Macia's Catalonia

Without her industrial Catalonia and her thriving Basque country Spain would be like the U. S. without the North Atlantic seaboard and California. Yet last week the Republican Government at Madrid signed away most of its control over Catalonia which contains the country's largest, most modern city, Barcelona. In Madrid the Cortes, 172 to 12, passed a Constitutional amendment presented by Deputy Zorilla Cid (who claims descent from El Cid*) granting governmental autonomy to Catalonia. Most of the 470 deputies preferred to stay at home.

Thus obtained was the lifelong objective of Catalonia's self-appointed liberator, Col. Francisco Macia who already has had himself elected "First President of the Republic of Catalonia." Still to be secured by fiery Col. Macia are three subsidiary objectives: financial and educational independence from Madrid, recognition of Catalan as the official language of Catalonia.

*Spain's favorite national hero whose legendary exploits are celebrated in the Poem a del Cid, oldest Spanish epic (12th Century). Named Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, he was called El Cid ("the lord").

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