

THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

Misgovernment by grouns of politicians who placed personal and party interests before those of the country has been l^r^ely responsible for the present state of affairs in Portugal (says the Standard). Popular discontent during tlio last three years has b^en aeEruavaterl by instance aftpr instance of political immorality, such as the creation and duplication of sinecuro posts and the renewal of the tobacco monopoly, this latter in particular being denounced as a flagrant example of mismanagement and corruption. Pavtv strife and rancour in the Cortes during the early part of the year (1907) reached a heie-hk that formed an effective hindrance to legislative work, and the constitutional machinery of the country seemed to have come to a deadlock. , Under these circumstances the King and his Ministers cut the Gordian knot by dissolving the Cortes on May 12. Xo date was mentioned for the general elections, which, in the ordinary course, should have followed this procedure, but. on the contrary, dictatorial powers were vested in Sonhor Franco, the Premier, and his Ministers, and the country has since been ruled without representation. The new order of things wa? not allowed to pa's without pro-test-on the part of the Republicans. " On Juno 17 and 18 rioting occurred in Lisbon in which four persons were killed imd seveial wounded. Deputations from Conservativos and Republicans alike approached King Carlos to ask his Majpstv to return to constitutional methods of <r<n eminent, but in each case the reply was that he had full confidence in Senhor Franco, and that the country would not bo asked to elect a new Parliament until the moment was opportune. ' This statement was practically repeated by his Majesty in an interview given at Caeca»s to the Lisbon coi respondent of the Paris Temps. The most remarkable of the Premier s acts has been the treatment of the monetary advances made to King Carlos, which were the chief bone of contention of the Opposition (says the Standard's Lisbon correspondent). To put matters clearly, King Carlos owed the Government something like 800 centos of reis (£180,000), which the Republican party were demanding should be refunded to the State.

Senhor Franco, by an adroit movi arranged that his Majesty shoulci nominally transfer to the Government his private yacht the Amelia, together with the free use of various building* previously rented from him by the Govern* ment, and thus extinguish the King's int debtedness at one stroke. Nor is this all, for his Majesty's income of £200 a day (£73,000 per annum), having long bee* found to be insufficient to meet the royal expenses, was increased by. Senhor Franc* to £350 per day, which means a consider* able extra annual increase to come 6us of the State revenues, and it is easy t«J imagine that this step has not passed withS out exciting loud protests from the entir* country.

No new' means of increasing the revenues have been found, and, consequently, it is not difficult to understand that the financial situation has gone from bad to worse, a* is proved by the Government's figures irf the Budget issued at the end of September last, which shows the startling increase ia the deficit by nearly £1,000,000, making a, total floating debt of £15,200,000. Portuguese foreign stocks within the last 12 months have dropped from 70 to 61, a fall of nine points, and the exchange, which' formerly was practically at par, has today dropped to the extent that £1 commands -a premium ©£-2s- to 3s. The result on commerce has been disastrous, and there have been many failures throughout th« country. The bank refuse to discount any trade bills.

Out of the heterogeneous mass of conflictinjr elements-- previous to the Dictatorship there .is now forming a 6olid body of Opposition, which* is reosivinar recruita from all the pre-existing political parties. This ia the Republican party, and much' depends on- the ability with which it is lpd. At the present moment several hundreds of arrests have been made, mainly amongst the Republicans, the charge being that of conspiring aprainst the State. What becomes of these individuals it is difficult to ascertain. Many are confined in out-of-the-way ■fortresses. As it is lese ma-je'sta to refer to such incidents, and as the authorities decline all information, the jreneral publio are left in the dark, and the wildest rumours naturally receive full credence.

