Chapter XXI: Appendix: Notes on Politicians and Periodicals

LIBERAL-MONARCHISTS

When Sagasta died three men were proposed as leaders of the Liberal party, Moret, Montero Rios, and Canalejas, Montero Rios gave way in favour of Moret, in order to secure the unity of the party, but Canalejas preferred to lead a group of his own.

=Moret.=--Was a Republican until Alfonso XII. was proclaimed. He then joined the Monarchical forces, the road being opened to him and many others by the broadly liberal policy of Sagasta. He is English on the mother’s side.

=Montero Rios.=--Also was a Republican until the Monarchy was re-established. Then he also adhered to Sagasta, bringing in with him his own group, thenceforth to be known as the Radical wing of the Liberal-Monarchists.

=Rafael Gasset.=--A staunch supporter of Moret’s policy. He is the author of the great irrigation scheme which is one of the most popular features in Moret’s programme. His enthusiasm for this improvement in the conditions of agriculture is so strong that his opponents have nicknamed him “The Duke of the Reservoirs.” He is one of the strongest of the younger Liberals, and his sincerity and devotion to the interest of the working-classes have won him their confidence and respect.

The policy of the Liberal-Monarchist party is supported by the _Sociedad Editorial de España_, which publishes three daily papers, all sold at 5 cmes. per copy, or 1 peseta per month:

=El Liberal.=--This paper has by far the largest circulation of any in Spain. Its political news is edited in Madrid, and telegraphed thence twice daily, for the morning and evening editions, to branch offices at Bilbao, Murcia, Barcelona, and Seville, where the local notes and news are added. Although conducted on Liberal-Monarchical lines, it is tinged with democratic feeling. The Reactionists profess to consider it a dangerous enemy to religion, and label its readers atheists and anarchists. It is universally popular with the working classes.

=El Heraldo de Madrid.=--Edited and published in the capital on Radical-Monarchical lines. On sale all over the country, but with a comparatively small circulation among the working men outside of Madrid.

=El Imparcial.=--Edited on Liberal-Monarchical lines in the interest of the working classes, with full reports and articles on public works of every description, trades unions, schemes for social and industrial reform, &c. It is on sale everywhere, and probably has the largest circulation of any Madrid paper among the working classes in the provinces, but does not come near _El Liberal_ in popularity.

The literary style of the writers employed by the _Sociedad Editorial_ is cultivated and refined, the flying of political kites is discouraged, and personal abuse of opponents in politics finds no favour with the directors. The Society is abusively called a “Trust” by the Opposition, and reactionary journals daily publish headlines proclaiming that they do not belong to the “Trust.” As a matter of fact the _Sociedad_ is an ordinary limited liability company, well managed, and paying a good dividend, and partaking in no respect of the evils of the Trust system.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC GROUP

=Canalejas.=--Was a Republican, but maintained his independence, although adhering to Sagasta’s party, by proclaiming himself chief of a group of progressive Liberals with Republican sympathies. The main plank in his programme has always been a direct attack upon the Church and Religious Orders. His policy is supported by the _Diario Universal_, but it has a small sale and is hardly known by working men outside of Madrid.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

The three most distinguished men in this party--=Melquiades Alvarez=, =Blasco Ibañez= and =Rodrigo Soriano=,--are all celebrated for their literary and oratorical gifts, and enjoy the respect and confidence of the veteran Liberal leaders, Moret and Montero Rios. Their policy may be described as Republican in idea, but democratically Monarchical in practice, and their demands for vigorous measures of reform have materially strengthened the hands of the Liberal-Monarchists.

The organ of this party is _El Pais_, which, although its sale is very much smaller, has the largest circulation among the working classes after _El Liberal_. The paper, as might be expected from the literary renown of the leaders who direct it, is extremely well written, the staff including some of the most highly educated Progressives in Spain. It is possible, however, that the standard of intellectuality maintained in its leading articles militates against its success with the people. The numerical strength of the Republicans is small. Thus, the circulation of _El Pais_ being comparatively limited, the Reactionists are not nearly so much afraid of its influence on the country as of that of _El Liberal_, and indeed seem to treat it almost with indifference. It is sold at the same price as the papers of the _Sociedad Editorial_.

THE SOCIALIST PARTY

=Lerroux, Pablo Iglesias, Nakens.=--The Socialists in Spain have a very small following, and that confined to a few of the industrial cities, chiefly in the north. They formed a coalition with the Republicans to secure the rout of the Clericalists at the Municipal Elections of 1909, but the party is disunited, Iglesias and Lerroux seldom coming into line with each other, while neither of them goes so far as Nakens, editor of the Socialist organ _El Motin_ and a violent revolutionary. _El Motin_ has a very small circulation, and the programme of the Socialists has no serious influence in Spanish politics.

