“ROYAL EMBEZZLEMENT.”

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13354, 19 April 1911, Page 5

“ROYAL EMBEZZLEMENT.”

MORE TROUBLE FOR KING ALFONSO.

Serious Charges by a Deputy.

A Spanish Sensation. MADRID, April 16. An unusual sensation is shaking the whole of society, and, indeed, the whole of Spain. Speaking from the floor of the Cortes yesterday Deputy Ursaiz, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a leading Conserative, virtually accused King Alfonso of a gigantic Scheme of embezzlement of public funds in connection with the redemption of the National Debt. Toward this end the Premier, Senor Canalejas, has been steadfastly striving. Th«f seriousness of the charges was hardly appreciated at first, but the Republicans are now busy disseminating talk upon the matter 1 , and the effects are likely to be more serious to the royal house than years of Radical campaigning. In brief, the deputy’s charges are these —The Government a little while ago submitted a proposal to redeem, at par; bonds that had originally been sold at a very low figure. If this proposal were ratified it would mean that the holders would clear over .£1.000.000, most of which would, it appears, fall" to the King. "This suggestion”, 'declared Ursaiz, “is immorality and embezzlement, and it is the King who proposes it,, it is nothing more nor leas than a crimp.”

The progressive newspaper Espana JTeuva follows up this dramatic statement by printing a list which shows that to the King a bum of 19,445 pesetas 'has already been paid, to his eldest son 1368 pesetas, to his wife 1250, to his mother 694, to his Aunt Isabel 694, to his aunt Eulalia 418, to his aunt Pose 418, and to his sister Maria 418;, making a total of 24.703 pesetas, or nearly. £IOOO. In sarcastic vein the paper .adds: “In return for this the King attended mam, took part in a polo match and in equestrian tournaments, but we know of no donations that he hab made to charity."