The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1930. CONSTITUTIONALISM IN SPAIN.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 March 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1930. CONSTITUTIONALISM IN SPAIN.

The last days of General Primo de Rivera Marquis de Estella, whose death was recorded recently, can hardly have been days pf happiness or contentment. Early in the year says the Otago limes, he was forced to resign from the position of Dictator of Spain alter lie had occupied it si” e September. 1923, when lie placed himself at the head of the Military Directory which came into power as a sequel to Ihe aefion of King Alfonso in dissolving flic Spanish Cortes. His rosignaiiiou from the dictatorship had for some time been regarded as likely, and General de Rivera had not made any secret of his desire to see the regime terminated in favour of a more constitutional form of government. The Dictator was not, however, ready to resign in January of this year when the army and navy forced his hand alter lie had invited the heads of these potent Spanish institutions to pass judgment on his administration. In taking this step he had ignored the authority of the King, hut Ill’s Alnjcst.v’s rebuke, coupled with the omphalic statement of Hie army and navy that (hey desired his resignation, loft him no choice hut lo relinquish office. Tt is not easy to form an estimate of the respective merits and defects of Genera! de Rivera’s term as Dictator of Spain, hut it is generally conceded by observers that for the most part, his rule was beneficial. The General was above all tilings a Royalist, and his

every action was taken with the ob-

. jeet of safeguarding tiie monarchy. He was, moreover, in no way comparable with Signor Mussolini or ,M. Stalin—dictators who apparently glory in their auto.ratio privileges and have no intention of relinquishing them at any price. General do Rivera established a form of dictatorship well deserving the qualifying adjective ne gave to it —.‘‘patriarchal.” The regime was, he stated, simply a “brief paierithesis in Spain’s constitutional history,” and his last important work before he relinquished office testified to the smceiity of his desire to see a return to constitutional methods of government in in’s country. The Assembly in .July ot last year published the preliminary draft of a new “Constitution- of the Spanish Monarchy’’ which the Dictator hoped might be debated ana amended this year preliminary to ele - tions being held that wou.d effect the reinstatement of the Cortes as the instrument of State. In order that the Assembly might he sufficiently representative to consider this weighty question General de Rivera created additional seats intended lor politicos of the old regime, and representatives of academic, professional, and LaOuiir u.ganisations. Tlie' reply to this gesture, however, was a succession of snubs, Hie organisations which had been asked to make nominations for the vacant seats in the Assembly eithei refusing to do so or maliciously nominating men who were known to be the Dictator's worst enemies. Last December General de Rivera made it known that he saw no useful purpose in trying to force a constitution upon a country which, to all appearances, did not want it. He complained of sheer physical exhaustion, but did not admit defeat, the pol.tieal programme which he submitted to the King revealing that ho still believed in attempting to proceed gradually towards a state of “normality” in Spain, His osignation from • the-dictatorship, accompanied by a rebuff from his King >nd joyful demonstrations by Republicans, was a poor reward for the work vhich had been done by him. Good errued to Spain through her patriaihal dictatorship. General de Rivera naintained order and security, though it'the sacrifice of a good deal of the lersonal liberty of the subject, and lie ettled the problem of Morocco which had baffled his predecessors. The rimes, which never indented any par--iality for the ex-Dictator, remarked when his retirement was announced hat “history will certainly allot him an honourable place among the rulers >f modern Spain.” That his regime mded <Ps it did, somewhat ignominou.sly, must he regretted by those who ■saw in Primo de Rivera a sincere, if not a brilliant, soldier-politician.