The Separatist, Regionalist, and other groups of Catalans exist solely for the political purposes of that province, and play no part in the programme of either of the national parties.

The so-called Anarchist party, of which so much has been heard abroad, is practically non-existent. Their sporadic publications have no genuine circulation and seldom live for over a month.[30]

THE REACTIONARY, CLERICALIST, OR ULTRAMONTANE PARTY

The leader of this party, =Maura=--for many years a Liberal and the intimate friend of Moret--adopted Conservative principles under Silvela, and on his death was chosen to be leader of the Conservative party. His Liberal proclivities at first influenced him in the direction of reform, and gave him a strong and united following among the true Conservatives. But as time passed he developed so much religious fervour that he has now become recognised as the protagonist of the Religious Orders and the hope of the Church in the rapidly approaching final struggle with the State. Down to July, 1909, Maura was able to hold the Conservative party together, notwithstanding the marked development of reaction in his policy. But after the events at Barcelona the Conservatives proper withdrew their support on his programme of repression, and since his Cabinet fell in October of that year, he has been universally regarded more as the tool of the Ultramontanes than the leader of the Conservative party.

The organ of Maura is _La Epoca_. It is sold in Madrid at 10 cmes., but is never seen on the bookstalls at any distance from the capital, and can only be obtained in provincial towns by paying three months’ subscription to the Madrid office in advance. Its circulation is exclusively confined to the Clericalist aristocracy and plutocracy, by whom it is subsidised.

THE CARLIST, JAIMIST, OR TRADITIONALIST PARTY

This party, which numbers many of the richest men in Spain among its adherents, besides all the Religious Orders, with their enormous wealth and influence, is directed from the Castle of Frohsdorf by =Don Jaime, Duke of Madrid=, through persons whom he appoints in every province of Spain. The name brought most frequently before the public in connection with the party, after the Pretender’s own, is that of =Llorens=, whose work in the Melilla campaign is referred to in Chapter VII. The Pretender has a complete organisation all over Spain, with _Caciques_ in a large number of provincial towns and villages, and is supported by numerous religious associations, clubs, colleges, &c., of a confessedly militant character, but confined to the upper classes.

The leading organs of the Carlists are the _Correo Español_ and the _Correo Catalan_, with offices in Madrid, Paris, and Barcelona; but practically all the reactionary Press supports the claims of the Pretender more or less openly. The Carlist papers have no sale among the working classes, and can only be obtained outside of Madrid (like _La Epoca_) by paying three months’ subscriptions in advance.

* * * * *

Among military politicians much in the public eye may be mentioned Generals =Luque=, =Weyler=, and =Lopez Dominguez=, all on the Liberal side, and all strong men, in whom the people feel confidence. =Aguilera=, twice Alcalde of Madrid under Moret, who has been referred to in Chapter XIII., is highly popular with the poor of Madrid, owing to his consistent kindness to the children, whom he takes under his special protection.

Count =Romanones=, who engineered the crisis of February, 1910, is credited by the working classes with having large interests in the mines of Beni-bu-Ifrur, and with having schemed to bring about the war in Morocco, in order to put money into his own pockets. This impression, whether well or ill founded, is sufficient to make him cordially hated by them. He is credited with aspiring to the leadership of the Liberal party, but it is hardly probable that his following would prove strong enough to give him that position.

=La Cierva=, Minister of the Interior in Maura’s Cabinet, obtained an unenviable reputation in 1909, through his share in administering Maura’s policy of repression. Since his leader went out of office La Cierva’s name has hardly been mentioned among the working classes.

THE CONSERVATIVE-MONARCHIST PARTY

=Dato=, =Sanchez Toca=, and _Gonzalez Besada_ are the three leading dissentients from Maura’s policy of reaction, and now stand for the old Conservative-Monarchical programme of peace and conciliation without sensational reforms. Their organ is the _Correspondencia de España_, an eight-paged paper, well printed and got up, containing the fullest military intelligence and the best foreign news to be found in the Spanish Press. It has a far larger circulation than any other Conservative or Clericalist paper, and is to be seen on most of the kiosks in large towns. If it were not believed by the people to be subsidised by the party opposed to electoral and social reforms, its influence in the country would doubtless be considerably stronger than it is. At present the working classes do not read it, although no other paper gives nearly as much matter for the price, which is 5 cmes.

