S. Zorilla, the new Premier of Spain, has put out
his programme, which contains some important announcements. He intends to keep faith with the public creditor, and to reduce expenditure rigidly ; to restore the liberty of association ; to adhere strictly to the Constitution ; to secure the universal enjoyment of liberty of
conscience ; and to abolish the conscription. It is believed that the sentence about liberty of conscience covers a plan for the separation of Church and State, and the suspension of all State payments to the priesthood, and that the conscription is to be replaced by universal military service for a limited term. As that system is inconsistent with military service in the tropics, we imagine S. Zorilla has some plan for reconciling Cuba, though he
affirms, like his predecessors, that the islanders must submit before he can grant them terms. S. Zorilla appears to believe that an army thus organised will be national, and he has evidently some reason for his faith, for he is trusting Madrid entirely to National Guards and Volunteers.
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