SPAIN: Mischief Unto Mother Church

Spanish policemen beat twelve citizens insensible in Madrid's octagonal Puerto, del Sol (Sun "Square") one day last week. The twelve had shouted, "Down with the Church!"

Not far away Civil Guards grew tired of slapping thousands of citizens back from the National Assembly with the flats of their sabres, began brutally to slash, drew blood. Back & back the mob surged like a great wounded beast, but did not disperse, stayed to raise conflicting shouts of "Down with the Church!" and "Long live Christ the King!"

Inside the National Assembly excited Deputies wrestled for 15 hours with a national question breathtaking in its implications. Christianity has existed in Spain since the 2nd Century. Each of her Bourbon kings was "His Most Catholic Majesty." Under Spain's First Republic (1873-75) Mother Church was not molested. Last week's great question: Should the Second Republic now disestablish the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church in Spain, expel her Jesuits and bar her priests from their cherished mission as educators of Catholic youth?

In the 15 hours of frantic debate, three Deputies had both eyes blacked shut. A blow from behind stunned Deputy Sigfrido Blasco, son of the late, great Spanish novelist Vicente Blasco Ibanez. Several Deputies stood off physical assaults with drawn revolvers, retained just enough sense not to fire. Along about the middle of the struggle, the National Assembly voted 227 to 41 to adopt as Article III of Spain's new Constitution (full text): "No official State religion shall exist."

Punching & Pulling. Thus the Second Republic disestablished Mother Church, but the fight to cripple her in Spain had only begun. Her devout son. Provisional President Alcala Zamora, bellowed from the Government Bench that he could stomach disestablishment but no more. Reminding the members that he resigned (for one hour) as President when a Deputy insulted his honor (TiME, Oct. 19), President Alcala Zamora threatened passionately to resign permanently if the

Assembly should vote to expel the Jesuits and do Mother Church more mischief.

With catcalls filling the National Assembly, with Deputies punching & pulling each other's noses, Foreign Minister Alejandro Lerroux cancelled an appointment to go to Geneva. He was to have presided over the League Council while it wrestled with China & Japan (see p. 20). Instead Senor Lerroux leaped with President Alcala Zamora to the aid of Mother Church. Also for Mother Church battled at first War Minister Manuel Azana—but not for long.

Shrewd Senor Azana, when appointed War Minister (TIME, May 4) decided at once that 22,219 commissioned officers (149 of them Generals) were too many for Spain, slashed the number to 7,000. "Our Army today," he has said with modest pride, "is compact!" Last week amid National Assembly bedlam about Mother Church, shrewd War Minister Azana suddenly deserted pious President Alcala Zamora, made a fiery anticlerical speech which delighted the Socialists (largest Spanish party). That speech a few hours later made War Minister Azana the Provisional President and Premier of Spain. But first