INDEX

Aguilera, Señor, 240

_Alcalde_, the, 265 note

Alfonso XII., 112

Alfonso XIII., 122-4, 182, 318

All Souls’ Day, observation of, 46;
scandal connected with Masses on, 84-6

_Ayuntamiento_, the, 265 note; 274

Baptism, 47

Barcelona, effect of riots, 17;
refugees from, 90, 92;
Carlist activities in, 134 ff.;
stories of riots, 165-6;
bombs in, theory of, 181 ff

_Beatas_, 21

“Bull of the Crusade,” 64

Bullfight, the, 307 ff

Burial, 48, 50-1

_Cacique_,the 230-3

Canalejas, Señor, 243-6, 317-9

Carlists, alleged plots of, 167, 176;
army, 155-6;
party, 321

“Catholic Associations,” 163

Church, attitude towards people, 31-2;
illegal disposal of property, 80 ff;
unique position of,in Spain, 304

Civil Guard, the, 175, 218 ff

Clergy, children of, 79-80, 106-7;
arming and drilling of, 161, 164

Clerical Press, the, 28, 169, 235, 320-1

Confessional, the, 43, 73 ff

Conscription, consolidates Monarchy, 111;
conditions of exemption, 209;
proposals for alteration, 210

Conservatives, the, 251, 256, 322

_Consumo_, the, 15, 288

_Contribucion industrial_, 286

Convent schools, 275

_Correo Catalan_, the, 151, 172, 243, 321

_Correo Español_, the, 163, 321

_Correspondencia de España_, the, 254, 322

Crossing, modes of, 65-7

Cuban War, stories of, 200-3

Customs’ duties, 285

Demonstrations, clerical, 191-4

“ popular, 174

Education, desire for, 15, 33

_Ejercito Español_, the, 152, 238

Electoral system, 229-33

Employers and employed, relations of, 23 ff

England, misunderstanding of Spanish politics in, 227, 257;
hopes of people from, 277, 318;
admiration of, in Spain, 309

Ferrer, 147-9, 170, 325

Gasset, Señor, 236, 317 Governments, distrusted by working classes, 30

_Heraldo de Madrid_, the, 187, 229 note, 257, 270, 318

Honesty, 62

Hume, Major Martin, quoted, 133, 228

Illiteracy, 263, 271

Images, belief in, 52-3, 55-8

_Imparcial_, the, 114, 318

Irrigation scheme, 237

Jaime, Don, of Bourbon, 117, 153-4, 166, 170

Lay schools, the, 169;
clerical campaign against, 190-1, 193

_Liberal_, the, 35, 172, 294, 317

Llorens, Señor, 152-3, 163, 321

Lottery, national, 298

Luque, General, 238

Madrid, attitude of, towards the South, 26-8

Marriage among working classes, 48-9

Matches, monopoly of, 292

Maura, Señor, 35, 115, 137-8, 144, 150, 203, 234, 245, 251-3, 256, 280, 320

Melquiades Alvarez, Señor, 259, 317, 319

Monopolies, Government, 291-2

Montero Rios, Señor, 242, 317

Moret, Señor, 137, 173, 228, 234, 237, 239, 241-3, 253, 258, 317

Morocco, war in, 200 ff

Morral, 144, 148

Moslems, mixed with Spaniards, 28-9;
traditional feeling against, 207

Municipal elections, 1909, 237

_Nuevo Mundo_, the, 7

_Pais_, the, 171, 223, 319

Paz, Infanta Doña, 207

Penitential dress, 64

Penitents, 53

Police, various bodies of, 215 ff

Politics, difficulties of understanding, 228

Popular songs, 142-3

Postal service, 298

Prayers quoted, 67-8

Primo de Rivera, General, 203

Public instruction, system of, 264 ff

Purgatory, popular view of, 44

Queen, the, animus of clergy against, 120;
feeling of working people towards, 121-2, 128;
courage shown by, 182

Queen-Mother, the, 113, 115

Religious Orders, the, change of people’s attitude towards, 17;
positions in Spain illegal, 90;
relations to working classes, 93;
underselling of workpeople by, 94-5, 105;
people ruined by, 97-102;
refusal to help at time of distress, 102;
evasion of taxation by, 295;
measures adopted by Government, 317-8

Republicans, the, 239, 258-60, 317, 319

Reservists, supposed protest against calling out of, 204

Romanones, Count, 240, 322

Royal Family, suppression of news about, during the Maura _régime_, 116, 123-6

Sanchez Toca, Señor, 254

School supply, facts about, 270

_Serenos_, the, 217

Socialists, the, 237

_Sociedad editorial_, the, 139, 171-2, 317

Squilache, Marquesa de, 116-7

Sugar monopoly, 291

Taxation, evasions of, 294

Tobacco monopoly, 291

Tradition, influence of, 16, 145

Truth-telling, 61

Universities, the, 268

Upper classes, general character of, 32; religion of, 40

_Vigilancia_, the, 217

War Fund, initiated by the Queen, 117 ff, 127;
contributions of workpeople to, 119

Working classes, general character of, 14, 30;
what they read, 34;
religion of, 39 ff

Zaragoza, explosion of bombs at, 188

The Gresham Press
UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED
WOKING AND LONDON

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The last edict of expulsion was issued in 1712.

