New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-23
THE STATE OF ITALY.

GENOA, August |, 1889.
The future destinies Of Italy are still shrouded in
as deep my stery as ever, and every body is cropping
his way in utter obscuri.y, and will continue to
grope until q ray of light from the serene realms
of diplomacy shall illuminate the darkness and reveal
the blessings which the two Imperial peace-mskers
have in store for the people Of this peninsula. The
restoration of the exiled soveregus, the future of
the pseudo-Itaan territory of veneta, the federal
constitution which is manufacturing in Paris
for the benefit of Italy, and the new
er-faiLng promises of improvement in the
Pspal States are among the pbantoms floating in
the air, too devoid of tangible body and distinct
shape to be dealt with by any other process than
that of vatcination. Not enjoying this gift, aud
being disincned to add to the prevailing confusion
of guess-work by Offering any humble conjectures
of NY own l must leave these phantoms to the
political spectators, and restrict my communics-
ton to those few facts which are substantial
enough to be handled by an intellect which does
not re ceive any inspiration from the world above
These facts relate to the approaching Peace Con-
ference, the cession of Lombardy to Piedmont and
their cOrOUaries.
I wrote you in my last letter, that the Govern
meut of Piedmont is averse to acceding in any
manner 10 the claim by which Austria means to
burden LOmbardy with part of her public debt.
am now enabled, by information resting on good
authority, to state that the Sandman delegate is
formally instructed to demur to the demand and
to plead set-of, which will at all events balance
the Austrian claim As this question will play the
most prominent psrt in the Conference, think it
important and will submit to your readers Q
statement Of the facts on which the merits Of the
italian side of the case rest
The financial sdmiI stration of Lombsrdo-V ene-
tia has, at least up to lei9 been entirely separate
and distinct from that of the other provinces of the
Austrian Empire, and the treaties Of 1915. by
which Austria acquired her Italian provinces, guar
anteed the Monte NapOleons," which establish.
ment was instituted for the purpose Of administer
ing and liqudatiDg the public debt Of the late Ma
poleonc Kingdom Of Italy; the treaties provided,
ut the same time that this debt and the national
domains which had been assigned to the g Monte,
should be liquldated and distributed among those
provinces Of the late Kingdom which fell
70 the share of Austria, and those which were
restored to their old rulers as for instance Modens.
What remained after this clearing operation, con-
trit uted to the publ: debt Of Lombardo Venetia,
and it is clear that these provinces hsye since no
occasion whatever to increase their liabilities.
The Sardinisn Government demands not only that
in proceeding to the liquidation OF the Monte
LOnbsrdO- Venetian, and ~ the distribution of its
liabilities between Lombardy and Venetia. its pre-
vOus adm Illustration, the use which has been
made of its domains, and the origin of the
many millions of additional debt with which
it has been sadded, shall be submitted 10 q close
investigation, but puts IN evidence the TACT that
Austria received every year large excess OF taxes
from LOnbsrdy, which WAS not spent for the sene-
fit OF the Province, but merged ia the bottomless
abyss of the Austrian treasury.
The Austrian rulers retained the French tax
rates which they found 10 force when 10 1915, they
entered upon the possession Of their Italian
Provinces, as they then declared, Professionally;
but nOiw itstsndiIg the exceptional origin VI those
rates which dated from time 10 which the long
and protracted wars of Napoleon had called for the
utmost straning Of the pecuniary resources of tho
country this provisional state OF tBiogs lasted up
TO the present day.
The decree by which Emperor Francis |. or
dained, on Dec %, Iel7, " that the annual amount
" Of the land.tAx Of the monarchy should be die
" tributed in such manner that every province,
every county, every community. and every pro-
"pIietOr, should pay into the Exchequer such
:" per centage Of his income a. would be proper
" tomato to the aggregate tax levied upon the
whole empire" has neyer become reality.
Hence it came that the taxes paid by the land
owners of Lonbardy amounted to % per cent of
their income, while landowne in the other prov
iOces of Austria paid only 10 per cent Nor was
this al. When, in lS49, the financial distress of
the empire made it necessary to increase the land
tax by SO per ceot no regard wh,teyer was paid to
the special origin of the Itslisn rates of taXaton
and since that year, the contribution levied upon
the zeal estate of Lombardy amounted to 3 per
cent of the income, while it was II per cent in the
other provinces of the empire.
Lombardy stan is to the whole empire as respects
the surface of ts soil az to 81; a. respects
the population a. to Is; as respects aggregate
income Is TO IL; while the proportion Of her
share Of taxes 10 the aggregate contributions Of the
Monarchy 10 IS l to 6. And this state of things
has continued during forty -four years. to say moth
ing Of the fact that ever since l..9 considerable