Dom Carlos succeeded to the throne ol Portugal in 1889 on the death of his father fiom typhoid fever. From the first hjs reign has been a stormy one. Thpre was first a quarrel with JBritain about Portuguese aggression in Africa. This was followed by disturbances at Lisbon and Oporto, when the republicans, who were stimulated by the success of the revolution iii Brazil (which was originally a Portu< guese colony) fermented the spirit of di» affection, end , were so far successful that the demonstrations assumed an anti-dynastii character. These disorders were quelle4 mainly by the forbearance of Britain. A new crisis was brought^ about by the unfortunate financial position of the country. The careless and extravagant management of the railways guaranteed bj the Stat« entailed 6uch heavy deficits that the payment of interest, had to' be suspended. E\entually the Government committed a formal act of bankruptcy by issuing a decree reducing the payment to foreign hond< holders then due to one-third the_ amount. Parliamentary reform had been long in th* air, and the year 1895 saw the accomplish' ment of far-reaching reforms in the consti* tution of the chambers and the qualification* of the electors. The number of deputies was reduced and the popular vote conferred. The upper chamber was also reformed. But a3 the King saw fit to sweep away parliamentary government 1 altogether, all these reforms were futile. The King paid «. visit to England in 1895 and wa-s received very warmly, as he was a great personal friend of King Edward. Dom Carlos was accounted the .best revclver shot in Europe, and was very fond of sport. The reigning dynasty of Portugal be* longs to the House of Braganza, which dates from the end of the fourteenth century, at which period Alfonso was created by his father Count of Barcellos, Lord of Guimara<?6, and by King Alfonso V Duke of Braganza. AVhen the old line of Portuguese kings,/ of the House of Avis, became extinct by the death of King Sebastion and of his sueoeesor, Cardinal Henrique, Philip II of Spain, became King of Portugal, in virtue of his descend from a. Portuguese princess. After 60 years'^ union under the same kings with Spain the people of Portugal revolted, and proclaimed Dom Joao, the then of Braganza, as their national king, he being the nearest Portuguese heir to the throne. The Duke thereupon assumed the name of Joao IV, to which * Portuguese historian* appended the title of " The Restorer." From this Joao the late rulers of Portugal descended. Queen Merie 11, by her marriage with a Prince of CoburgGotha united the house of Braganza witb that of the Teutonic Sovereigns. King Carlos, who was a son of Luiz I

and his Queen Maria Pi a, daughter of the late King of Italy, was married on May 22, 1886, to Marie Amelie, daughter of Philippe Due d'Orleans, Comte de Paris. The Crown of Portugal is hereditary in the female as well as in the male line, but with preference to the male in the case of equal birthright. Portugal has been in a state of unrest for some months past, but the cablegrams we have received do not indicate whether or not the crime was due to this fact. In November last it was stated that owing to the continuance of the regime of Senhor Joao Franco. Premier and Minister of the Interior, Portugal, who governed without a Parliament, the Republicans in Lisbon threatened to institute a rebellion and overthrow the monarchy. Several loyal regiments in the provinces were ordered to be in Teadiness to proceed to the capital. About the middle of August a mysterious explosion occurred at Lisbon, one result of which was that three men were arrested and conveyed to a warship. Two of the most important newspapers were suspended for a month for having, it was «id, made some slight reference to this affair. This policy of secrecy caused public opinion to suppose that the bomb which caused the explosion was intended for a very serious purpose. A few days later the newspapers in Paris published the following telegram fc-O'.n Lisbon: — "A bomb has exploded in the working-class quarter of the city, killing two. persons and injuring two. Investigation has shown the existence of a plot to assassinate King Carlos and the Premier. A student named Bettencourt, the ringleader of the conspiracy, was engaged in preparing the bombs when the explosion took place." At the end of November the situation ■was extremely serious, the repressive measures adopted by Senhor Frai.co having produced general discontent. The Republicans, whose ranks were being swelled by the accession of many notable Monarchist politicians, continued to agitate against the authorities.

A decree was issued applying to political offences the procedure governing Anarchist crimes, and makinsr them subject to special 'jurisdiction. The Lisbon examining magistrate who was appointed president of the special court resigned. The Madrid correspondent of the Echo de Paris stated that all the Portuguese regiments as to whose loyalty any doubts existed had been disarmed. Great excitement prevailed among the men in the navy. All politicians of importance were being kept under strict surveillance. It was stated that the King had refused to sign a. decree placing the kingdom under martial law. A report was current that a $erious fight had occurred between rioters fend the police, and that many had been Killed and wounded.

There was complete disaccord among the Opposition parties, and even between the groups composine the Opposition Monarchist " bloo." Each of the groups had a different tendency. Some inclined towards the Republicans, and others contemplated raising the questions of the abdication of King Carlos in fa\our of t!ie Crown Prince Luiz, T?hich had been a subject of discussion for Asme time past, and also of the intrigues V?leged to have bo^n carried on in the of the Royal Family. Many - V s*©mincnt men in the political world ■were »id to. be about to retire from public life. 'Vera knweven. were determined to ton-

tinue their efforts to induce the King to entrust them with the reigns of power. The supporters of Dom Miguel were not inactive, while the Republicans were gonerally holding aloof. During the financial difficulties in Portugal in 1892 King Carlos and the royal family renounced 20 per cent, of the endowments paid them by the nation — a sacrifice of £20,000 a year. His Majesty visited King Edward at Windsor in 1902 and 1904.