Azana's Jaw

By working his large jaw with its widely-spaced teeth up and down in the National Assembly last week, Provisional President, Premier & War Minister Manuel Azana made himself Dictator of Spain.

To obtain all the usual dictatorial power (previously held by such men as King Alfonso and Primo de Rivera), President Azana circulated rumors among the Deputies that a plot had been discovered by his Government "to end the Spanish Republic tomorrow morning." On the Assembly platform, however, the President's jaw worked thus:

"The Spanish Republic is not in danger, but we are facing an illegal opposition which must be smashed!"

Illegal opposition, the President said, centred in the radically syndicalist East and reactionary Catholic Northeast. Certainly Catholic Navarra and the Basque Provinces seethed with discontent last week at the disestablishment of Mother Church (TIME, Oct. 26). In Barcelona, the President said, a movement was on foot to declare a "sudden general strike." Hereafter any strike begun without at least eight days notice will be suppressed by the Government as "revolutionary."

After being vested with his new powers, Dictator Azana ominously declared: "We shall allow Catholics to hold all the meetings they desire . . . so long as they obtain the Government's permission first."

Later the National Assembly, again at Senor Azana's bidding, swept away the whole system of Catholic primary education. Article 46 of the new Constitution, now being built by the Assembly article by article, day after day, was adopted with cheers. It provides that "Primary education shall be free, public and non-religious," and pledges the Government to establish lay schools of higher learning.

With fresh cheers the Assembly tagged Article 46 with a language amendment: "Castilian is the standard Spanish dialect and shall be taught in the schools."

Next the Assembly will tackle charges of high treason against fugitive King Alfonso XIII (he never abdicated) which were drafted last week by the Government Responsibility Commission. "If Alfonso does not return from France to face these charges," said Socialist Commissioner Jeronimo Bujeda, "we are prepared to declare him a fugitive from Justice. This Commission demands real prosecution and no farces!"

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