[2] Isabella the Catholic made an order for the expulsion of the unconverted “Moors” in 1501, but a very large number of them, whether nominally Christian or not, remained until driven out by Philip III. After the massacres commanded by Philip II. in Granada, the Moriscos who were expelled from that kingdom did not apparently leave Spain, for two years later an edict was issued for their registration.

[3] What Lecky says about the seventh and following centuries might be applied to the religion of the upper classes in Spain to-day: “It is no exaggeration to say that to give money to the priests was for several centuries the first article of the moral code” (“History of European Morals,” ii. 216).

[4] I know several cases of lads of fourteen or fifteen who return after working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the fields, to sit over their A B C and pot-hooks until they can keep their eyes open no longer, while the rest of the family look on and encourage the student.

[5] One of the various local terms for what the guide-books call _olla podrida_--a universal dish in Spain.

[6] Lecky, “History of European Morals,” ii. 213.

[7] Sweet cakes and _patisserie_, the foundation of which is generally finely grated stale bread.

[8] Two favourite sweetmeats.

[9] From the Basque _ama_, a mother; applied to the head servant in the house of a priest or other man living alone.

[10] Hume, “Modern Spain,” p. 550.

[11] It is said--although I repeat the statement with all reserve--that there are “parish” doctors employed by the Municipality of Madrid who refuse to prescribe for a dying child unless the mother can show her marriage certificate.

[12] “Modern Spain,” p. 563.

[13] It was stated as a fact that nineteen men in one regiment had been shot for refusing to go into action, and an Ultramontane of my acquaintance, who never reads anything but the newspapers of his own party and never travels ten miles from his own village, solemnly assured me that the tale was true!

[14] I was told at the time that many people in Madrid thought the bomb was thrown on behalf of the Pretender.

[15] The names of the monastery and of all the people concerned were given me, but I refrain for obvious reasons from publishing them.

[16] It is said that the Association of Social Defence promises its working men members a retaining fee of 3 pesetas a day should political exigencies compel them to leave their work at any time, the average labourer’s wages all over the country being from 1.50 to 2 pesetas. It has not been possible to obtain trustworthy information, either as to terms of membership or the actual numbers who have joined the league during the last twelve months, but there is evidence that it has no influence among the working classes generally.

[17] I have been told by an English friend that a Spanish acquaintance of his has, to his knowledge, lately made a substantial sum by selling arms to the Religious Orders.

[18] Most of them had been re-opened after Moret took office in October, 1909, as already mentioned.

[19] This story evidently relates to the early days of the Cuban war.

[20] This is not the only statement of the kind that I have heard.

[21] “Modern Spain,” p. 531.

[22] So clearly is this recognised on all sides, and so impossible does political honesty on the part of the rich appear to Spaniards, that the _Heraldo_, the leading moderate-Liberal paper, in the course of its comments on the rejection by the English House of Lords of the Budget of 1909, said that if the Lords permitted the people to vote as they pleased, this action on their part would have been justifiable, but that naturally they would take the usual means to secure the suffrages of those over whom they had control, and with the immense wealth at their command would easily influence the elections in the direction they desired.

[23] In Spain not only every city, but every town and nearly every village, has its _Ayuntamiento_, more or less equivalent to our town or village Council, and its Alcalde, who has a good deal more power than the Mayor of a Corporation.

[24] The peseta is the same as the franc.

[25] The sums set down in the schedules are less than those named. The tax has been increased at different times, and the additions amount in all to about 66 per cent.

[26] The Spanish dollar, value five pesetas, and counted by the poor as twenty reals.

[27] The cuarto was a little over two centimes.

[28] “History of European Morals,” Chap. IV.

[29] In a decaying town of some 15,000 inhabitants, once wealthy and prosperous, two large new buildings have been erected during the last half-century, while on all sides dwelling-houses, great and small, are falling into ruin. These are the Jesuit College and the bullring; and the people say that the one is the parent of the other.

[30] For a full account of the political parties in Spain see “The Backwardness of Spain,” by John Chamberlain. The author has an exhaustive knowledge of the country, and of many phases of society in Spain, but in my opinion he has not informed himself of the mind of the provincial and rural population. This class, if only from their numbers, cannot fail to exercise a strong influence over politics, when once they obtain the right to vote which the Constitution gives them.